Inappropriate use of Ellipsis

As the subject of my first column I would like to pontificate on one of my pet peeves, which many of the members of English Experts Forum make in many of their posts. This error is the inappropriate and / or excessive use of the ellipsis punctuation mark or three periods in sucession ( … ). See: Wikipedia Ellipsis

While the aforementioned reference allows the use of the ellipsis in some instances, it is very rarely used in American English except in legal papers, or to indicate that one or more words were intentionally omitted from a quote. The prime example of the latter is when a teacher or editor is rewriting a passage and does not desire to change the entire quote. To use the ellipsis at any other time is to invite an unnecessary error in one’s grammar, while the much more acceptable punctuation would be to use a comma or period.

In closing I would urge all my friends at English Experts to avoid using the ellipsis, because I can not see any advantage of making English more difficult to learn than it already is. Instead I postulate that you can better spend your time to increase your vocabulary, and then your writings will appear to be written by a more erudite scholar.

Words to increase your vocabulary

• Pontificate: dar sua opinião com relação a algo
• Aforementioned: previamente mencionado, supracitado
• Latter: o segundo, o citado em segundo lugar, o citado por último
• Postulate: implorar, requerer, avaliar, colocar (colocação)
• Erudite: erudito, sábio, culto

Co-autora: Flávia Magalhães

Sobre o Autor: Bill Slayman tem 66 anos é americano e mora em Pensacola, Florida, USA. Ele atuou no exército americano e hoje está aposentado. Suas paixões são: andar de Harley Davidson, motocicletas, fotografia e qualquer coisa brasileira. Bill é um dos maiores colaboradores do EE.