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Ellipsis is the omission of a word or series of words. There are two slightly different definitions of ellipsis which are pertinent to literature. The first definition of ellipsis is the commonly used series of three dots, which can be place at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a sentence or clause. These three dots can stand in for whole sections of text that are omitted that do not change the overall meaning. The dots can also indicate a mysterious or unfinished thought, a leading sentence, or a pause or silence.
The other definition of ellipsis is a linguistically appropriate omission of words that are mutually understood and thus unnecessary.
This type of ellipsis is usually used where the words omitted would be redundant. Many people use ellipses to signal confusion, disapproval, hesitation, or to show more is to come when writing in a chat-based application indeed, some messaging applications use the image of three dots to show that the other person is typing. People also use ellipses in the previously defined way of showing that their thoughts are unfinished or that they are expecting a response from their interlocutors. Here are some examples of ellipsis that you might recognize or have used yourself:.
Here are some more examples, with their linguistic terms and words omitted in brackets:. Authors use ellipses for many reasons, similar to the diverse ways we use ellipses in written and spoken language.
Authors generally use ellipsis examples in their works of literature to indicate an omission of unnecessary words or information. Authors also use examples of ellipsis to build tension when it seems as though a character or the narrator is leaving something unfinished, unsaid, or un-started. The popularity and usage of ellipsis has also changed over time; it used to be more common to find ellipses standing in for proper nouns or expletives.
Journalists and academicians also use ellipses in their writing to indicate that a quote has been condensed for purposes of saving space. Poets may also use ellipses to indicate irony or make the reader consider a certain thought or line. My aunt waited until Eliza sighed and then said: My aunt fingered the stem of her wine-glass before sipping a little.
He had a beautiful death, God be praised.
Chinese Hebrew Japanese Korean. Here are some more examples, with their linguistic terms and words omitted in brackets:. Another example is the set of zeros of the cosine function:. The speaker, Old Cotter, is hesitating and trying to come up with his opinion. What is the function of the ellipsis examples in this excerpt? In the 19th and early 20th centuries, an ellipsis was often used when a writer intentionally omitted a specific proper noun, such as a location:
James Joyce was used ellipsis examples masterfully. McKee] suggested, as we groaned down in the elevator.
I was standing beside his bed and he was sitting up between the sheets, clad in his underwear, with a great portfolio in his hands. This is an extremely significant use of ellipsis from F. In this excerpt, the narrator Nick Carraway has left a party with another man, Mr. McKee is in his underwear. First Known Use of ellipsis , in the meaning defined at sense 1a. Learn More about ellipsis. Resources for ellipsis Time Traveler!
Explore the year a word first appeared. From the Editors at Merriam-Webster.
Dictionary Entries near ellipsis Elliot's pheasant Elliott ellipse ellipsis ellipsograph ellipsoid ellipsoidal spotlight. Time Traveler for ellipsis The first known use of ellipsis was in See more words from the same year. More Definitions for ellipsis.
English Language Learners Definition of ellipsis. More from Merriam-Webster on ellipsis Spanish Central: Translation of ellipsis Nglish: Translation of ellipsis for Spanish Speakers Britannica. Comments on ellipsis What made you want to look up ellipsis?
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