I've searched the internet for hours, and all I came up with was that I think this is somewhat of a stylistic choice for writers. I see different variations of using an ellipsis in different books. I'm curious how others correctly format an ellipsis and if there's some writers guide that should be followed? I've seen so many variations: "But..." she whined. "But... ," she whined. "But ... " she whined. "But ... ," she whined. "But... ?" she whined. The person editing my book suggests bullet 2 and 5 with the end quote punctuation, using a space before a comma or question mark/exclamation point/period. I feel like technically that would be correct, but I rarely see this in stories, though. I see bullet point 1 the most when using quotes, and bullet point 2 with a singular space when it's not ending a sentence. ("But... why?" she asked.) Also curious about the dash. I put on my clothes — a shirt, pants, and sneakers. (I'm assuming there should be spaces on either side?) "But—" she whined. "But—," she whined. "But — ," she whined.
I use bullet 1... I don't put a comma after it. e.g. 'I told you about her...' she said. 'Oh my God...' he gasped. And for the dash, I go with bullet 1 and 2, depending on where I'm using it (bullet 1 exactly how you've used it, and bullet 2 when a character is interrupted/cut off).
For me, the two above, but under different circumstances. The first is a trail-off, a sentence that just doesn't get finished. The second is an interruption, the speaker getting cut off. If you're using "smart quotes" the second one tends to give word processors difficulty. Notice that the second pair of quotes is curling in the wrong direction. When I use this form, I type it without the dash and then insert it once the close quote has established itself.
This is what I was expecting, just wasn't sure. I suppose I should bring it up to my editor. I don't personally like using the end comma. It looks odd to me, and if most writers don't tend to use it then I don't think I should either.
Of all the variables in play, the addition of the comma along with the ellipsis or the dash is the least arguable bit. It's a definite no for the same reason you don't place it after a question mark or an exclamation point where the dialogue is followed by a dialogue tag as attribution. "Have you any change?," the man asked. "Stop asking me for change!," the other man blurted. No question as to why those are wrong, yes? Same deal with a comma after an ellipsis or a dash.
That makes perfect sense. I had also noticed in a few places she used 4 dots. She said, "But... ." I did question her on that one. Correct end punctuation aside, it's not even a complete sentence so why would there be a period at all?
I wonder this, too, because I have seen places that have said ellipses need to be spaced like "But . . ." she whined. I've seen that there are usually no commas in dialogue after ellipses or a that interruption dash (probably has a more proper name).
If anything the punctuation would precede the dash. It used to be common,--Trollope used dashes excessively,--but it's an old style and I think that most people would regard it as hopelessly outdated;--I don't know it it persisted past the Victorian era.
Chicago Style mandates “. . .” for ellipsis. I personally think that works best for fantasy and science fiction and “Example ...” with the space between working best for realism. The important thing is to stay consistent with it. Use of dashes is most common in this format—amongst fantasy writers at least. I prefer this format — but that might just be the England in me. “But—” she whined, is what I perceive as correct. The em-dash is a punctuation mark. You wouldn’t do “Example!,” or “Example.,” or an “Example?,” so I don’t see why somebody would use a comma after.
I'm seeing this probably all depends on the format style used and there can be many correct ways to do this. Insightful thread!
