What are ellipses and how are they used?
Ellipses consist of three spaced periods (. . .) to indicate omissions in material taken from other contexts. They are the exact opposites of brackets (which are used for insertions of information within quoted material): Original: Relaters, although the unknown may be intriguing, prefer to stick with what they already know. Relaters…prefer to stick with what they already know. The ellipsis may also be used at the beginning or end of a sentence: Original: Fearing sudden changes, they are naturally concerned with what may happen. …they are naturally concerned with what may happen. or Original: The real question is how best to use the positive aspects of each trait while recognizing the less-developed attributes that accompany it. The real question is how best to use the positive aspects of each trait…. In the latter example, note that the ellipsis is followed by the end punctuation of the sentence (a period).