Roberta wrote:Eva wrote:Roberta wrote:Back in the day when I was a fledgling editor, they were called leaders. Now, fancy shmancy ellipsis. The problem persists.
Oh, for crying out loud! A leader is a whole series of dots, as in a table of contents, leading up to the page number:
Chapter Two
What the f*ck is an ellipsis anyway?...................................37
An ellipsis is the three-dot thingy that indicates a pause (like this)...and I love 'em even if I do hafta edit them out in professional writing.
Where's another one of those damn pain pills? And why hasn't the doctor's office returned my call yet?! I don't care how many damn people got sick over the weekend, my back HURTS! I am stealing serious pain meds from my hubby, and I still can't stand up straight. Ring, damn phone, RING!!!
According to
Words into Type published three years before I went into publishing (1964), an ellipsis is the part of a quote or sentence that's missing. (No mention of dots.) Do you want the exact quote?
We referred to the dots that were used to indicate that something was missing as three leaders. The definition of ellipsis has changed and expanded; it now refers to the dots.
I'm sorry you're in pain. I hope you get relief soon. But please don't suggest that I don't know what I'm talking about.
I didn't mean to suggest that, Roberta! I'm sorry. The pain meds have kicked in now, so I'm not feeling nearly as "rant-y." Lalalalalalala......
You're right, ellipses are used most correctly to indicate missing parts of quotes or statements. In current usage, they also indicate pauses. (Although that's not technically correct.)
The definition of "leaders" could have changed with the advent of publishing software, or the differences could be regional. I don't know. But in all the software I've used, leaders can be dots, dashes, bullets or even solid lines.
Um, now that I've calmed down, do I hafta leave this thread?
