Ellipsis Tirade
el·lip·sis – noun \i-ˈlip-səs, e-\ a : the omission of one or more words that are obviously understood but that must be supplied to make a construction grammatically complete; b : a sudden leap from one topic to another : marks or a mark (as …) indicating an omission (as of words) or a pause The above definition is taken from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Since I’ve begun to read indie author works, I’ve noticed that writers seem to be in love with these three little dots. So much so that they misuse them all the time. At first, I thought it was just one book or author but after ten plus books where 75% of them misuse the ellipsis, I feel the need to step in. The main use of an ellipsis is to shorten a quotation or to show a trailing off in speech. Here is an example of each. For the quotation, let’s take a simple quote from Cicero: Original – “A friend is, as it were, a second self.” Ellipsisfied – “A friend is... a second self.” Notice that is replaces an unnecessary po...