The Accidental Apostrophe by Caroline Taggart

Author:Caroline Taggart [Taggart, Caroline]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Michael O'Mara Books

Things That Show Emotion

You may not think the punctuation can convey feelings, but, if so, I can assure you that you are missing out on a treat. None of the examples in this chapter really change meaning, but they certainly change tone.

Exclamation marks

Exclamation mark (!): the punctuation mark used after exclamations and vehement commands, or for various other purposes such as drawing attention to an obvious mistake.

The American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald is alleged to have deplored the use of exclamation marks, likening them to laughing at your own jokes. I wouldn’t ban them quite so wholeheartedly, but then I have been known to laugh at my own jokes, so perhaps I am not the best arbiter. What I would say is that in any remotely formal writing – basically anything more formal than an SMS or WhatsApp communication – they should be used sparingly. Using an exclamation mark at the end of every other sentence is like writing half your sentences in capitals: if you emphasize everything, you end up emphasizing nothing. Plus it is exhausting (and faintly annoying) to read. Consider this:

It was the holiday of a lifetime! We saw eight leopards in six days! Imagine that!! Eight leopards!!!

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