# Sentences Ending in Punctuated Acronyms

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sentences-ending-in-punctuated-acronyms/281702>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 26, 2004, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sentences-ending-in-punctuated-acronyms/281702 "2004-12-26T19:54:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sentences-ending-in-punctuated-acronyms/281702/1 "2004-12-26T19:54:51Z")

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In an ATMB thread I just posted to, I was talking to **Q.E.D.** and ended a sentence with his user name and didn’t know how to end the statement. A period seems obvious but since his username ends in one, would it have been proper to end it like normal and make it look like I was trailing off instead of ending the sentence?

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**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sentences-ending-in-punctuated-acronyms/281702/2 "2004-12-26T20:31:57Z")

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Customarily, a period/full stop occurring for other reasons than punctuation and the period/full stop ending a sentence are consolidated into a single punctuation mark, with one exception. Since the mark of an ellipsis is three such dots in a row (…), it is customary to add a fourth one to indicate the end of the ellipsis and sentence. E.g., “When in the course of human events … among these rights are life, liberty…” However, “I am glad you referenced **Q.E.D.** His statements are confirmed by this cite from the A.C.L.U.”