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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/43202
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

# Ellipsis convey a pause.

In fact, the difference between a comma, period/full stop, ellipsis, and en-dash/em-dash is solely in the length being conveyed.

Let me adjust this to a music format:

- A comma is a half-rest
- A period is a full rest
- An ellipsis is a full and a half rest
- A dash is roughly two full rests

This isn't a hard-and-fast rule, but I find more often than not, this is a good rule to follow. The one that breaks this rule the most tends to be the dash because it gets used for more than just indicating a pause in speech, but also interruptions (quarter-rest). With the others, it's a safe bet that is how they are being used.

The problem with using an ellipsis is this: people rarely pause for extended periods of time when speaking, so over-usage of the ellipsis comes off as unnatural the more it is used. Furthermore, a lot of people don't consider periods as serving the "pause" role that commas do, so it's very tempting to use an ellipsis whenever you need a pause that a comma just is not right for, resulting in texts that are LITTERED with the punctuation. Mind you, periods can't be used willynilly either, due to their primary grammatical function, but it just shows that you need to be careful no matter what pause punctuation you choose to use.

Original score: 3