> Ellipses have their place, but I get the impression that they are also abused a lot.
> Ellipses have their place, but aren't they also abused a lot?
> Ellipses have their place, but maybe they are abused a bit too much.
I agree, sometimes a statement needs to be softened to indicate uncertainty or just to be diplomatic, but there are many ways to do that without resorting to ambiguity. Perhaps, maybe, seemingly, ostensibly, surely, evidently; there are so many words that can help soften (or harden!) a statement, and each carries a different connotation. The ellipse on the other hand simple conveys its meaning of omission — but there is no indication of what it was that was omitted (uncertainty? rolling-my-eyes sarcasm? fatigue?).
It can come across as laziness on the writer's part — as if they couldn't be bothered to formulate their thoughts.
> Ellipses have their place, but they are also abused a lot…
This is a vague, non-committal statement. It looks as if the writer is afraid of the consequences of having an opinion!
Now the same sentence again, without the ellipses:
> Ellipses have their place, but they are also abused a lot.
A firm statement that shows you where the writer stands on the topic. Much better.
An ellipse in or at the end of a sentence means something is omitted, but it is also (unconsciously?) abused to try to make utterances less direct. Have you ever received a paragraph or two of text littered with those ellipses of avoidance? If you are well-read this likely conjures an image of some bored teen responding to a neighbour inquiring after the whereabouts of their parents:
> Yeah they're probably at home… I guess… Maybe not… Dunno…
…whereupon they promptly return their attention to their smartphone. Only it isn't a teenager; it is an adult colleague (not quite) giving their opinion on some topic.