Ending questions with "or."

[Audrey Ricks]

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 --

[Maggie Storm]

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.

[Brenda Rogers]

I use ellipses.

[Audrey Ricks]

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.

[Brenda Rogers]

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.

[Kyung]

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.

[Ashley]

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?

[Brenda Rogers]

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.

[Kristin Vickery]

If it is at the end of a question, I will use elipses with a question mark.
Q. Did he ask you or...?

[Audrey Ricks]

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!