Methods and techniques of using ellipsis

Ellipsis is used to indicate the omitted part in writing, in the form of (……). If some words are omitted, they are represented by six points occupying the positions of two words; An omitted paragraph or line of poetry is represented by twelve points occupying four words in a line.

I. Basic usage

1. When quoting others' words, the omitted parts are marked with ellipsis.

She loves poetry and loves to read poetry with singing. Until now, I still remember the tone of her reading poems, and I can recite the poems she taught us:

The round sky covers the sea,

Black water holds the boat,

You can't see the mountains from a distance,

There were only clouds that day,

I can't see the trees,

There are only seagulls on the water. ...

(Wei Wei, "My Teacher")

Ex. 2: "Big mother must be afraid of the heat because she is so fat, right? I'm afraid it's not good to sleep at night. ……"

Once my mother asked her after hearing my repeated complaints.

(Lu Xun's A Chang and Shan Hai Jing)

Example 3: "I began to learn violin at the age of six ... I really began to understand music when I was around thirteen, and I fell in love with Mozart's sonatas." On one occasion, Einstein looked back on the past like this.

(Einstein and the Art World in Zhao Xinshan)

At the end of the meeting, the secretary of the Youth League branch led the singing of The Internationale. All the members of the Communist Youth League sang loudly and passionately: "... unite, and tomorrow, Inter Milan will be realized."

On September 5th, there was an article in the "Echo" column of the evening newspaper "Ancient City Horizon": "Letter from Henan Hotel: Your newspaper reported that there were flies in our food, which was basically true after investigation. ……"

("Lv Shuxiang on" Basic Truth ")

2. Used to indicate the omission of similar words or sentences.

Bottom line: I won't go to the Herb Garden often. Ed, my cricket! Ed, my raspberries and Manglietia! ……

(Lu Xun's "From Herbal Garden to San Tan Yin Yue")

Example 2 After resigning, she got lucky money from her elders and wrapped it in red paper, thinking of drums, knives, guns, clay figurines and sugar bodhisattvas she bought tomorrow ... However, when she came in, she put another orange on the bed.

(Lu Xun's A Chang and Shan Hai Jing)

There are many kinds of clouds in the sky: some are like feathers, floating gently in the air; Some are like fish scales, neatly arranged one by one; Some come and go like sheep; Some are like a big cotton wool, covering the sky all over the ground; Others are like mountains, rivers, lions and galloping horses ... sometimes they decorate the sky beautifully, and sometimes they cast a shadow over it.

(Zhu Yongxi, "Seeing the clouds and knowing the sky")

My hometown is a small mountain village with mountains and water. Especially in the ravine in front of the door, there are all kinds of trees, including squirrels, rabbits and grasshoppers ... There is an insect whose original name is Ba Jin Niu, and its wings are covered with two round hard shells, which look like a golden shield.

(Cheng Hai's "Three Lycium Bean")

In order to explore the beauty of painting, I have worked hard to step on many famous mountains. I think Yandang, Wuyi, Qingcheng and Shilin are not as beautiful as this nameless Zhangjiajie.

(Wu Guanzhong was born in the inner room, and no one knows her).

3. Used to indicate the omission of repeated words or sentences.

1 The cold river choked me, and I almost turned my back, but the river kept flowing around me ... In my confused consciousness of terror, it strikingly and clearly reflected the cruel laughter of the man who chased me on the shore.

(Jason's "The Shepherd who Digs the Shepherd")

When the white butterfly is in danger, I feel sorry for it, but when it really flies freely, I feel so lost and disappointed. "alas! People, people ... "I looked at it silently for a while, turned and walked to the grass.

(Liu, Love of White Butterfly)

Example 3 The old cook was terrified from now on, but as soon as she mentioned it, she turned pale and patted her chest and said, "Oh, I'm so scared, I'm so scared ..."

(Lu Xun's A Chang and Shan Hai Jing)

He is determined to compete with Snow Devil! As long as there is breath, you won't give in! Thinking of this, he pulled himself together and launched a new attack on the solid snow with his two frozen arms. He grilled, grilled ...

(Escape from Snow)

One year has passed, two years have passed ... the sediment is getting thicker and thicker.

(Tao Shilong's time footprint)

Therefore, starting from these three zeros, I diligently pursue one, two, three … even more complicated and difficult knowledge.

(Cheng Hai's "Three Lycium Bean")

Example 7 The computer starts the auto-ignition program.

The countdown calculator changes the green code: 25 seconds ... 23 seconds ... 2 1 second. ...

(Lee, "Flying to the Space Port")

You can use ellipsis when you speak intermittently, which has the same effect as dash.

Example 1 When Mr. Wang almost died, he said intermittently: "The living and the dead are poor ... poor; There are not many poor ... as long as ... poor; Poor ... nothing much ... Well, ... what ... what ... will ... also ... too. Only after he finished this maxim did he die.

(Hu Shi's Biography of Mr. Almost)

Example 2 "That's true, but ... well, I'll go with you tomorrow, yes, that's it." Teacher Lu immediately made a decision.

(Jiang Runqiu, "Trouble and Happiness Coexist")

Ren Haiming was ecstatic. Under the dim light of the cold light tube, he saw a black-faced man curled up on an iron shelf and heard a hoarse Tianjin accent: "I'm hungry ... I'm cold ... give me a hand ..."

(Mu Jingxian, "He Survived from the Bottom of the Sea")

Ex. 4: My friend has come back and saw me holding an orange lamp and asked me where I came from. I said, "From ... from Wang Chunlin's house."

(Bing Xin's little orange lamp)

I asked him about his condition. He just shook his head.

"Very difficult. Lao Liu will also help, but he is always hungry ... it is not peaceful ... money is needed everywhere, there are no rules ... and the harvest is not good. If you plant something and choose to sell it, you always have to donate it several times and lose money; Don't sell can only rot ... "

(Lu Xun's hometown)

5. Ellipsis can be used to indicate unfinished words.

When the night comes again, I will use my life to light a smile and sing the last song for my lonely soul. ...

(Zhao Hongbo's "Flower Nocturne")

I suddenly realized that I was an "old student" in Grade 3 when I saw the freshmen in Grade 8 and Grade 7 walking around the school wearing the green uniforms they got during military training. Standing quietly on the friendly 35th floor like a friend, I can't help but feel a little lost. ...

(Tian Xiaofei's "Thirteen Opportunities")

He was rubbing it when he heard Daiyu calling, "Baoyu! Baoyu! Hello ... "When it comes to the word" good ",I feel cold and silent.

(Cao Xueqin's Dream of Red Mansions)

Actually, you shouldn't believe it. If my mother knew that I was now ... "She only said half a sentence and swallowed it quickly.

(Ba Jin's "Home")

Example 1 and 2 explain that the meaning is not finished; Examples 3 and 4 show that the words are not finished. Among them, "Baoyu! Baoyu! Hello ... "Is the last sentence that Lin Daiyu shouted before she died. The ellipsis in the article indicates that Daiyu still has something to say. So, what does Daiyu have to say? Do you blame Baoyu for being "cruel", or lament Baoyu for being "confused", or worry about Baoyu and let him "live well"? The rich content of ellipsis makes readers have many associations and deepens the meaning of the novel. This outstanding decorative effect can't even be described in a long paragraph.

6. Used to express silence in dialogue

Example 1 Zheng Laoshuang sister, what's the matter?

sisters ...

What happened to Zheng Laoshuang?

sisters ...

Zheng Lao's child, tell me!

("Yang Kaihui")

Hao Zhen: Well, who is Guan Hanqing?

Guan Hanqing: ...

Bai: (pointing to Guan) This is it.

Hao Zhen: (looking at Guan) Are you Guan Hanqing who typed that book? Do you know me?

Guan Hanqing: ...

Bai: Zuo Cheng Hao Zhen Hao's adult.

(Guan Hanqing of Tian Han)

7. In prose or poetry, the ellipsis at twelve o'clock can be used to indicate the ellipsis of paragraphs or poems.

As a young writer, I have come into contact with many boys and girls, which is really colorful:

Some race against time, and seem to be busier than principals, mayors and State Councillors.

Some are born and omnipotent, and girls can make boys bow to their knees.

Some people do whatever it takes to be famous, so let me write them a fake award certificate.

Some are unruly, withdrawn and ambitious, and want to be "Hitler II".

Some people are sad and can't get rid of life. Talking about stars is like Xianglin's talking about her amao.

Some cosmetics are elusive and fledgling, and have begun to act side by side with big money.

…………

(Sun Yunxiao, smiling Zhang Lin)

In this "national disaster", it is like stirring a pond that has been stagnant for many years with a stick. All kinds of antiquities rise and fall and turn around on the water to show their existence.

…………

..... But because what comes up is sinking me, what sinks me is just sinking me, their true colors are becoming clearer and clearer, and their final fate is still sinking.

(Selected Works of Lu Xun's Speech)

Although Professor Zhang has retired at home, his enthusiasm for Tang poetry has not diminished. In addition to writing some monographs on Tang poetry, he also teaches his grandson who is in middle school to recite some Tang poems in his spare time. No, he is reciting aloud. "Did you see how the water of the Yellow River flows from the sky to the sea and never comes back?" . Have you seen the lovely hair in the bright mirror in the high room? Although it is silky black in the morning, it turns into snow at night?

…………

The voice of recitation, cadence, quite emotional, makes people feel that it is an artistic enjoyment.

The ellipsis in the example 1 indicates that the following poems are omitted, because there are too many types of boys and girls that the author has come into contact with to list them one by one. Only a few of them are selected and the rest are indicated by ellipsis; The ellipsis in Example 2 indicates that a paragraph has been omitted. There are naturally ten paragraphs in Lu Xun's article "Sinking My Rise". The author only quotes the first and second paragraphs, omitting the eight paragraphs in the middle. The omission of this paragraph or line of a poem can be marked with an ellipsis of 12 points; The ellipsis in Example 3 means that the following poem is omitted, because the central point of this passage is that Professor Zhang still loves Tang poetry at home after retirement, rather than introducing Li Bai's poem "Into the Wine" in detail, so there is no need to quote the whole poem.

8. In grammar books, ellipsis is often used to indicate the omission of a specific component in a sentence.

The related words before and after 1 are neglected. Related words are usually used in pairs and have relatively fixed collocation habits, such as "although …… but ……" and "since … although ……" and "no matter … only …" and "as long as …… if related words indicating different relationships are used together, the relationship between clauses will be confused and the meaning will not be clearly expressed.

Example 2 Conditional complex sentences generally consist of two clauses with conditional relations. The former clause puts forward conditions, and the latter clause explains the results produced under such conditions. Commonly used related words are "as long as …", "only …" and "unless … (otherwise) ……" and so on.

Second, the abuse of discrimination

The most important things to pay attention to when using ellipsis are: first, it is different from the words that indicate ellipsis such as "and so on"; Second, it is different from the tone of interruption expressed by dashes; Third, avoid repetition of punctuation marks before and after ellipsis. The details are as follows:

1. Use ellipsis.

Multi-purpose ellipsis has the following six forms:

(1) Replace words with ellipsis.

Many people get up early. They all get up to exercise. Some people wear simple sportswear, some people wear ordinary household clothes, some people walk at a brisk pace, some people walk at a slow pace, some people dance in the wind, some people are playing Tai Ji Chuan, some people ... Everyone is his own true colors, and the world suddenly presents a comforting simplicity and sincerity.

("I Feel the Sunshine" and "Selected Prose")

220 years ago, when I rode an old buffalo in the countryside through a bloody and muddy life to substitute middle school, the sky did not write a little light and gloomy for a disabled teenager who finally "went to work". God's face is like my sad heart-every time I don't go to the podium, the school administrator tells me that after a semester, a month or even a week, I will be a substitute teacher. ...

("If Life Begins Again" and "Selected Mininovels")

Example 1 is a coherent explanation, not an omission or interruption. Since you use "you also have", you have to say that you also have something, and you can't use ellipsis instead of words. If the list is omitted, the word "you also have it" cannot be used, and the ellipsis should be directly connected with the listed items; Example 2 "Substitute teacher" is followed by ellipsis, which causes a pause in coherent sentences and may cause semantic ambiguity. It's best to use appropriate words to make up for the omitted words.

(2) Repeat the ellipsis after the words indicating ellipsis.

Enumeration words, such as "etc" and "the like" are ellipsis with the same meaning. If you use ellipsis, don't use "etc"; Don't use ellipsis when you use "wait". The two can only be one of them, otherwise, not only the meaning expressed is repetitive, the form is not beautiful, and it is not easy to read, but also the sentence structure is fragmented, which affects the coherence of meaning and tone. Using "etc" and ellipsis are the most common mistakes of primary and secondary school students, so we should pay special attention to them.

1 Cultivated land is decreasing, energy is decreasing, clean water is decreasing, fresh air is decreasing, energy is decreasing and so on. In a word, the basic conditions for human survival are weakening day by day, and even boring slogans appear on the white walls in rural areas, pleading: "Please leave an inch of cultivated land for future generations?" This is not shocking!

(Leftovers and Middle School Students' Arguments and Arguments)

I went with seventeen or eighteen people, including my sister, cousin, cousin, classmates and so on.

(1993 Shanghai College Entrance Examination)

For example, a foreign professor who claimed to be an expert on China said when teaching Chinese to his students, "People in China call things, such as desks and chairs, thermos bottles and televisions. But living animals are not called things, such as insects, birds, animals, people, etc. So you and he are not things, and naturally I am not things. "

(Speech and Eloquence 1996 65438+ 10 Monthly)

These three situations are all errors caused by not knowing that ellipsis has the same function as ellipsis, etc. Ellipsis can be removed or "and so on" and "and so on" can be deleted.

(3) When there are words in front of the list, ellipsis is frequently used.

There will be many feelings in the world, such as love, friendship, affection ... Love and friendship are a pair of birds falling from the sky. They can perch on the same tree, or nest, or sing. The premise of consanguinity is consanguinity, which is two leaves and two fruits on the same tree.

("Farewell on the platform of affection" and "City")

Our school covers an area of 200,000 square meters, and there are only five international standard basketball courts.

(Selected reading works of middle school students)

1 The words after "such as" indicate love, friendship and affection. Obviously, "Ru" is not an example here, but an example. It is not omitted, and the ellipsis should be changed to a comma. In Example 2, "only" is used, implying that the omitted part can be deleted.

(4) When both the listed items and the omitted part * * * are used as modifiers of a word, the ellipsis is used instead of "etc" (or "etc").

The components restricted by modifiers are closely combined with the head words restricted by modifiers, and generally cannot be separated by "……", and there is no phonetic pause. The omitted part can only be represented by "etc" (or "etc"), not ellipsis.

Peony, hanging bell, narcissus, dahlia and plum blossom are all crowded together in the yard of 1.

("Peony's Rejection" and "Composition All in One")

In this paper, the words such as light smoke, breeze, mist, Chu Yang, trace and gossamer are used to create an ethereal and distant artistic conception and express the protagonist's melancholy and regret.

("I feel the sunshine" and "topic composition machine")

Example 1 "Blooming peony, hanging bell, daffodil, dahlia and plum blossom" is the object of the sentence, and example 2 "light smoke, breeze, mist, Chu Yang, trace and gossamer" is the object of this article. Modifiers are closely combined with the head word and cannot be separated at will.

(5) Ellipsis is used to indicate that the residual meaning is incomplete, and ellipsis is still used when the residual meaning is exhausted.

I like looking at souls. I am a stranger in the landscape, and I can never become a tree or a bird, swaying and singing with them. Once I am connected with my soul, my lunch box is wrapped around it, and I can't avoid the silent call and talk of human nature. ...

("You can't give me wings" and "A Complete Collection of Topic Composition Skills")

The word "and" is used in the last sentence of the example 1. There is nothing after "speechless", and the ellipsis should be removed.

(6) Use ellipsis instead of dash.

The ellipsis indicates that the speech is intermittent, and the dash indicates that the speech is suddenly interrupted.

+0 "Go and tell the commander that I have found the enemy's nuclear missile testing ground, which is just ..." His voice did not fall and he died.

(Nanshan "Never Despair")

Long, long, or long ... this is the outstanding feeling of watching some TV dramas recently.

(Growing TV series and social observation)

The words "he" and "he died" in the example 1 indicate that the speaker suddenly stopped talking for some reason, and the ellipsis in the example should be changed to dash; The sentence "very long, very long, or very long" is repeated by the author with only one meaning, because some series are too long to omit other meanings. You can change the ellipsis into a dash to summarize the above, highlighting the author's impression, or you can change the ellipsis into a comma.

2. Use ellipsis less

Ellipsis indicates the omission of writing or the intermission of speech, some to avoid the repetition of meaning, some to express unfinished meaning, which causes thinking. The mistake of using ellipsis less often is because the basic usage of ellipsis is not clear.

Example 1 The "50 seconds, 45 seconds, 40 seconds" competition is about to start, and Pu Shu's heart is pounding. "Time, take your time!"

("The Boat Crossing the River" and "A Complete Collection of Topic Composition Skills")

Example 1 "50 seconds, 45 seconds, 40 seconds left" indicates the countdown status. Obviously there are 35 seconds and 30 seconds left, and the comma after it should be changed to ellipsis.

3. The mixture of two ellipsis forms

Ellipsis has six points and twelve points. If you omit several independent paragraphs or poems, you should use the ellipsis at twelve o'clock. Generally, you should use the official ellipsis at six o'clock instead of the three points commonly used in science and technology books.

She will not only enjoy beauty, but also control it, jumping to a high starting point at once, and she is still a girl waiting for words.

Please look at the following three words:

[Huanxi yarn] Embroiders hibiscus and smiles, and the oblique flying treasure duck is lined with fragrant cheeks. Oh, I don't know On the one hand, it is full of charm, on the other hand, it is charming and hateful, giving you a deep affection.

……

(The Man with Bright Spirit and The Essence of American Literature)

Example 1 ellipsis indicates two omitted words. Omitted paragraphs are independent lines. At this time, the ellipsis should be represented by twelve points, occupying four squares and starting a single line. It will change from "..." to "...".

4. Misuse of punctuation marks before and after ellipsis

Generally speaking, if the sentence before the ellipsis is complete, a period, a question mark and an exclamation mark should be added at the end of the sentence, indicating that the text before the ellipsis has nothing to do with the omitted text. If the sentence before the ellipsis is incomplete, in principle, no punctuation marks are used to indicate that the omitted part of the ellipsis is related to the previous sentence. There are generally no punctuation marks after ellipsis, because even words are omitted, and punctuation marks should naturally be omitted. However, if there is a complete sentence after the ellipsis, the last point of the sentence should be added after the ellipsis. In addition, if the ellipsis indicates the unfinished inquiry and exclamation tone, the question mark and exclamation mark behind it cannot be omitted. Please look at the following correct examples:

The night is long and the road is long. I'd better forget it. But I know that even if it's not me, I will always think of them and talk about them. ……

(Lu Xun's "Remembering for Forgetting")

Now there is a long cultural trend in creation: short stories are close to novellas, and novellas are close to long stories. What about the long one? One, two, three ... of course, there are long and excellent ones, but most of them don't need to be that long. There is indeed "water" to squeeze.

(China Architecture 199 1 7, p. 32)

Misuse of punctuation marks before and after ellipsis mainly refers to reuse, that is, adding other punctuation marks before and after ellipsis. In one case, although other punctuation marks can be added before and after the ellipsis, it is inaccurate and inappropriate to use it, and another punctuation mark is used when it is time to use this punctuation mark. For example:

Finally, I got some short books from my brother's friends: The Biography of Liu Hulan, The Story of Tanya and Shula, The Road to Gu Liya ... At that time, as long as I had a book in my hand, I forgot to eat or sleep.

(Triple Realm of Reading and Book Digest)

The man in robes asked, "Who is this? ……"

(The Wolf's Solo Dance, Selected Excellent Prose of the 20th Century)

What is the connotation of this unique beauty? Is that weird? Is this risky? It's Sue. ...

(Gone with the Wind, The Essence of American Literature)

Example 1 The part in front of the ellipsis lists "several volumes of simplified books", and the word "I" is written at the back. The meaning before and after the sentence is completely different. Therefore, a period should be added after "……"; In Example 2, ellipsis should be used before the question mark, because some interrogative sentences or exclamatory sentences should still be connected with exclamation marks or question marks after ellipsis; The question mark before the ellipsis in Example 3 cannot be omitted; If omitted, the meaning will change. In general, ellipsis cannot omit the exclamation mark and question mark in front.