A Quick Answer to an Often Asked Question

You've seen it. You've felt it. You Definitely Benefitted From It.

A Quick Answer to an Often Asked Question

Over the last two-years of writing The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter…I’ve have more than one message from people asking about my use of ellipses…instead of commas…or other…more “proper” methods for a given sentence.

Most people think of ellipses as a way to show hesitation…or as a simple “dot-dot-dot.” But in my writing…they’re a deliberate device…rooted in how the human brain processes rhythm…pause…and anticipation.

Here’s the science: when we read…our brains don’t just see words…they hear them.

Studies in cognitive linguistics and neuroscience show that readers subvocalize… creating an inner rhythm or cadence in their minds.

The ellipsis hacks that rhythm.

It forces a pause where a pause wouldn’t traditionally exist. That pause is a cognitive doorway: it gives your brain a half-beat to process the thought…feel the weight of it…and anticipate what’s coming next.

Anticipation is one of the most powerful emotional states…it creates tension and keeps attention hooked.

By breaking the traditional flow with ellipses…I’m essentially keeping you on the edge of your seat…line after line…thought after thought. Your mind leans forward…hungry for the next piece.

It’s not about grammar: it’s about impact.

About making sure the important words land harder…stay longer…and lodge deeper. I’m not writing for the grammar police. I’m writing for the human nervous system. And the ellipsis is my scalpel to cut through the noise.

So when you see those dots...understand…they’re not decoration. They’re for your benefit. They’re the hidden rhythm that makes the message stick in your brain long after you’ve closed the page.

And…it just so happens…a nice “side-effect,” of that…is that it also makes my writing…immediately recognizable. A personal signature…so to speak.

Back soon,

-Jack