People who overuse exclamation marks!

cpu

I've been reading threads on this site for a long, long time now although I haven't been registered since the start and I haven't posted much.

Maybe as a 'hardly posted' relative newbie I shouldn't complain, but I'm really surprised at the amount of exclamation marks people use in their posts.

It really bugs me and puts me off posting a reply that I might have considered posting otherwise.

Why do people do this? I always thought an exclamation mark was to be used for emphasis but there are posts where this particular punctuation mark is used practically at the end of every sentence. Do people not realise how harsh that makes their post seem? Is it really necessary to force home a point by constant use of an exclamation mark?

I do wonder if those who use this mark a lot in their posts have bullying tendancies in real life!

nickinoo

cpu wrote:

I do wonder if those who use this mark a lot in their posts have bullying tendancies in real life!

I think that last exclamation mark should be a question mark!! ;op

sunflower_2

cpu wrote:

I've been reading threads on this site for a long, long time now although I haven't been registered since the start and I haven't posted much.

Maybe as a 'hardly posted' relative newbie I shouldn't complain, but I'm really surprised at the amount of exclamation marks people use in their posts.

It really bugs me and puts me off posting a reply that I might have considered posting otherwise.

Why do people do this? I always thought an exclamation mark was to be used for emphasis but there are posts where this particular punctuation mark is used practically at the end of every sentence. Do people not realise how harsh that makes their post seem? Is it really necessary to force home a point by constant use of an exclamation mark?

I do wonder if those who use this mark a lot in their posts have bullying tendancies in real life!

i use a lot of exclamation marks and have never EVER bullied anyone in my whole life !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

free use of the keyboard, thats what I say !!!!!!!

Plasticman

Guilty!!!!

Plasticman

Sorry, I mean:

Guilty.


I promise to try harder in future!

Plasticman

Plasticman wrote:

I promise to try harder in future!

LOL. That one was an accident

cpu

nickinoo wrote:

I think that last exclamation mark should be a question mark!! ;op

Actually, it wasn't meant as a question, it was merely a comment.

Sunflower: can I ask why you use so many? (Look nickinoo......it's a question. - I am just joking here, don't take offence.) I'm not for one minute saying you are a bully Sunflower, lol, but I really would like to know why people use this mark so often. My old English teacher always reinforced the point that an exclamation mark was only to be used to emphasise a particular point and that overuse conveyed a 'shouting angry' tone which only served to overshadow the point the person was trying to make.

It's obvious that a lot of posters use it not in that way, but there are also a number who I just think are either deliberately trying to appear confrontational and 'don't mess with me-ish' or they just don't realise that that by using lots of exclamation marks in their posts they are coming across as very curt and harsh at times.

It's generally well known and accepted that using capital letters whilst posting is a no-no as it conveys shouting, but it seems that people don't realise that overuse of the old exclamation mark has a similar effect, (unless of course it's obvious that the whole tone of the post is light hearted).

Btw, Plasticman: I'll let you off!

IvanOpinion

cpu
You do know that you have now left yourself open to someone querying every grammatical, spelling and punctuation error in your postings! Approximately 6 grammatical and 1 spelling mistake from a cursory read

But do not worry, I will not tell anyone !!!!

Ivan

Edinburghlass_2

Guilty too!!

Spendless

And me!! Nut i promise to stop once i've worked out how to use smileys!!!!!

Dumbledore55

cpu

I too am guilty of overusing the exclamation mark but you should get yourself the book 'Eats, Shoots and Leaves' - it'll give you lots else to think about reference punctuation and grammar.

I will, however, not give up my exclamation mark(s).

DD