# Nitpick this thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 6, 2007, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-this-thread/421732 "2007-10-06T04:45:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2007, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-this-thread/421732/41 "2007-10-07T19:58:10Z")
[QUOTE=meek] This thread title isn’t in title format. It should be, “Nitpick **T** his **T** hread.” Then it just goes downhill from there. 🙂 . [/QUOTE] Where’s Sicily? mangeorge, defender of things southern. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2007, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-this-thread/421732/42 "2007-10-07T20:09:26Z")
Give over, **SSG Schwartz** , this ain’t never gonna be another Thread Killer™ thread. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SSG\_Schwartz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SSG\_Schwartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SSG_Schwartz)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2007, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-this-thread/421732/43 "2007-10-07T23:25:58Z")
[QUOTE=An Gadaí] Give over, **SSG Schwartz** , this ain’t never gonna be another Thread Killer™ thread. 😃 [/QUOTE] Just a nitpick, but this thread is better SSG Schwartz ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-this-thread/421732/44 "2007-10-08T00:07:10Z")
[QUOTE=SSG Schwartz] Just a nitpick, but this thread is better SSG Schwartz [/QUOTE] You forgot to add a period again. ---
**Author:** ![SSG\_Schwartz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SSG\_Schwartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SSG_Schwartz)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-this-thread/421732/45 "2007-10-08T01:25:40Z")
[QUOTE=Autolycus] You forgot to add a period again. [/QUOTE] Dammit…That should leave me a few ahead. SSG Schwartz ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-this-thread/421732/46 "2007-10-08T01:40:45Z")
[QUOTE=SSG Schwartz] Dammit…That should leave me a few ahead. SSG Schwartz [/QUOTE] However, an ellipsis within a sentence, under most English language conventions, should only have three dots. Moreover, “Dammit” either should have been changed to the more proper “damn it”, or else have an exclamation point immediately after it. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-this-thread/421732/47 "2007-10-08T01:48:59Z")
[QUOTE=Governor Quinn] However, an ellipsis within a sentence, under most English language conventions, should only have three dots. Moreover, “Dammit” either should have been changed to the more proper “damn it”, or else have an exclamation point immediately after it. [/QUOTE] How many exclamation points are aloud??? ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-this-thread/421732/48 "2007-10-08T02:22:31Z")
[QUOTE=mangeorge] How many exclamation points are aloud??? [/QUOTE] All of them. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-this-thread/421732/49 "2007-10-08T02:25:52Z")
[QUOTE=mangeorge] How many exclamation points are aloud??? [/QUOTE] The ellipsis limits it to one. If on a separate line, more would be possible. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-this-thread/421732/50 "2007-10-08T02:46:40Z")
Should there be a space on either side of an ellipsis or not? ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-this-thread/421732/51 "2007-10-08T02:58:13Z")
[QUOTE=Siam Sam] Should there be a space on either side of an ellipsis or not? [/QUOTE] Yes. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-this-thread/421732/52 "2007-10-08T03:25:55Z")
Just in case I’m not the only one who wasn’t sure what an [elipsis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elipsis) is. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-this-thread/421732/53 "2007-10-08T04:27:34Z")
[QUOTE=mangeorge] Just in case I’m not the only one who wasn’t sure what an [elipsis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elipsis) is. [/QUOTE] Sigh… you spelled ellipsis wrong. ETA: I’m not a grammer person myself, but there’s no way “Just in case I’m not the only one who wasn’t sure what an elipsis is.” is a correctly put together sentence. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-this-thread/421732/54 "2007-10-08T04:29:52Z")
[QUOTE=mangeorge] How many exclamation points are aloud??? [/QUOTE] That would be ‘allowed.’ ETA: Sorry **mangeorge** , didn’t mean to hit you twice in a row. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-this-thread/421732/55 "2007-10-08T04:43:43Z")
[QUOTE=Siam Sam] Should there be a space on either side of an ellipsis or not? [/QUOTE] And a properly typeset ellipsis is this: “…” not this “…” (And that leaves me with a conundrum. I need to add a period to the end of that sentence, but American style rules require it to be inside the quotations. However, putting it inside the quotation may add confusion, since obviously an ellipsis does not equal four periods. Is there any elegant solution without recasting the sentence?) An ellipsis on the Mac is Option-; and on Windows it’s Alt-0133. ---
**Author:** ![Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d9b06d/32.png) [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boozahol_Squid_P.I)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-this-thread/421732/56 "2007-10-08T05:53:58Z")
[QUOTE=pulykamell] And a properly typeset ellipsis is this: “…” not this “…” (And that leaves me with a conundrum. I need to add a period to the end of that sentence, but American style rules require it to be inside the quotations. However, putting it inside the quotation may add confusion, since obviously an ellipsis does not equal four periods. Is there any elegant solution without recasting the sentence?) An ellipsis on the Mac is Option-; and on Windows it’s Alt-0133. [/QUOTE] The American rules of style are shifting away from the hard and fast rule that periods must be inside quotation marks, especially when adherance to that rule might cause confusion in the reader. You may place a period beyond the quotation marks in your sentence. Starting your sentence with a conjuction such as “and” is still frowned upon where it can be avoided. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-this-thread/421732/57 "2007-10-08T06:40:45Z")
[QUOTE=Diomedes] Starting your sentence with a conjuction such as “and” is still frowned upon where it can be avoided. [/QUOTE] Eh, it’s used all the time in fiction and informal writing. I like it. But this is the nitpick thread. And another nitpick: “conju **n** ction.” ---
**Author:** ![bbs2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e495f1/32.png) [@bbs2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbs2k)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-this-thread/421732/58 "2007-10-08T11:18:03Z")
[QUOTE=pulykamell] Eh, it’s used all the time in fiction and informal writing. I like it. But this is the nitpick thread. And another nitpick: “conju **n** ction.” [/QUOTE] Is “eh” a word?!?! ---
**Author:** ![Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d9b06d/32.png) [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boozahol_Squid_P.I)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-this-thread/421732/59 "2007-10-08T11:19:34Z")
[QUOTE=bbs2k] Is “eh” a word?!?! [/QUOTE] Are _four_ punctuation marks really necessary at the end of a sentence??? ---
**Author:** ![bbs2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e495f1/32.png) [@bbs2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbs2k)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-this-thread/421732/60 "2007-10-08T11:23:35Z")
[QUOTE=Diomedes] Are _four_ punctuation marks really necessary at the end of a sentence??? [/QUOTE] Nitpick: no. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-this-thread/421732.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nitpick-this-thread/421732.md?page=4)