Ellipsis . . . Is that a disease?

Attention! Ellipsis is not a disease (for all of you hypochondriacs out there . . . like me). It is actually a kind of punctuation mark. I know you are thinking, "What the heck is this? I didn't click on this link to learn about punctuation!" Nevertheless, please keep reading. I promise all of this is not about grammar, which many people say is BORING!   =)

In line with the theme of my blog, consider this as just a part of our pursuit of knowledge. In addition, I am writing about this topic,  ELLIPSIS (or ELLIPSES in its plural form), upon the request of my friend and language aficionado, Celeste A. de Vera. I guess she got a nosebleed from all of the ellipses (with spaces in between) that I used in my last two blogs.

So, let's take a look at what the heck an ellipsis is.

"First, a definition: An ellipsis (from the Greek word elleipsis — also the source of ellipse, meaning 'an oval' — is an elision of words that can be implied to mentally complete a statement; it can also mean “a sudden change of subject.” But the meaning we seek is another one, the grammatically mechanical one: Ellipsis and its plural form,ellipses, also refer to the punctuation marks signaling elision. (That word, from the Latin term elidere, means 'omission.')

Despite the second meaning of ellipsis mentioned above — 'a sudden change of subject' — ellipses are not recommended for this function. Ellipses signal, in addition to elision, a faltering or trailing off (in which case they are sometimes called suspension points), but to prepare the reader for an abrupt break or interruption in thought, use an em dash."

"Note this example: 'Three dots. . . . What could be simpler?'”
                                                                   - From All About Ellipses by Mark Nichol.

Definition:

One of three equally spaced points ( . . . ) used in writing or printing to indicate the omission of words in a quotation. Also known as ellipsis points. Plural, ellipses. 

                                                                                     - From Ellipsis (Punctuation) by Richard Nordquist

The first definition gave me a headache but was more complete. With that out of the way, I can go on to say that writing, especially writing for pleasure (the non-carnal type, except for romance novelists), should not always be grammatically correct because, more often than not, . . .  grammatically sound means boring. Hence, as a law grad, I plead the 5th amendment on using ellipses incorrectly, in a grammatical sense only.

In my humble opinion, we should write to express our thoughts as we imagine them to be and try, as much as possible, to give our readers a taste of our personality or of who we are in a unique dialogue - a dialogue of minds between the writer and the reader, with an occasional interplay of comments (at the bottom of the page). We need to live our lives away from the 'grammatical shade' in order to give vibrant color to our words and thoughts. However, this doesn't mean that we should write recklessly and confuse our readers - now that can truly give you a nosebleed, a headache, nausea, etc. Hence, slight deviations from the strict rules of grammar and formality are sometimes necessary to make reading bearable or enjoyable (clearly, this blog was written by a person who has always enjoyed movies and TV more than books . . . but don't tell my mom that).

What about ellipses and the life part? O.K. Here we go. The ellipses in life introduce flashes, pauses and breaks in our daily thoughts. They are those unconscious moments that transport us from one idea to another, no matter how unrelated they are. It's like when we are shopping in a grocery store and then suddenly, an image of our lover flashes in our minds causing us to smile uncontrollably (or think dirty thoughts for the easily excitable ones out there) . . . or when we are listening to a person we don't like go on and on about something stupid, and suddenly imagining a bulls-eye on their forehead . . . then . . . BANG! - a mental gunshot.

Ellipses can also be those pauses when we think about something like whether or not to quit our jobs when the boss is being a super jerk or pr*%k . . . but then in a few moments, we realize that we have to work to survive. When this sad reality hits us, we usually end up smiling and thanking our stupid boss for letting us do our jobs but in his inefficient and retarded way. Thus, some even resort to oleaginous flattery. (I know some of you are thinking, "Do I need a dictionary to read this freaking blog?", and I tell you, "No". Just let it flow into your minds. Anyway, OLEAGINOUS is another interesting word which would be hilarious to discuss)

So, let's think about language in a more practical way. Let's think about it as a funny part of our daily lives and always enjoy language and life under the sun . . . no matter how weird some words sound . . . like oleaginous.