0

When a quote ends a paragraph, essentially trailing off, one (generally) uses three ellipses points such as the following:

"I'm not going to humor that suggestion! There is no way ..."

Even if the end of the quote completes a sentence, if it's an incomplete thought, it may retain three points

"I'm not going to humor that suggestion! There is no way I can ..."

But what about

Mars, the red planet--but to the Romans, it is the God of War! Herein lies the story [?]

A period just doesn't seem to cut it. So the question is, three dots or four? And if four, what should the separation be? I realize this is a bit of a style issue. THE CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE, which I use, only advocates four equally spaced points if it indicates the removal of paragraph(s) in quoted material.

4
  • Why doesn't a full stop "seem to cut it"?
    – rajah9
    Commented Dec 11, 2015 at 18:53
  • True, a period ends a sentence. But I'm introducing a story, and it seems abrupt.
    – Stu W
    Commented Dec 11, 2015 at 19:04
  • Never end a sentence with a preposition! End it by trailing off and ... Commented Dec 12, 2015 at 4:37
  • Related question: Is an ellipsis a distinct punctuation mark?.
    – user140086
    Commented Dec 12, 2015 at 8:14

1 Answer 1

-1

Herein lies the story.

It's a full sentence, so it ends with a period.

(If you insist on using ellipses, use 4; you use 4 to end a full sentence.)


Edit: The Chicago Manual of Style (13th ed) says:

10.47 "In general, no ellipses points should be used 1) before or after an obviously incomplete sentence, 2) before or after a run-in quotation of a complete sentence, 3) before a block quotation beginning with a complete sentence ... 4) after a block quotation ending with a complete sentence."

The OP last sentence in question is "Herein lies the story." This is a complete sentence. It it were a block quotation, by 10.47, point 4, ellipses should not be used.

But the sentence in question is for a narrative passage, not a quoted passage. CMOS uses ellipses for the omission of a word or phrase from within a quoted passage. (10.36) This is not the case, so again, ellipses are contraindicated.

3
  • Please give an example with an answer. Also, may I remind you that this is a professional site, and I am asking for help. Attitude counts. Are you saying story.... or story. ... or story ... .?
    – Stu W
    Commented Dec 11, 2015 at 19:25
  • I like the literal interpretation: "Herein lies the story... ... ... ..." :P
    – Sabrina
    Commented Dec 11, 2015 at 20:35
  • 1
    Hmm, can an elipses be a full sentence on it's own? : - ) Commented Dec 12, 2015 at 5:44

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.