Writing

Prairie_Seagull

(3,812 posts) Thu Dec 8, 2022, 10:50 AM Dec 2022

This needs to be settled once and for all. (Yea right)

Last edited Thu Dec 8, 2022, 11:28 AM - Edit history (1)

What the hell does an ellipsis mean when in the thread title unsupported by any other text in the post.

For instance: I think DU is a great place to explore the democratic leaning sphere.
Someone replies: ...

i found a discussion from 2012 about this and the answers were all over the place. Being that this was over 10 years ago, i hoped there was some more "settled law" about this issue. If not maybe a more generally accepted use.

I thought the best place to go would be ask the folks who do this for a living or are at least giving it their best. By the way, Good luck to all.

10 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

This needs to be settled once and for all. (Yea right) (Original Post) Prairie_Seagull Dec 2022 OP

Ellipsis posts are like "meh" for people too lazy to type "meh" Bernardo de La Paz Dec 2022 #1

Thank you Mr. La Paz n/t Prairie_Seagull Dec 2022 #2

Another question if you don't mind. Prairie_Seagull Dec 2022 #3

The use of ellipsis can be both formal and informal. Gaugamela Dec 2022 #4

Agree colon better for "continues in body". But OP specified bare ellipsis as total title w no body. Bernardo de La Paz Dec 2022 #5

Thank you Gaugemela n/t Prairie_Seagull Dec 2022 #8

No worries. As to specific example, it is meh as in "So what else is new? Preaching to the choir".nt Bernardo de La Paz Dec 2022 #6

I file lone-ellipsis-as-total-post in the "excessive terseness fails" bin. . . . . . nt Bernardo de La Paz Dec 2022 #7

You are being a good sport. Thanks again. Prairie_Seagull Dec 2022 #9

I think of them ... imaginary girl Dec 2022 #10

Bernardo de La Paz

(51,165 posts)

1. Ellipsis posts are like "meh" for people too lazy to type "meh"

Reply to Prairie_Seagull (Original post)

Thu Dec 8, 2022, 11:17 AM

Dec 2022

(Note 1: I don't do this for a living.)

(Note 2: my dotted titles are very different than this thread topic. If I'm writing a title-only post I add "nt" at the end (for "no text"). But to separate the "nt" from the title you can't use spaces because DU bizarrely collapses all spaces in titles to single spaces. So I put " . . . nt" so that the nt is distinct from the title.)

Prairie_Seagull

(3,812 posts)

2. Thank you Mr. La Paz n/t

Reply to Bernardo de La Paz (Reply #1)

Thu Dec 8, 2022, 11:35 AM

Dec 2022

Prairie_Seagull

(3,812 posts)

3. Another question if you don't mind.

Reply to Bernardo de La Paz (Reply #1)

Thu Dec 8, 2022, 12:01 PM

Dec 2022

So the ellipsis is conditional and strictly related to the post in question.

So what If the post was: FDR was good for America
The reply was: ...

That is clearly not a "meh" thing. Asking for a friend. OK, to not look like an idiot.

Thanks

Gaugamela

(2,682 posts)

4. The use of ellipsis can be both formal and informal.

Reply to Prairie_Seagull (Reply #3)

Thu Dec 8, 2022, 12:22 PM

Dec 2022

An ellipsis (...) is a set of three periods that indicates the omission of words from quoted material, hesitation, or trailing off in dialogue or train of thought. An ellipsis should have spaces before, between, and after the periods.

https://writingcenter.uagc.edu/ellipses

In your example, the ellipsis would indicate that the sentence continues in the body of the post, but the colon is more suitable for this, and renders the ellipsis redundant.

Bernardo de La Paz

(51,165 posts)

5. Agree colon better for "continues in body". But OP specified bare ellipsis as total title w no body.

Reply to Gaugamela (Reply #4)

Thu Dec 8, 2022, 01:00 PM

Dec 2022

Prairie_Seagull

(3,812 posts)

8. Thank you Gaugemela n/t

Reply to Gaugamela (Reply #4)

Thu Dec 8, 2022, 01:12 PM

Dec 2022

Bernardo de La Paz

(51,165 posts)

6. No worries. As to specific example, it is meh as in "So what else is new? Preaching to the choir".nt

Reply to Prairie_Seagull (Reply #3)

Thu Dec 8, 2022, 01:01 PM

Dec 2022

Bernardo de La Paz

(51,165 posts)

7. I file lone-ellipsis-as-total-post in the "excessive terseness fails" bin. . . . . . nt

Reply to Prairie_Seagull (Original post)

Thu Dec 8, 2022, 01:04 PM

Dec 2022

Prairie_Seagull

(3,812 posts)

9. You are being a good sport. Thanks again.

Reply to Bernardo de La Paz (Reply #7)

Thu Dec 8, 2022, 01:13 PM

Dec 2022

imaginary girl

(922 posts)

10. I think of them ...

Reply to Prairie_Seagull (Original post)

Thu Dec 8, 2022, 01:24 PM

Dec 2022

...as a sort of "good luck with that conversation" kind of remark. Like they think the following responses will be controversial. Not sure if that's accurate, though.

Reply to this discussion