Sentences just don’t seem to flow as well… when you use three dots… instead of a comma… do you think it makes you look intelligent… not sure if its laziness or something else… maybe someone can explain to me, but it is a bit worrying the way punctuation has gone to pot with a lot of people. Spelling and grammar is bad enough these days, without having terrible punctuation too.

Only a small thing and I know I’ll probably get lots of people thinking I’m trying to be a troll or something like that.

I thought the op was about text boobs.

I have to admit to doing that now and then. Its an old form of script writing to inform the reader of natural pauses and nuances within within spoken communication, to give the cadence of speech. I don’t believe my punctuation had gone to pot as I manage to somehow write legal and technical reports without ballsing it up too badly.

I…em….sometimes use it to indicate a longer pause than a comma suggests. I suppose a colon or a semi-colon would more appropriate……………..or would it?

Good point though.

Are you an English teacher? If you are please don’t whine about your workload: we have had enough of that already!

I occasionally use on on my phone when in a hurry, as the (.) key is on the main screen, but most other punctuation is on a secondary one. That said my kids laugh at me for using grammar and punctuation at all in a text message or similar.

I use it in messages now and again when I’m implying that there’s something more to come after a pause…

But I rarely follow up with anything. Misuse of punctuation scale shows this being several hundred times less annoying than the top spot, the grocer’s apostrophe.

Not an English teacher 😉 . I just like creative writing, and word porn as it’s sometimes called. 🙂

the grocer’s apostrophe

Explain please?

I use it in messages now and again when I’m implying that there’s something more to come after a pause…

Yeah thats the only time I’d really use it.

If you like creative writing then you should be well versed on the use of the punctuation …………..

One of my very favourite apostrophes in Bristol:

Let’s go for a classy French name and stick an apostrophe in there. 😆

Like this?

GoPro confusion :-S …. Talk to me

Feeling in need of some attention this morning…..?

It is a perfectly correct form of punctuation called the “ellipsis”. Like a dash it has a clear usage in writing. It is useful in more conversational writing. Sorry you seem not to like it but that seems to be about you rather than modern English… 😉

It is a perfectly correct form of punctuation called the “ellipsis”

Whilst this is factually correct, you’re completely disregarding how it’s used. Ie, “instead of a comma” as the OP suggests.

I use it to replace things that would get… from the forum. And things I don’t wish to elaborate on… .

When I read threads like this I can’t help but think how well-rounded I must be.

EDIT: bwahahaha! bruneep nailed it.

Haha, busted!!!! 🙂

I like… to use it to… evoke… William…Shatner….

Cougar. Until he shows an example of a misuse that’s a moot point.

I like… to use it to… evoke… William…Shatner….

Superb impression! It’s like he’s in the room with me…

I like to use this a lot….

As if I’ve never really stopped speaking….

DrP…

What I can’t decide, is when a thread is as utterly pointless as this one, is whether to point out it’s inanity, or just ignore it… sometimes, you just have to speak up.

I am a serial … user. And, erm, so what…??!

I use it all the time…it’s a sort of conversational thing with me, perhaps to indicate a pause longer than a comma…perhaps not.

Do I think it makes me look more intelligent? Certainly not…I don’t think I’m fooling anyone on that count. It’s certainly not laziness…I mean, it takes 3 times more effort than a comma!

Much as I admire your drive to improve grammar on the forum, I think your efforts are misplaced…much like the question mark around these parts?

I use them in the same way you would a pause in a spoken sentence, a thoughtful period of reflection before a conclusion.

ridding the internet of all the spurious and surplus apostrophe’s 😉 is of much higher importance. seem’s 😉 to me the rule now is that it’s a prefix for every other word that end’s 😉 in “s” 😉
(although I say ban them entirely)

will use … even more now

…

Cheers, Legless Danny B

Some people like to use ellipses at the end of a sentence in the hope of suggesting an unspoken thought, something really significant that only the true cognoscenti will understand…

…it doesn’t work!

A grammar thread on a cycling forum…who’d have thought it?

The semicolon is the preferred indication of a pause; surely?

Never mind all that, what about those people that use four dots instead of an ellipsis. Or five?! Or multiple punctuation points at the end of a sentence? Flogging’s too good for them.

Serial dot dot dotter here, apologies if it upsets anyone.

But as they are grammatically correct, I shall continue to use them for the purpose I intend I am afraid. Pause and have a thought… 😉

…………..

Multiple exclamation marks are my outrage of choice. I’m looking at you, OP…
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/roadies-etiquette-etc

PS Not really, it’s all colloquial innit?!?

The semicolon is the preferred indication of a pause; surely?

No.

the grocer’s apostrophe

Explain please?

[/quote]
Potatoe’s
Tomatoe’s…

The semicolon is the preferred indication of a pause; surely?

Google what a semi-colon is actually for. It’s a very useful punctuation mark but if has very strict usage rules.

It’s not – as the name might suggest – just a watered down colon.

Potatoe’s
Tomatoe’s…

Let’s call the whole thing off.

I use “…….” quite a lot….

…can’t really think why at the moment.

also outlawing “would of”, “should of”, etc. is a higher priority to sort before “…” usage.