7.3 Ellipses, Slashes & Parentheses
Key Takeaways
An ellipsis (three periods) marks words intentionally omitted from quoted material; in transcripts it never marks a pause.
AAERT's samples use the double dash for unfinished utterances; if a style sheet uses an ellipsis for speech that trails off, apply it consistently.
Slashes appear only in forms the speaker actually used, such as and/or, 24/7 or a spoken web address.
Parentheses hold the transcriber's neutral notations, such as (Indicating.), (sic), (phonetic) and exhibit markings; the Guide to Judiciary Policy also allows brackets.
Blueprint topics 20210 to 20212 cover the ellipsis, the slash and parentheses. They are less common than commas and dashes, but each has a clear transcript function, and misuse is easy to test.
The ellipsis (...)
What it means
An ellipsis is three periods. In writing, it marks words left out of a quotation. In a transcript, you meet it in two situations.
1. Omissions within quoted material. When a speaker reads from a document and jumps over part of it, the transcript records only the words actually read. Inside the quotation marks, an ellipsis can show where the reader skipped ahead:
MR. PATEL: Paragraph 4 reads, "The tenant shall pay rent ... on the first day of each month."
The skipped words were never spoken, so they are not typed. The ellipsis simply tells the reader the quotation is not continuous.
2. Speech that trails off, in some styles. Some agencies use an ellipsis when a speaker's voice fades and stops without anyone interrupting: A. I thought she would call, but... AAERT's own samples use the double dash for unfinished utterances (I guess it was in --). Follow your client's style sheet and apply it consistently. On the CET practical, the AAERT samples are the safest model.
What it is not
- Not a pause. I went to the... store is wrong when the speaker simply paused and continued. Speech with a pause is typed continuously.
- Not an interruption. Use the double dash when someone cuts the speaker off.
- Not hesitation filler. "Um... uh..." is not written with ellipses. Filler is normally omitted (Chapter 11).
Form
Three periods; with a sentence-ending period, four (...the first of the month. ...). Styles differ on spacing (... or . . .). Match the template. AAERT's title page uses spaced periods (. . . . .) only as the column separator in the caption, which is a layout device, not an ellipsis.
The slash (/)
The slash, also called the virgule or slant, appears in a transcript only where the speaker's words call for it:
| Spoken | Transcript |
|---|---|
| "and/or" | and/or |
| "twenty-four seven" | 24/7 |
| "his slash her" | his/her (only if "slash" was said, or the speaker read a document using it) |
| "w-w-w dot aaert dot org slash exams" | www.aaert.org/exams |
| "one-half inch" | one-half inch (spell spoken fractions; 1/2 in measurements if the style sheet uses figures) |
| "the 10/6 hearing" (spoken as "ten six") | the 10/6 hearing |
Do not use a slash to join alternatives the speaker said with or: the officer or the sergeant, not the officer/sergeant.
Parentheses ( )
Parenthetical notations
The main transcript use of parentheses is the parenthetical: the transcriber's own brief, neutral words recording an event. The Guide to Judiciary Policy (§ 520.36.55) says parenthetical notations "are generally marked by parentheses; however, brackets may be used," and it uses them for:
- customary introductory statements such as the call to order or swearing in;
- non-verbal behavior, pauses and readback or playback;
- proceedings started, recessed and adjourned, jury in and out, bench conferences and similar events.
Examples from AAERT and the Guide: (Call to Order of the Court.), (Defendant present; jury not present.), (Recess at 3:54 p.m.), (Plaintiff's Exhibit 1 marked for identification.), (Nods head up and down), (Indicating). Chapter 10 covers placement and wording.
Transcriber notations inside a line
Short notations sit inside the line of speech:
- (sic) after a misstatement (Section 5.1);
- (phonetic) after an unverified spelling;
- (indiscernible) in place of words that cannot be made out;
- (indicating) when a gesture accompanies speech: I was approaching this intersection (indicating).
Other uses
- Telephone area codes: (802) 863-1599.
- Rule subsections: Rule 12(b)(6), Section 520.36.40(a).
- Numbered lists spoken aloud: (1), (2) only when the speaker reads a document numbered that way.
What parentheses are not for
- Not for the speaker's own asides. A witness's aside is speech. Punctuate it with commas or dashes: I spoke to him -- this was before the call -- about the car. Parentheses would imply it is the transcriber's note.
- Not for the transcriber's opinions or explanations. (Witness was clearly nervous.) violates neutrality.
- Not for translations or clarifications of what the speaker "meant."
Punctuation with parentheses
- A complete parenthetical line has its period inside: (Recess at 3:54 p.m.).
- A notation inside a sentence keeps the sentence's punctuation outside: Exhibit 1 is admitted (sic).
- The Guide's own examples sometimes omit the final period, as in (Nods head up and down). AAERT's samples include it. Choose one style for the whole transcript.
Practice
Decide which mark, if any, each situation needs:
| Situation | Answer |
|---|---|
| Counsel reads a contract clause aloud but says "skipping ahead" and reads a later sentence of the same clause | Quotation marks around what was read; an ellipsis inside the quotation where the reader jumped |
| A witness says "I was going to call, but" and stops; nobody interrupts | AAERT samples: but --; some style sheets: but... |
| A witness pauses for three seconds mid-sentence, then finishes | No mark; type the sentence continuously |
| Counsel says "the officer and/or the sergeant" | and/or |
| A witness points at a map while saying "right here" and counsel says "indicating the northeast corner" | right here (indicating) only if the style sheet uses it; counsel's words already describe the gesture |
| The witness mutters an aside to herself that is clearly part of her testimony | Commas or dashes, not parentheses |
| The judge's clerk reads a phone number with area code | (802) 993-9245 |
Exam traps
- An ellipsis used for every pause makes a transcript look uncertain and adds marks the speaker did not "say." Pauses are silent in the record.
- Parentheses around the speaker's words. Anything inside parentheses reads as the transcriber's note, so spoken words never go there.
- Slashes invented for brevity. w/, b/c and s/b are note-taking shorthand, not transcript forms.
A witness pauses mid-sentence and then continues the same thought: "I went to the (two-second pause) store." How should it be transcribed?
I went to the... store.
I went to the -- store.
I went to the store.
I went to the (pause) store.
Which use of parentheses is appropriate in a transcript?
The witness (who seemed nervous) answered the question.
I was approaching this intersection (indicating).
I spoke to him (this was before the call) about the car.
He said he was home (actually he meant the office).
When is a slash appropriate in a verbatim transcript?
Whenever a speaker says "or" between two nouns
To mark a pause between two words
To separate a speaker ID from the spoken words
When the speaker said a form such as "and/or" or "24/7"
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.