There are a number of ways in which to write ellipses, from the number of dots–three or four–to the formatting–open or closed. Should the dots have spaces in between ( . . . ) or not ( … )? In the United States, most punctuation follows either the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) or the Associated Press (AP) style.

Open or Closed

Ellipses should be open, according to both the Chicago style and the AP style. That is to say, ( . . . ) is allowed, but (. . .) is not.

Should there be spaces between dots?

According to the CMS all ellipses must have spaces before, between, and after. AP style, on the other hand, does not add spaces between the dots.

Example:

• “It is necessary to have . . . the proper precautions.” (Chicago style)
• “It is necessary to have … the proper precautions.” (AP style)

The Four-Dot Ellipsis

In most cases, ellipses consist of only three dots. A fourth dot is added, however, when (1) the omission occurs at the end of a sentence or (2) one or more full sentences are omitted.

Example:

Original Quote:

• “There once was a princess who lived in a castle. It wasn’t a big castle, but it was nice, with glass walls, twenty fireplaces, a marble staircase, and floors made of gold. The castle was right on the ocean shore and every morning, the seagulls and dolphins came to say hello.”

Omission at the end of a sentence:

• “There once was a princess who lived in a castle. . . . The castle was right on the ocean shore and every morning, the seagulls and dolphins came to say hello.”

Omitting multiple sentences:

• “There once was a princess who lived . . . . right on the ocean shore and every morning, the seagulls and dolphins came to say hello.”

The difference exists, but is subtle.

In general, the best practice is to choose an ellipsis form (open, closed, spaced, no spaced) and be consistent with it throughout your work.

Ellipses Image