(1) To demonstrate omitted material in quotes

Ellipses are commonly used to reduce the length of a quoted paragraph or speech by replacing extraneous information or details with the ellipsis sign (. . .). Omitted material can include anything from a single word to multiple sentences. This can be seen in the following example:

Example:

Original Quote:

• “It wasn’t a big castle, but it was nice, with glass walls, twenty fireplaces, a marble staircase, and floors made of gold.”

Shortened Quote with Ellipses:

• “It wasn’t a big castle, but it was nice, with glass walls, . . . and floors made of gold.”

Note that removing the phrase “twenty fireplaces, a marble staircase” does not change the meaning of the quote. It is incorrect to use ellipses to omit phrasing in order to change the meaning of the quote.

Example:

Original Quote:

• “I was looking for a red glass bird to put in my backyard.”

Incorrect Omission with Ellipses:

• “I was looking for a red . . . bird to put in my backyard.”

The sentence above is incorrect because it changes the meaning of the original sentence. While the original indicates the speaker searching for a decorative element, the shortened one suggests incorrectly that the speaker is searching for a live animal. A better use of ellipses would be:

Correct Omission with Ellipses:

• “I was looking for a . . . glass bird to put in my backyard.”

(2) To indicate uncertainty or pausing in informal conversation

Ellipses are often used in informal communication, such as text or online messaging, to indicate pauses where the writer/speaker would have naturally paused in spoken language. They work similar to em dashes (–) in this scenario, and can be used interchangeably to show pauses and brief stops in speech.

Example:

• “Umm . . . I’m not sure about that.”
• “I mean . . . not really.”
• “I don’t . . . I don’t think that’ s possible.” (Note that in this case, a similar effect can be achieved with: “I don’t–I don’t think that’s possible.”)

In both examples, the ellipses are used to indicate where the speaker, in his or her uncertainty, would have naturally paused while speaking.

This method is often employed in literary or creative writing to add characterization and nuance in a story, as seen in this example from the short story “Grace” in James Joyce’s Dubliners, in which both em dashes and ellipses are used to demonstrate hesitancy in the man’s speech cadence.

Example:

• “Tell me, Martin,” he said. “Weren’t some of the popes–of course, not our present man, or his predecessor, but some of the old popes–not exactly . . . you know . . . up to the knocker?”