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Arctimon (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
2022-02-28 15:35:15

It's not a universal thing. Some styles say to do it; some don't. The question is whether or not it's something to be cleaned up.

I personally don't care either way; it doesn't detract from the look on the page. But maybe send them a PM to see what's up?

Amonimus (Sergeant)
2022-02-28 15:44:16

Tips on Grammar: "After each punctuation mark there should be a space."

A "..." being followed by a word without a space between them to me looks inherently wrong.

Also per American and Commonwealth Spellings, the punctuation also shouldn't be changed unless it's incorrect or it's discussed which of the valid ones to use.

Edited by Amonimus TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup
StFan Since: Jan, 2001
2022-02-28 15:48:50

^ Yeah, I share this stance, nice to see it's mentioned somewhere in the standards.

I've messaged Vulkus about this thread.

mlsmithca (Edited uphill both ways)
2022-02-28 15:54:26

My understanding is that whether or not a space goes after an ellipsis falls under the "first come, first served" rule on American and Commonwealth Spellings; different style guides say different things, but if it's done one way, leave it that way unless you're completely re-writing the entry.

(I share StFan and Anonimus' preference for a space after an ellipsis, but I generally leave entries as they are if they don't have them.)

Vulkus Since: Jun, 2020
2022-02-28 15:58:06

Sorry, I really should curb this compulsion. I'll really try to tone it down.

RoseAndHeather (Edited uphill both ways)
2022-02-28 16:27:56

Ellipses are punctuation. Punctuation needs to have a space after it, unless it's being used to denote missing letters in contractions — which ellipses manifestly are not.

I am honestly baffled that anyone would think otherwise.

Edited by RoseAndHeather I serve at the pleasure of President Pritchart.
Amonimus (Sergeant)
2022-02-28 16:44:33

Should the edits be reverted then?

TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup
Willbyr MOD (Y2K)
2022-03-01 04:27:33

Personally, I don't put a space after an ellipsis, but I realize I'm in the minority on that.

RoseAndHeather (Edited uphill both ways)
2022-03-01 12:17:05

As I noted, ellipses are end-of-sentence punctuation marks and therefore need to have a space after to denote the beginning of a new sentence.

I serve at the pleasure of President Pritchart.
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
2022-03-01 12:19:54

If it helps, i think the ATT thread the OP refers to is one I made regarding an edit war over the issue

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/query.php?parent_id=98944&type=att

MichaelKatsuro Since: Apr, 2011
2022-03-01 12:24:11

I don't think I've ever seen a professionally published book, or even graphic novel, that refrained from putting a space after ellipses (ellipsises? ellipsisissies?) so I'd say we should use that space too.

RoundRobin Since: Jun, 2018
2022-03-01 13:07:57

As far as I know, the only instance in printed media where ellipses are not followed by a space is when they are used to start a sentence, which is a visual shorthand used to show that the speaker is hesitating (similar to a Beat). e.g. "How many should I use?" "...All of them?"

- Fly, robin, fly! - ...I'm trying!
RoseAndHeather (Edited uphill both ways)
2022-03-01 13:36:27

^ correct, Robin.

I serve at the pleasure of President Pritchart.
Vilui Since: May, 2009
2022-03-01 13:41:35

Not universally correct; different style guides have different recommendations. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellipsis#In_different_languages

The style you two are advocating feels and looks natural, though.

RoseAndHeather (Edited uphill both ways)
2022-03-01 13:57:26

Vilui, the Oxford exception you're discussing applies to ellipses being used to stand in for redacted words in sentences though, not to ellipses being used as end-of-sentence punctuation or to indicate a pause in the sentence (where spaces are used). I've very rarely seen ellipses used for the former purpose on this wiki — they're almost always used to signal a pause in speech/a sentence, to indicate a Beat before a sentence, or to indicate a character/person trailing off at the end of a sentence. And that's only in Oxford; most other guides mandate ellipses with a space after regardless of the usage.

Basically, using ellipses without a space is only correct in some circumstances, not all of them, and that's only per one style guide — and those circumstances are comparatively rare on the wiki. It's a lot clearer and less confusing to just use a space after all ellipses except those used to indicate a Beat before a sentence.

Edited by RoseAndHeather I serve at the pleasure of President Pritchart.
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