1/3/2024 0 Comments Exclamation mark text girl![]() Yes, the recognition of a new baby, a marriage, a birthday, or even a “thank you” is deserving of some excitement. So, use the power of the exclamation point sparingly. Nobody will be able to tell when you’re trying to convey genuine enthusiasm anymore, because everything you write seems like you’re saying it with giddiness. If you use it everywhere, it’s not only somewhat annoying, but it’s also going to lose its meaning. Give your message a read and delete the exclamation point from any place that’s unworthy of that level of excitement. So, then why do you feel the need to end every single sentence of your email with that mark? Nobody exclaims absolutely everything-at least I certainly hope not. So, a quick note to a co-worker saying, “Congrats on the arrival of your new bundle of joy!” is totally copasetic.īut Lose it When You’re Excited About Everything This punctuation should be reserved for those times when you really are hoping to convey significant excitement or joy. Just look at the word exclamation point, and it becomes obvious that it’s meant to be used when you’re exclaiming something-also known as saying something with great emotion, such as surprise, excitement, or even anger. Use it When You’re Genuinely Excited About Something Here are three times you can go ahead and whip out that beloved punctuation-as well as three times you better hit the backspace button. So, if you tend to fall into the same overly-enthusiastic trap I often find myself in, I’ve pulled together this handy guide just for you. Unfortunately, there are no hard and fast rules on when you should use the exclamation point and when you’re better off sticking with that boring ol’ period. But, it’s not exactly the professional reputation I’m shooting for. There have been plenty of times when I’ve gone back to read an email draft before sending, only to find that I sound like a hyped up, peppy cheerleader who’s quite literally chanting and clapping to the recipient. And, admittedly, I’ll sprinkle it in whenever I can. Something about it just seems friendly to me-I consider it the warm smile of the punctuation world. It doesn’t hurt that students found it humorous but truthful as well.ĭo you have any fun resources for talking about punctuation in the classroom? Please share them in the comments below.I have a soft spot in my heart for the exclamation point. It goes beyond just telling readers to avoid the exclamation point by telling them what they can do instead. I particularly like the alternative suggestions included in the flowchart. It’s a fun flowchart, so I want to share it. It ends with a somewhat satirical flowchart that suggests you definitely shouldn’t use exclamation points. Avoiding Exclamation Point Overuse, from the Grammarly blogĮveryone’s favorite was the Hubspot piece.Do You Really Need That Exclamation Point? from Hubspot.After Years Of Restraint, A Linguist Says ‘Yes!’ To The Exclamation Point, from Fresh Air.What Overusing Exclamation Points Says about You, from the BBC website.How Many Exclamation Points Do Great Writers Use?! by Elmore Leonard, on The Atlantic website.Exclamation Points, by Mignon Fogarty (Grammar Girl) offers an excerpt from David Crystal’s Making a Point.I thought it might be fun this week to share some of the resources the class explored as background readings for the discussion: ![]() Turns out, there are some pretty strong feelings about whether to use exclamation points at all, where to use them if you must, who you can use them with, and exactly how to use them. I have been even more self-conscious about exclamation points since my summer school class had a discussion about what you should and shouldn’t do in email messages at work. I do try to avoid them in the email messages that I write to students and my colleagues, however. Admittedly, I am guilty of using too many exclamation points in my personal emails and text messages.
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