Third in a Series on Ellipses by Boyd Sutton

Ellipses are an often neglected subject--one, in fact, that many editors are not thoroughly versed on. Boyd Sutton, editor of Wisconsin Writers' Journal, the official journal for WRWA, published a well-researched piece on ellipses in his 60th anniversary edition this month. He has kindly allowed me to serialize it and run it in this column, a little (digestible) piece at a time. Today he'll talk about using ellipses with other punctuation in dialogue.



By Boyd Sutton, editor of the Wisconsin Writers' Journal

We all use ellipses in our writing. But getting them right is elusive. Ellipses are those three periods, sometimes spaced (. . .), sometimes not spaced (…), used to indicate that one or more words have been omitted from a quotation or, in dialogue, that a speaker has not brought a remark to completion or that there are awkward pauses in the speaker’s remarks. The problem is not so much in their usage as in their correct presentation—and in correct usage of other punctuation associated with ellipses.

Punctuating Ellipses in Dialogue

Punctuation is perhaps the most elusive of all aspects of correct use of ellipses. The rules for punctuating ellipses in dialogue and quotations are different. I hope that the examples, combined with an explanation of the theory of what ellipses intend to achieve, will make it easier for all to understand and punctuate them correctly. I would welcome feedback on how to make it clearer.

In dialogue, the terminal period is omitted if it comes at the end of a complete element of dialogue.

Example: The witness told the investigator, “He hit me with something and I ...”

Note in the example that one blank space precedes the ellipses, but no blank space—or period—separates the final dot of the ellipses from the close quotes. What this is telling the reader is that the witness’ remark just trails off and has no formal ending. If we’d added a period, it would have suggested an ending with omitted material—as though the witness said more, but the author omitted it.

However, and also in dialogue, ellipses that come within the conversation (not at its end) are punctuated by periods, commas, question marks, and exclamation points.

Example: “I didn’t know what ... I mean, I couldn’t know, could I? ... How could I ... ,” she began. “I was hit, you know, from ... I can’t even think of what ...”

Remember that ellipses indicate incomplete utterances, pauses, or omitted material. In this example, the first ellipses shows that the speaker is confused, perhaps dazed, and her first attempt at a sentence trails off (I didn’t know what ... I mean). Then she recovers and poses a question (I mean, I couldn’t know, could I?). Then she pauses again (could I? ... How could). She’s still confused, but the author adds a tag line to break up the pace a little (How could I ... ,” she began). Note the comma follows a space after the last dot in the ellipsis and before the close quotes. One blank space would also precede a question mark or exclamation point following ellipses that indicated that a question or an exclamatory statement remained unfinished.

Then the witness statement continues with some hesitancy (I was hit, you know, from ... I can’t even). It ends with another trailing off remark (I can’t even think of what ...” Three dots of the ellipses, no period, close quote). Again, remember that the three dots of the ellipsis without the ending period mean that she just trailed off, not that the author omitted something the character said.

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Boyd Sutton is producer and editor of the Wisconsin Writers’ Journal, a quarterly publication of the Wisconsin Regional Writers Association . His articles, essays, and short stories have appeared in newspapers and magazines. He is a freelance editor and has won many writing awards, including the Jade Ring, Wisconsin’s most prestigious writing award, for his essay, “Owning Your Own Time—Managing Your Retirement.” He may be reached at journal@wrwa.net. This article first appeared in the 2008 winter edition of the Wisconsin Writers’ Journal.


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Carolyn Howard-Johnson edits, consults and speaks on issues of publishing. Find her The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0978515870. Learn more about her other authors' aids at www.howtodoitfrugally.com, where writers will find lists and other helps on the Resources for Writers page. She blogs on all things publishing (not just editing!) at her Sharing with Writers blog.

Wanna Discard Perfectly Good Punctuation Just 'Cause It's Dialogue?

My question . . is about punctuation in dialogue.

In my real life critique group, one member commented about a paragraph of dialogue I had. The paragraph contained a semicolon, correctly used for prose. However, this member’s point was that we should not use semicolon, colons and the like in dialogue, because we don’t actually use them when we speak. He believes they throw the reader out. When someone talks, you can hear their voice go up on a comma, you can hear the question mark intonation etc. But you certainly can’t “hear” a colon.

Susan Stephenson, editor of Musings at The Muse Marquee ( http://themusemarquee.tripod.com/id185.html

Answer:

Susan, like so many other things, a rule like this is never firm. Basically, you want dialogue to feel as real as possible. Thus, when you write dialogue you don't always use complete sentences. Characters might occasionally repeat themselves or not finish a sentence or stutter. So semicolons may seem too formal or attract attention from a natural speech pattern.


Though I agree--in general-- with your critique group partner, you might find times when punctuating dialogue with a semicolon would work in your favor.
What if a character is an academic and talks like he writes? Semicolons might still be iffy but they might help make a point about the stiffness of this particular character's speech. MIGHT. You could try it and run it by some fellow writers and readers. Ask them if their use takes them out of the dialogue or contributes to their understanding of who this character is, how that might be reflected in what he says and how he says it.

BTW, people may want to know about Tom Chiarella's Writing Dialogue. It is published by Writers' Digest. I loved that book. This may be the only point on dialogue he didn't cover, Susan! (-:

The other point he didn't cover is in Stephen King's On Writing. Go find the referral to it in The Frugal Editor or King's book. You'll find other great learning in the searching process. Ha!
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson edits and consults on issues of publishing. Find her The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success on Amazon. Learn more about her other authors' aids at www.howtodoitfrugally.com.