The term 'Omission Indications' refers to the use of punctuation marks to indicate that words have been omitted from a sentence. The most common of these is the ellipsis, which is made up of three dots (...) and is used to indicate that words have been left out. ELLIPSES are often used in informal writing to indicate pauses or trailing off of thought. They can also be used to indicate that a quotation has been shortened or edited.