Question

is an ellipses used to indicate a pause or an omission in written text.

Answer 1

Short answer: Yes.

An ellipsis (singular; the plural is ellipses) — normally three dots (…) or three periods with spaces (. . .) — is commonly used for two main purposes:

- Omission: to show omitted words from a quotation or text. Example: Original: "I came, I saw, I conquered." Quoted with omission: "I came … conquered."
- Pause or trailing off: to show hesitation, a pause in thought, or that a sentence trails off. Example: "I’m not sure what to do…"

Style notes:
- Different style guides handle spacing and punctuation differently (some prefer the single ellipsis character …, others use spaced periods . . .).
- If the omission ends a sentence, some guides use four dots (period + ellipsis) to indicate the sentence-final period plus the omission.
- In formal quoting, check the relevant style guide (APA, MLA, Chicago) for exact rules about whether to bracket ellipses or how to punctuate around them.

If you want the exact rules for a specific style (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.), tell me which one and I’ll give the precise formatting.