The Overuse of Exclamation Marks
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
The overuse of exclamation marks is a common occurence in today's ever-increasing internet society. It has been further heightened with the advent of the Text Message, encouraging young, optimistic and sadly illiterate teenagers to communicate with each other in a manner such as this:
"HI ROB!!!!!!! HOW R U???!! Im felin fine!!! I jus want you 2 no: I NEV R SNOGED TONY AL RITE!!!!!!!! CYA M8!! LUV U!!!"
This is a sadly realistic demonstration of the abuse English puntuation suffers today. As a general rule, only one exclamation mark is needed per sentence, with two allowed on very special occasions. Any more than that is bordering on the rim of ridicule. Indeed, frequent use of more than five exclamation marks often indicates that it is only a matter of time before the person in question sinks into a state of criminal insanity. Soon scrawled notes appear at the scenes of highly unpleasant crimes with things like "Aahahahahahaha!!!!!" written on them. At that stage, there is almost no hope left for the person in question.
Therefore we must do all that we can to discourage such perverse usage of the English language at all costs, before the planet transforms into a world of m8s and d00dz and excessive exclamations, at which point humanity will revert back to the stone age and there can be no escape for any of us.
Be brave, my friends; for, armed with an infinite supply of punctuation, good will prevail.
"HI ROB!!!!!!! HOW R U???!! Im felin fine!!! I jus want you 2 no: I NEV R SNOGED TONY AL RITE!!!!!!!! CYA M8!! LUV U!!!"
This is a sadly realistic demonstration of the abuse English puntuation suffers today. As a general rule, only one exclamation mark is needed per sentence, with two allowed on very special occasions. Any more than that is bordering on the rim of ridicule. Indeed, frequent use of more than five exclamation marks often indicates that it is only a matter of time before the person in question sinks into a state of criminal insanity. Soon scrawled notes appear at the scenes of highly unpleasant crimes with things like "Aahahahahahaha!!!!!" written on them. At that stage, there is almost no hope left for the person in question.
Therefore we must do all that we can to discourage such perverse usage of the English language at all costs, before the planet transforms into a world of m8s and d00dz and excessive exclamations, at which point humanity will revert back to the stone age and there can be no escape for any of us.
Be brave, my friends; for, armed with an infinite supply of punctuation, good will prevail.
