First point to remember about ellipses (plural) is that they are always, only ever three full stops… The name for this form of punctuation comes from the Greek word ‘omission’ and that is exactly how it is used. An ellipsis, or also commonly known as ‘dot-dot-dot’ is used to inform the reader that some text is being left out and only relevant information remains. This is most appropriate when quoting, for example in the following sentence: ‘there are several exciting and thrilling new sports in the Olympics this year’. The sentence can be simplified with an ellipsis and noted as: ‘there are several… new sports in the Olympics this year’. The quote is now to the point by omitting emotive language and simplified through an ellipsis.
The next point to remember is that ellipses are not usually used in formal writing. Academic, business or other formal styles of writing should follow official style guidelines and prescribed formats.
The third and final point to keep in mind… an ellipsis can also be used for generating suspense, time laps and dramatic effect in creative styles. For example: ‘the man waited… many people came… but the mysterious stranger did not show up’.