What is the meaning of long strings of periods trailing sentences in an e-mail? I receive many e-mails with long strings of periods that look like dust strewn in trails across the page.

Does a string of periods after a sentence mean that the sentence ends more than once? Are the periods recursive and reflect back upon themselves? I receive many e-mail messages in which the subject is trailed by a long string of periods - what does that mean? Why? What is the purpose? Am I supposed to pause at the period string to allow a sentence to end?

The only place I know that requires more than one period is the ellipsis and those aren't periods, they are points. The ellipsis is three points and is placed in quoted text to mean something was left out of the quote. Three points plus a period means the ellipsis is at the end of a sentence.

If I forward an e-mail and delete all of those trailing periods before I send it, does that mean I should replace them with an ellipsis and a period since a forward is a quotation of the original email? Did that sentence really end or is it continuing on in some obscure meaning?

It is my understanding that anything sent on the Internet is broken into small byte packages known as network packets. Is the Internet filled with traveling packets filled with nothing but periods like a spreading disease?

This is a small thing but it annoys me. What is wrong with a sentence that ends with one period?

I use post with periods if I'm referencing a post that address a lot of issues, but I only am referring to a small part of that post. The .... before or after the reference means more material for that reference occurs before or after but I don't care to show that part of the message.

These periods just express a long train of non-thoughts across the sender's brain. Pity him/her.

That's more undertandable, Lyle. I'm talking about multiple whole sentences ending like this...............

I use the ellipsis to indicate there is more, but it's not really worth going into and that the reader can 'fill in the blanks' themselves.

Many (most?) internet users aren't as grammatically literate, or they just don't care. Instant messaging seems to encourage mangled English. And Microsoft's grammar checker isn't very accurate in its rules and the exceptions to the rules. (A personal pet peeve of mine. "I had had a..." is a perfectly valid repeated word construction that it always complains about.)

If I remember correctly, the internet packets are more on the order of several kB, unless the message itself is smaller. A normal email (no pictures) probably only takes one packet, but it may require several other packets to set up and close the communication link.

Then better .................. then !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! O. lol

I like that!

Another possibility is that their brain jumped to another thought before they could finish typing the current one and they ended the interrupted thought with the long string of periods to indicate that they had lost the thought and that the reader should fill it in for them.

The other one I've seen is people that use "lol" to mean 'new paragraph' or new thought. Don't they realize that hitting the enter key is quicker and makes it easier to read?

Perhaps it's an invitation to the other person to complete the thought and/or jump into the conversation, just like how people pause in verbal communication to invite the other person to chime in.

Of course, it could just indicate the other person was about to finish speaking before being devoured by zombie hamsters...

Lol @ Lyle.
Sometimes I think it's the "if some is good, more is better" syndrome! I notice that a lot of youngsters like to double, triple, and more, their letters in words, as well as the dots. So instead of writing 'call me' they would write 'call meeeee.........'. I would say it's just an affectation intended to be amusing and different, and to set them and their peers apart. Ignore it, it will go away eventually and something equally annoying will take it's place.

Guilty.....

I consider "..." being almost slightly annoyed

and just.... being brainfart

... = antepenultimate lost train of thought. Lost at least two thoughts, generally due to interruption by children.
.. = penultimate lost train of thought. Lost one excellent thought, generally due to interruption by children.
. = ultimate lost train of thought, or end of thought. Stopped thinking or even trying, generally due to interruption by children.

... .. .

I've been thinking about this and it seems that there may be some... oh, what's the word ...usefulness to ellipses when trying to convey meaning, meter, and emotion within the context of the written word.

Then I'll stop using it because that's the last thing I intended for it to be...damn can't help myself...

I've always considered to be like...well like Mike said, a continuation of a thought, or I'm out in my own thoughts about what it was I was typing...don't know really. Just bad habit.

paynekj, the best joke lost on the masses was in "Mr Roberts" when the crew was tapping out ...---... to the seaman as the old man was hovering over him when he was looking at the nurses.

no I mean if your sole response was

just


...

but "..." being alone is more of a chat response than a forum response

Oh yeah..then like totally agree. I've sent emails with just "..." to corp wankers I work with, they got the point.

Three points make an ellipse which is removed quoted text. Makes sense.