Why is there so much abuse of "..."?! | FerrariChat
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Why is there so much abuse of "..."?!

Discussion in 'Other Off Topic Forum' started by Malfoy, Mar 30, 2006.

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  1. Malfoy

    Malfoy Formula 3

    Mar 22, 2004
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    Hampton, VA
    #1 Malfoy, Mar 30, 2006
    First off, I am far from a grammar nazi. If I can understand it, I'm usually fine. In the past few years though (I'll blame the internet) it seems like almost everyone is completely abusing the ellipse(...). WHY?! Its misused more than the word ironic. As far as I was taught, its used to show that something was cut off in a quote(i.e. We the people.... establish justice) OR a sign that something else is about to(or is implied to) follow it(i.e. What the...).

    At what point did it replace the period(or become the closing punctuation for EVERY line in instant messaging)?

    Sorry about that rant, but someone did it in the 430 thread and just irked me to no end....



















    (Now didn't that elipse at the end just irk you too? :) )
     
  2. quartermaster

    quartermaster Formula 3

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    #2 quartermaster, Mar 30, 2006
    It's called an 'ellipse'...
    :)
     
  3. Malfoy

    Malfoy Formula 3

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    #3 Malfoy, Mar 30, 2006

    OUCH, I felt the double shot!
    What makes it worse is the fact that I knew how to spell it, but I only used it once so the typo came shining through. :(
     
  4. dm_n_stuff

    dm_n_stuff Four Time F1 World Champ
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    #4 dm_n_stuff, Mar 30, 2006
    well..........
     
  5. Gilles27

    Gilles27 F1 World Champ

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    #5 Gilles27, Mar 30, 2006
    Shawn, if you're a grammar nazi, the internet and email must make you crazy. We are gradually migrating towards a phoenetical use of the English language and nobody seems to really care. Forgive the use of the word "irony", but isn't it a little ironic that laziness is taking over like a runaway train?!
     
  6. brim

    brim Guest

    Dec 20, 2004
    1,187
    #6 brim, Mar 30, 2006

    Actually, it's called an ellipsis. The plural is ellipses.

    An ellipse is a slice through a cone.
     
  7. BigDog

    BigDog Formula 3

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    #7 BigDog, Mar 30, 2006
    i enjoy...

    ...using...

    them...

    that, along with double spacing...
     
  8. jimpo1

    jimpo1 Two Time F1 World Champ
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    #8 jimpo1, Mar 30, 2006
    I'm not sure I'm following what "you" are talking about. "Some people" simply never had "proper" training in the art of "writing".
     
  9. Dubai Vol

    Dubai Vol Formula 3

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    #9 Dubai Vol, Mar 30, 2006
    Dubai Vol raises his hand in shame

    "Hi, I'm Dubai Vol and I'm an ellipsis addict!"
    "Hi, Dubai!"
    "I first started using ellipses years ago. At first it was just an occasional thing, but as time went on, I found myself using them more and more. And now I seem to use them in every post!"
    That's OK, Dubai, the first step is admitting you have a problem.

    Yeah, hey, it's a literary device. Sorry if its use offends you, but it's not a case of MISuse, more a matter of stylistic preference. Misspell or make a grammatical error and I will be on you like a rash, but you can write in whatver style you like.

    Of course, now that you have expressed a distaste for ellipses, you have made me self-conscious about using them....

    Fie on thee!
     
  10. Dubai Vol

    Dubai Vol Formula 3

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    #10 Dubai Vol, Mar 30, 2006
    But seriously folks....

    On sober reflection (OK, not quite sober) one of the things like about this site is that the posters are almost universally literate. SMS and chat room shorthand has its place, but bulletin boards are a different animal. Of course the context makes all the difference. I frequent several boards to discuss agricultural issues, and I find I'm much more tolerant of mistakes on those boards, because we're talking about growing potatoes, not Voltaire. If you're tending your own garden, it's more important where you put your seeds than where you put your apostrophes.
     
  11. taber

    taber Formula 3

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    #11 taber, Mar 30, 2006
    Y U hatin ... ?
     
  12. bmwm3

    bmwm3 Formula Junior

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    #12 bmwm3, Mar 30, 2006
    Im one of them....
     
  13. Simon^2

    Simon^2 F1 World Champ

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    #13 Simon^2, Mar 30, 2006
    I don't know...

    Let me think about it...

    I'll get back to you...
     
  14. quartermaster

    quartermaster Formula 3

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    #14 quartermaster, Mar 30, 2006
    Very good! Irony plus anology!
    And, darn it, but I was unaware of the 'ellipses/ellipsis' difference!
    I've learned something new, and it's barely 10 a.m.!
    How do you all feel about the use of exclamation marks?!
     
  15. Simon^2

    Simon^2 F1 World Champ

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    #15 Simon^2, Mar 30, 2006
    LOL!!!
     
  16. MrApex

    MrApex Formula 3

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    #16 MrApex, Mar 30, 2006
    "..." is better than people typing out "dot dot dot"......I guess.......

    :)
     
  17. quartermaster

    quartermaster Formula 3

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    #17 quartermaster, Mar 30, 2006
    Gotta love that observation!
    What if the internet were conducted in Morse code? Then it would be 'dots' and 'dashes'. That would be boring to look at.
     
  18. Erich

    Erich Formula 3

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    #18 Erich, Mar 30, 2006
    Exclamations have their place. But I rarely use them in analogies. :D
     
  19. Simon^2

    Simon^2 F1 World Champ

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    #19 Simon^2, Mar 30, 2006
    I don't know... Might improve some posts!!!
     
  20. Gilles27

    Gilles27 F1 World Champ

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    #20 Gilles27, Mar 30, 2006
    "Why...I'll give you ellipses...!!"
     
  21. ylshih

    ylshih Shogun Assassin
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    #21 ylshih, Mar 30, 2006
    Perhaps it's the instant messaging equivalent of "ummm" or "ya know" verbal cues. A "." would signal end of thought, while "..." signals still thinking. Once the habit forms ...
     
  22. rob lay

    rob lay Administrator
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    #22 rob lay, Mar 30, 2006
    I like to use it for lists.

    My most wanted Ferraris are…

    • 456 M GT
    • 250 GTE

    What would the correct usage be? “:” instead of “…”?

    Actually, I know the correct usage is still make everything look like a sentence, just break it up with bullets.

    My most wanted Ferraris are a

    • 456 M GT,
    • 250 GTE,
    • and 288 GTO.

    That sucks to me though.
     
  23. desmomini

    desmomini F1 Rookie
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    #23 desmomini, Mar 30, 2006
    Sorry...
     
  24. 134282

    134282 Four Time F1 World Champ
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    #24 134282, Mar 30, 2006
    LOL...!!! Don't like it...? Tough...! :D

    I am the Greek God Ellipses... :)
     
  25. Malfoy

    Malfoy Formula 3

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    #25 Malfoy, Mar 30, 2006
    Well when you use it, it at least is followed by something.

    Most people use it in place of the period. If ... was shorter than ., then ok, they are using some sort of short hand. But it isn't, people just use it because they see someone else using it and thought it looked good.
     
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