Just wondering what y'all are doing with the word "or" when it ends a question. I am working with one attorney in particular who ends MANY of his questions this way. I've seen it come back from a couple different scopists and proofreaders in varying formats -- some with question marks, some with dashes, some with ellipses. I need to get everyone on the same format here, but I can't find any source that cites an absolute rule on this.

Q. Did he ask you or?
Q. Did he stay or did he go or . . .
Q. Did he want red or black or green or --

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I come from a strictly transcription background, not a court reporter background. I have to say that for political transcripts and reality TV, they both ask that I use elipses (...) as it signals the trailing off of the voice/question.
I use ellipses.
Thanks for the quick replies. I was using the ellipses, but it happens SO MANY times in the transcript, it started to get me second-guessing what I was doing. I thought I read somewhere in Gregg that an interrog was appropriate/acceptable. Now I can't find it.
I was taught to never use ellipses in transcripts unless it was quoted material, but that was a long time ago. Morson's endorses ellipses for trail-offs, and Morson's is more on point for CRs than Gregg's. If they're in disagreement, I go with Morson's. Gregg's doesn't really address the spoken word the way a CR-specific reference does.

I prefer the traditional ellipses as well -- space dot space dot space dot -- rather than the newer no-space format. Morson's backs both, giving the nod to the difficulties that the spaces can cause if you can't use a lock space between the periods.
Ellipse.

I also use it when they use so at the end of a sentence.

I think the dashes look like they're being interrupted by the next speaker.
I am very late in this discussion but I am in school still and just heard, for the first time in my schooling, that you handle this with a ---
Due to the fact that I have never seen a triple dash (---) I came here to look it up and saw this is the exact circumstance we were told to use it in. Has anyone ever heard that?
Triple dash? REALLY? Where in any English grammar book is that supported? Morson's doesn't mention a triple; Gregg's doesn't mention a triple. I think someone's making something up to try to deal with this, when ellipses or reporter's dash will take care of it fine. If it's a matter of passing a test or not, do it for school, but I really can't imagine a reporting firm being okay with that one. I know I'd have you correct it. I wouldn't recommend getting too comfortable with that one, Shug.
If it is at the end of a question, I will use elipses with a question mark.
Q. Did he ask you or...?
Ooh, I've not seen it this way, Kristin!
I like that! To me, it clears up the debate about ellipses being missing words and/or use of the dashes and implying that the question was cut off by the witness. I love new ideas and learning what others are doing out there! Thanks for the feedback!

Ashley, I've never heard of/seen that triple dash scenario either. Hmmm. I know if I had a triple dash in my transcript, someone would ask me to correct it. I think my software would try to correct it as well. Interesting stuff!

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