What's with the posts punctuated with ellipses (that's a series of dots .... to join, or perhaps to separate, adjacent clauses)? Why do people type that way? This is a serious question: does it perform a function not already available with normal punctuation? Or does it simply avoid the need to think about what punctation would be correct?
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Job motivation: how the powerful steal from the stupid. -
Oh dear...Originally posted by Ignis Fatuus View Post
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The ellipsis is used to represent a pause or break in speech. Since on fora one is not writing formally, but nearer to the textual representation of a discussion, the use of the ellipsis becomes natural.
Unless you think otherwise...?
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Also, punctuation was not taught in school for - what? 15 years? There's an entire generation out there who do not know what an apostrophe is. Expecting them to even know what symbols exist is optimistic. So they use whatever seems to work. And the ellipsis does appear a lot in marketing material so will be adopted quite easily.
However, I do not think that reason applies to CUK generally; most of us are very literate. The exceptions are always very apparent:
hi i want help with this problem agent A called me and said hes gto a gig for me and can i start monday but i am in a job so i cant start strait a way is it allright if i like just dont turn up lol xxx kthxbyeMy all-time favourite Dilbert cartoon, this is: BTW, a Dumpster is a brand of skip, I think.Comment
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I just tried to read that quote, it's like trying to read another language
Fiscal nomad it's legal.Comment
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So... what is the preferred approach?Originally posted by MaryPoppinsOriginally posted by vetranComment
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There's no point... It'll just make you dotty...Originally posted by zeitghostI've tried to give them up... but it doesn't seem to have worked...
My all-time favourite Dilbert cartoon, this is: BTW, a Dumpster is a brand of skip, I think.Comment
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You're all a load of .... pisstaking.....winkers......Job motivation: how the powerful steal from the stupid.Comment
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My all-time favourite Dilbert cartoon, this is: BTW, a Dumpster is a brand of skip, I think.Comment
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WHSOriginally posted by RichardCranium View Post
You're all a load of... pisstaking... winkers...
An ellipsis is usually 3 dots...Comment
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