DB Sommer wrote:
<<Hmm. Now of late people have been telling me that the first word after the
ellipse is capitalized. I can't find my bloody English grammar book, so I'm
uncertain. Anyone no for sure which is the official way to spell the word
after the ellipse?>>
Bjorn wrote:
<<To the best of my understanding, it depends on whether (for
lack of better terms) you're trailing a sentence off, or
putting in a pause.
So, for example:
"I shouldn't say this... but I will."
Here, "but" is uncapitalized, because I'm continuing the
same sentence/train of thought. On the other hand:
"What he said to me... Enough about that."
This time, "Enough" is capitalized, because the ellipsis
represents an actual interruption.
Bjorn>>
Larry F wrote:
<<It depends on _how_ you are using them. I use ellipses for two main
effects:
1.) Trailing off at the end of a sentence--
"If you gave Mihoshi the keys, then that means..." In this case, the
next word would be capitalized, because it's a new sentence.
2.) A pause in speaking rhythm, or a hesitation while searching for the
right word--
"Kasumi is dancing around in the kitchen, only wearing a negligee?
That's... disturbing."
--or--
"Finding out about Princess Fatora's... preferences... can be quite
shocking if you don't know her." Since the word is part of the sentence,
the following one is not capitalized.>>
As far as I can tell, those are correct, but....
Everyone forgot to mention that an elipses that terminates a
sentence should be trailed by a period, which makes the matter a bit
clearer:
"This dialogue is just.... I can't finish." vs. "This dialogue is
just... stilted."
Find out more than you'll ever need to know about it here:
http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/marks/ellipsis.htm