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For example here the sentence is, "Consider any sequence of data points x0, x1, x2,... in R" It messes up my mind when I can't loudly read something.

How is ... (dot dot dot) pronounced in such a sentence?

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    "and so on" works.
    – Kris
    Dec 13, 2018 at 8:41
  • “Dot dot dot” also conveys your intent in that context.
    – Lawrence
    Dec 13, 2018 at 9:33
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    Is it Ok, to ask this kind of questions here? because it happens a lot of times that it is hard to read something.
    – hhoomn
    Dec 13, 2018 at 20:48
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    I've never pronounced ellipses. They just serve as a pause. Do you pronounce commas, semicolons, or dashes?
    – Jason Bassford
    Dec 14, 2018 at 2:25
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    @JasonBassford In this case, the ellipsis means “and so on, continuing into infinity/up to whatever end makes sense in the given context”, rather than just signalling a pause. This sense of the ellipsis is more akin to “etc.” than to dashes and other punctuation.
    – Janus Bahs Jacquet
    Dec 16, 2018 at 13:53

2 Answers 2

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What I've heard most often is simply three consecutive "dot"s (I am reminded of the beginning scene in Mamma Mia where they read the mother's diary), but you could always substitute it.

Some phrases to try might be et cetera

and others especially of the same kind : and so forth —abbreviation etc.

or "and so forth/on", or ad infinitum

without end or limit

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  • Why were you downvoted? This is a pretty valid answer...
    – Balaz2ta
    Dec 19, 2018 at 4:24
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Mathematician here! Personally, I do not read such an expression literally. So, as strange as this may seem, my answer to you is: "Forget about trying to read the '...' out loud in any meaningful way. Instead, focus on understanding the entire statement."

In this example, the writer is saying, "There is a countably infinite sequence of real numbers," and that they are choosing to label that sequence with indices (plural of index) that are non-negative integers. When I read that, in my mind, I picture an infinite list of numbers, starting at some point on the left (that's x0) and continuing off to the right, with no end. My eyes and brain scan the expression, but I do not attempt to "verbalize" those symbols in the way that you seek. Instead, the symbols, as a whole, convey the concept of an infinite, ordered sequence.

I know this may not be exactly what you want, but I do hope you find it helpful. It sure helps me.

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