Hey! When thinking about a topic for this week's column, I stumbled on a unique idea! Punctuation! The exclamation point, to be exact! It's exciting!
As a general rule, I don't use many exclamation points. Maybe I should! (Or not!!)
I'm more on the milk toast side of punctuation. Not much can get me riled. It's the overall sense of calm that descends upon a person after years of raising young boys. Nothing short of broken windows or lighting the kitchen curtains on fire (both true stories) could get me to exclaim anything.
Let's get to the point: I never mastered the mark. On occasion, I'll put one in my writing, but wonder if I'm coming across a bit strong or pushing a little too much. And I hit delete.
I was taught not to overuse exclamation points because they are akin to screaming at a reader. "Never send a punctuation mark to do the work of a word," a wise English teacher once told me.
My Associated Press Manual gives the same advice, "Exclamation point - Avoid overuse: Use a comma after mild interjections. End mildly exclamatory sentences with a period." Grammarbook.com says overuse of exclamation points is a sign of undisciplined writing. That's harsh.
In the words of Bob Dylan, "The times they are a changing!!" (Exclamations added for modern-day emphasis!) In the ebb and flow of punctuation popularity, the exclamation point has recently risen to the top!
I learned the rules of punctuation during the olden days of quill and papyrus. Much of today's writing isn't ever printed on paper; it's viewed on-screen. The way we communicate is evolving and the way we punctuate our words is evolving along with it. The brevity of digital messages makes it more difficult to convey tone and emotion in our conversations, so we compensate with emoticons and exclamation points, which have become mainstays for most thumb-typing types. In fact, the absence of an exclamation at the end of a sentence or phrase can be perceived as an uncomfortable pause in a normal digital conversation. Usage of our exclamation friend has become so commonplace that many people interpret digital messages as rude without it.
This makes social media and email veritable plethoras of exclamations!
Consider a Facebook birthday greeting. Nine out of 10 friends agree the average birthday salute should contain a minimum of three exclamation points or it isn't perceived as genuine. A person posting a succinct "Happy birthday" without any exclamations simply hates you and only felt compelled to send their greeting because the notification came up on their wall. They will likely unfriend you within the week. Be prepared!
The increased popularity of the exclamation point has desensitized us to its presence. Where one used to work, two or three are now needed. It's like punctuation inflation!!!
My husband and kids are more experienced in digital discussions than me, so I asked about their exclamation inclinations. They see the mark as setting a friendly tone in messages. It's a way to convey positivity - unless you are saying something like, "I hate you!" Then it would not be perceived as positive, unless you included the "just kidding" emoticon.
My family encouraged me to jump on the exclamation bandwagon and convey my own on-screen optimism. It's probably sound advice. As a person who communicates for a living, I don't want to be perceived as angry or rude. I mean, rude!
Still, if I'm being honest, I'm a little hesitant. Sort of like the time I considered bungee jumping. Not!! I guess I'm exclamation delayed or perhaps punctuation intolerant. Either way, I could probably write an entire column without using one exclamation point. But then I'd risk coming across as impolite or unenthusiastic. And there'd be no point in that.
- Jill Pertler's column appears every Thursday in the Times. She can be reached at pertmn@qwest.net.
As a general rule, I don't use many exclamation points. Maybe I should! (Or not!!)
I'm more on the milk toast side of punctuation. Not much can get me riled. It's the overall sense of calm that descends upon a person after years of raising young boys. Nothing short of broken windows or lighting the kitchen curtains on fire (both true stories) could get me to exclaim anything.
Let's get to the point: I never mastered the mark. On occasion, I'll put one in my writing, but wonder if I'm coming across a bit strong or pushing a little too much. And I hit delete.
I was taught not to overuse exclamation points because they are akin to screaming at a reader. "Never send a punctuation mark to do the work of a word," a wise English teacher once told me.
My Associated Press Manual gives the same advice, "Exclamation point - Avoid overuse: Use a comma after mild interjections. End mildly exclamatory sentences with a period." Grammarbook.com says overuse of exclamation points is a sign of undisciplined writing. That's harsh.
In the words of Bob Dylan, "The times they are a changing!!" (Exclamations added for modern-day emphasis!) In the ebb and flow of punctuation popularity, the exclamation point has recently risen to the top!
I learned the rules of punctuation during the olden days of quill and papyrus. Much of today's writing isn't ever printed on paper; it's viewed on-screen. The way we communicate is evolving and the way we punctuate our words is evolving along with it. The brevity of digital messages makes it more difficult to convey tone and emotion in our conversations, so we compensate with emoticons and exclamation points, which have become mainstays for most thumb-typing types. In fact, the absence of an exclamation at the end of a sentence or phrase can be perceived as an uncomfortable pause in a normal digital conversation. Usage of our exclamation friend has become so commonplace that many people interpret digital messages as rude without it.
This makes social media and email veritable plethoras of exclamations!
Consider a Facebook birthday greeting. Nine out of 10 friends agree the average birthday salute should contain a minimum of three exclamation points or it isn't perceived as genuine. A person posting a succinct "Happy birthday" without any exclamations simply hates you and only felt compelled to send their greeting because the notification came up on their wall. They will likely unfriend you within the week. Be prepared!
The increased popularity of the exclamation point has desensitized us to its presence. Where one used to work, two or three are now needed. It's like punctuation inflation!!!
My husband and kids are more experienced in digital discussions than me, so I asked about their exclamation inclinations. They see the mark as setting a friendly tone in messages. It's a way to convey positivity - unless you are saying something like, "I hate you!" Then it would not be perceived as positive, unless you included the "just kidding" emoticon.
My family encouraged me to jump on the exclamation bandwagon and convey my own on-screen optimism. It's probably sound advice. As a person who communicates for a living, I don't want to be perceived as angry or rude. I mean, rude!
Still, if I'm being honest, I'm a little hesitant. Sort of like the time I considered bungee jumping. Not!! I guess I'm exclamation delayed or perhaps punctuation intolerant. Either way, I could probably write an entire column without using one exclamation point. But then I'd risk coming across as impolite or unenthusiastic. And there'd be no point in that.
- Jill Pertler's column appears every Thursday in the Times. She can be reached at pertmn@qwest.net.
