Do You Capitalize After an Ellipsis?

The use of ellipsis isn’t common thing regular writers do. You may sometimes ask yourself, do you capitalize after an ellipsis?

A sentence that have ellipses shows an attempt to show effect on a certain statement or narrative. It may not conclude with a word at the end. Most of the time, it serves as the last part of that sentence.

This punctuation can be used to indicate a pause, or to begin with a short stop. It may sometimes appear in quotations that are intentionally cut to get directly to the point. The intention is to straightforwardly depict the point of the quoted author.

Its use is quite rare among common writers. However, you must understand that this punctuation can help you write effectively. Should there appear a need or want to use it, you first have to answer the ultimate question.

By reading this article, you will find out the answer to your question, “do you use uppercase after an ellipsis?“

What Is an Ellipsis?

Before we go to the answer, let’s first understand what an ellipsis is.

For you to use an ellipsis correctly, it’s for the purpose of omission. It’s mostly incorporated for a text intended to present a quote. For academic purposes, this punctuation is commonly used.

To omit means, “to cut off” or “to delete”. It may appear at the beginning or the end of a sentence.

There are three full stops in Ellipses. But some people feel confused about whether to use a capital letter directly afterward. Through this article, we’ll consider what these rules are. What different style guides say, when to use them.

A sentence, for example, that has a quotation, can contain an ellipsis.

Example:

The people of Chicago heard the British Prime Minister give a speech. “We shall go on to the beaches, we shall go on to the landing grounds…we shall never. . .surrender!”.

It marks a skip to a certain thought that’s relevant to the topic being tackled.

The purpose is also to save the reader from the exhaustion of reading long speeches quoted into the passage.

Don’t Put a Space Before or After the Ellipsis

You needn’t put a space before and after the ellipses, should you wonder. In English, this punctuation mark is also known as the “three dots.”

Depending on your writing style, you might find the purpose of this symbol interesting. As long as you’re using it correctly and following the rules for the proper use of ellipsis, you’re doing the right thing.

Can You Uppercase the Word After Ellipses?

In reference to the APA 6th Edition Citation Style guidelines, you have the freedom to uppercase the term after the sentence ellipsis. However, there’s a twist. It’s preferable to do this if the next clause is an independent clause.

There are just a few things you should remember.

These are rules to remember when trying to put an ellipsis or ellipses. The guidelines can be seen through the APA 6th Edition Citation Style Guidelines.

Omitted Content at the Middle of Sentences

Sometimes, text is omitted from the middle of a sentence. A missing text is indicated by an ellipsis.

Example:

He told everyone, “Know this, the world will end. . . No one will survive”.

Missing Content Within Multiple Sentences

Also, sometimes, there’s a missing content that occurs within two or more sentences. Periods and ellipsis can get handy in these situations. It’s essential, so you can indicate that the gaps in the content are the end of one sentence and the beginning of another.

Example:

The Judge told everyone in the trial, “No trails have been found indicating his crime. . . He is not guilty.”

Avoid Unnecessary Punctuations

Your quotation should have an ellipsis point indicating an omission within it. If punctuation is needed to make the shortened quotation correct, avoid any punctuations on either side of the ellipsis.

Example:

Sarah said, “I would like to leave this place now. . . This isn’t the new home I expected.”

Make Some Space

On either side of each period, there should be a single space. Although there’s an exception when they’re adjacent to a quotation mark, where there should not be any spaces.

Example:

His son told him, “We need to leave even without a word…”

Add a Comma If Necessary

You may, however, add a comma after the ellipsis if you’re writing an as-yet-incomplete sentence. In case you encounter such situation, you may do so.

Example:

I told him, “There are problems I have to deal with. . ., yet I will come with you.”

To Wrap Up

Now, you may stop thinking about the answer to the “ultimate question”. Ellipsis, or plural form, ellipses, are three periods in a row. This symbol attempts to cut a word from a statement you wish to incorporate in your sentence.

Yes, you can uppercase a term after an ellipsis. Finally, you can write freely without worrying if what you’re doing with an ellipsis is correct.