A lot of literature on DeviantART indicates there's confusion regarding whether and how to use em dashes and ellipses properly in prose. I've misused them myself, and it's not necessarily instinctual regarding which is used when and how.

In that vein, I put together some help for those who aren't clear how it works in honor of "Back to Basics" month here on dA.

According to Wikipedia's entry on the ellipsis, the ellipsis (plural, "ellipses") is a "...mark or series of marks that usually indicate an intentional omission of a word or a phrase from the original text. An ellipsis can also be used to indicate a pause in speech, an unfinished thought or, at the end of a sentence, a trailing off into silence.

"The most common form of an ellipsis is a row of three full stops (... , . . . or [...]). Forms encountered less often are: three asterisks (***), one em dash ( — ), multiple en dashes ( –– ), and the Unicode Ellipsis symbol […].

The triple-dot punctuation mark is also called a suspension point, points of ellipsis, periods of ellipsis, or colloquially, dot-dot-dot."

So, what does that mean, and what are we talking about?

We're talking about pausing sentences, and the ways to do that.

Well, I have a problem using ellipses and em-dashes correctly. It's been brought to my attention more than once over time, and I know a lot of you I watch seem to be a bit confused about it too. So this is an attempt to clarify what the differences are, and when to use which.

As you can see above, both can show a pause, or trailing off. How would you decide when to use which, then?

Back to Wikipedia:

"The Chicago Manual of Style suggests the use of an ellipsis for any omitted word, phrase, line, or paragraph from within a quoted passage. There are two commonly used methods of using ellipses: one uses three dots for any omission, while the second makes a distinction between omissions within a sentence (using three dots: . . .) and omissions between sentences (using a period and a space followed by three dots: . ...). An ellipsis at the end of a sentence with no sentence following should be followed by a period (for a total of four dots)."

Okay, so that helps clarify things, at least a little, right?

No?

Whenever you're removing a word or words from some citation, use an ellipsis to show the omission. The ellipsis is THREE DOTS and ONLY three dots, and if used at the end of a sentence, where another sentence isn't inserted, is followed by a period, for a total of FOUR dots. (I'm really, really crappy at doing that.)

So then, what's the right way to use the ellipsis for NON-citation work?

Well, according to this guy, the ellipsis can be used rather like a comma. That is, to show a pause in the sentence.

So, let's review so far:

Ellipses are used to show removed portions of text, or to show a pause in a sentence, and in speech (dialog). When the ellipsis comes at the END of a sentence, it should be followed by a period. Some say you should add a space before and after the ellipsis, but no one can seem to agree on that, apparently. I'll tell you this, though: if you use a program with AutoCorrect-type features, and DO put a space before and after them, your three dots will automatically get sucked up and cranked out as a coded ellipsis so you don't have to worry about it. Just remember to add a period at the end of a sentence (even in a piece of dialog), just as with any other character.

What about an em dash, then?

First, let's get the definitions again. An em dash is NOT a hyphen. They are NOT interchangable.

Once again, Wikipedia:

"The em dash ( — ), or m dash, m-rule, etc., often demarcates a parenthetical thought—like this one—or some similar interpolation.

It is also used to indicate that a sentence is unfinished because the speaker has been interrupted. Similarly, it can be used instead of an ellipsis to indicate aposiopesis, the rhetorical device by which a sentence is stopped short not because of interruption but because the speaker is too emotional to continue, such as Darth Vader's line "I sense something; a presence I have not felt since—"

So the em dash can also be used to show a choked-off sentence, but NOT because the speaker is omitting or not finishing their thought, but because they've been interrupted, or is too choked-up to continue (??? WTF? Whatevs.)

An em dash is used to show a break in syntax. Period. So if you're writing along, and you have something to add--which will make the rest of the sentence more clear, or add something to it, or would be where you might use a parenthesis, like this--you use your standard em dash there.

And, when you're typing it, it's TWO hyphens in a row, no spaces before or after, though again there is some argument on that depending on which style manual you use.

Why's it called an em dash? Because it's a typographical symbol equivalent to one letter "m" wide. Heh. Lame, but true.

Okay, so let's recap:

The ellipsis ( ... ) is used to show a pause in a sentence, or a sentence trailing off, or the omission of some text (especially in citations and non-fiction work). Use it wisely or you might end up ... .

The em dash is used as a parenthetical insertion for insertion--to show a break in syntax for clarification or addition or parenthetical insertions--and to show interruption of thought or speech.

Is one of them more correct than the other?

Yes. It depends on what you're doing, of course. But there IS a right and wrong way to use them, and NO, it's not at the writer's discretion (much to my chagrin).

So there you have it, the first of our little romps through grammar and usage. I chose this topic first because it's a little tick of mine. I use the two interchangeably (wrong) and depending on the feel of the sentence (wrong), so I thought some of you might need some help like me.

Hope this helps.