The secret emotional lives of 5 punctuation marks (2024)

The secret emotional lives of 5 punctuation marks (1)

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The secret emotional lives of 5 punctuation marks (2)

By Arika Okrent

last updated

Punctuation is the homely, workaday cousin to the glamorous word. It works quietly in the background, sweeping up and trying to keep the information flow tidy, while words prance around spilling thought, meaning, and feeling all over the place. Punctuation marks accept their utilitarian roles, but they too carry feelings, and they express them in subtle ways that are sometimes easy to miss. Let's take a look at the secret emotional lives of five punctuation marks.

1. THE ANGRY PERIOD

What could be simpler than period? One little dot that ends a sentence, a few pixels. But lately, the period has become a bit more than that. As Ben Crair noted at The New Republic, when it comes to online chatting and texting, the period has come to mean "I am not happy about the sentence I just concluded." Since digital communication is more like an ongoing conversation, people usually leave off final punctuation and just hit send. In that context, a period starts to look a little abrupt and aggressive. A study by Idibon adds support to the idea of the negative period. In an analysis of a corpus of nine million social media interactions, they found that the appearance of a period is highly correlated with a particular phrase beginning with f and ending with you.

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2. THE SINCERE EXCLAMATION POINT

The exclamation point has long been seen as a marker of loudness or excitement, but its emotional range is more complex than that. In digital communication it has become a sincerity marker. In an email, where it might seem a little too informal to just leave off end punctuation, the exclamation point serves as a solution to the problem of the angry period. This comes off dry, cold, and little sarcastic: "I am looking forward to the meeting." But with the exclamation point — "I am looking forward to the meeting!" — it is warm and sincere. It adds not a shout, but a genuine smile.

3. THE COY, AWKWARD ELLIPSIS

The ellipsis, a row of three dots, stands for an omitted section of text. But much can be conveyed by omission. It asks the receiver of the message to fill in the text, and in that way is very coy and potentially flirty. "Pizza…" Is that an invitation? An opinion? It sits there waiting for a response. This brings awkwardness into the equation, and the ellipsis (or even the written words "dot dot dot") is another way to say "well this is awkward." The conversation is not over, but someone has to make a move. And the clock ticks uncomfortably on, dot…by dot…by dot…

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4. THE DRAMATIC ASTERISK

Asterisks are meant to be noticed. They hold a place in a text for you so you can go match it up with a footnote or comment. But they also have a theatrical bent that goes beyond simple attention holding and crosses over into acting. As discussed by Ben Zimmer in this Language Log post, asterisks (*ahem*) can set off stage directions (*cough*) that tell you (*looks at watch*) about the emotional states (*yawn*) and attitudes (*stares off*)…sorry, (*vigorously blinks eyes*) where was I? Asterisks. They're little jazz hands that say, "look what I'm doing!"

5. THE DULL COMMA

Commas have no inner emotional lives. In the words of Gertrude Stein, "commas are servile and they have no life of their own." Not only that, their dullness can rub off on you. A comma "by helping you along holding your coat for you and putting on your shoes keeps you from living your life as actively as you should lead it." That may sound mean, but the comma really doesn't care. In order to get out there every day to step between words and generally slow things down, it's got to have a businesslike attitude.

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The secret emotional lives of 5 punctuation marks (4)

Arika Okrent

Arika Okrent is editor-at-large at TheWeek.com and a frequent contributor to Mental Floss. She is the author of In the Land of Invented Languages, a history of the attempt to build a better language. She holds a doctorate in linguistics and a first-level certification in Klingon. Follow her on Twitter.

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The secret emotional lives of 5 punctuation marks (2024)

FAQs

What is the rule 5 in punctuation? ›

Rule 5: Put commas around an expression that interrupts the flow of the sentence (however, moreover, finally, therefore, of course, by the way, on the other hand, I am sure, I think). He thought, however, that I should wait. I hope, of course, that they'll come.

What is 5 punctuation mark? ›

The most common punctuation marks in English: full stops, questions marks, commas, colons and semicolons, exclamation marks and quotation marks.

What is the correct punctuation for the sentence? ›

1. All sentences must end in a period, a question mark, an exclamation point, or, if followed by a closely related sentence, a semicolon. 2. Commas and periods always go inside quotation marks in American English; dashes, colons, and semicolons almost always go outside.

What is the punctuation mark for feelings? ›

The meaning of an exclamation mark is that it expresses strong feelings or emphasis in written text. This punctuation mark also represents enthusiasm. It can be found at the very end of a sentence.

What is the rule of 5 in English? ›

The Rule of 5 is simply a series of activities that you do EVERY DAY that are fundamental to your success. For John, his Rule of 5 are as follows: every day he reads, every day he files, every day he thinks, every day he asks questions and every day he writes.

What are the 5 comma rules? ›

Commas (Eight Basic Uses)
  • Use a comma to separate independent clauses. ...
  • Use a comma after an introductory clause or phrase. ...
  • Use a comma between all items in a series. ...
  • Use commas to set off nonrestrictive clauses. ...
  • Use a comma to set off appositives. ...
  • Use a comma to indicate direct address. ...
  • Use commas to set off direct quotations.

What is (;) used for? ›

Use a semicolon to join two related independent clauses in place of a comma and a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet). Make sure when you use the semicolon that the connection between the two independent clauses is clear without the coordinating conjunction.

What is the most commonly used punctuation mark? ›

Of the three, the period is most often used; almost every sentence has one. Commas are used extensively within sentences. Some sentences have a lot of commas while some sentences have none. So although the comma is quite common, it is next to impossible to say whether it is more common than the period.

What is punctuation and examples with answers? ›

Punctuation is the use of symbols such as full stops or periods, commas, or question marks to divide written words into sentences and clauses. He was known for his poor grammar and punctuation. Punctuation is the symbols that you use to divide written words into sentences and clauses.

Which is the best use of punctuation? ›

Punctuation in brief
  • Use a comma to create a pause, to separate ideas in that sentence.
  • Use a semi-colon to create a break, but recognises connection of ideas.
  • Use a colon to connect two sentences thematically.
  • Use a full stop to create the end of that sentence.
Jun 21, 2024

What is full stop punctuation? ›

The Oxford Learner's Dictionary defines a full stop as a punctuation mark that is “used at the end of a sentence to emphasise that there is nothing more to say about a subject.” The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a full stop as “a point . used to show the end of a sentence or an abbreviation”.

How is punctuation used correctly? ›

Punctuation fills our writing with silent intonation. We pause, stop, emphasize, or question using a comma, a period, an exclamation point or a question mark. Correct punctuation adds clarity and precision to writing; it allows the writer to stop, pause, or give emphasis to certain parts of the sentence.

What expresses strong emotion? ›

An Interjection is a word or phrase that expresses surprise or strong emotion, often followed by an exclamation point or by a comma when it appears at the beginning of a sentence. In this example, both the word choice and the exclamation mark convey strong emotion.

What punctuation is used to express strong emotion? ›

An exclamation point ( ! ) is used to end a sentence expressing strong emotion or commands (Stop!), and may be used to close questions that are meant to convey extreme emotion (What were you thinking!).

What is the punctuation for sadness? ›

To express disappointment or sadness or remorse or denial, we use an exclamation mark.

What is punctuation class 5? ›

Punctuation is the use of symbols such as full stops or periods, commas, or question marks to divide written words into sentences and clauses.

What is the rule 12 in punctuation? ›

Rule 12. Use a comma to separate two strong clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction--and, or, but, for, nor. You can omit the comma if the clauses are both short. Examples: I have painted the entire house, but he is still working on sanding the doors.

What are the 10 rules of punctuation? ›

Top ten punctuation tips
  • Use apostrophes correctly. ...
  • Know where to place quotation marks. ...
  • Know how to punctuate with parentheses. ...
  • Use a hyphen for compound adjectives. ...
  • Distinguish between the colon and the semicolon. ...
  • Avoid multiple punctuation at the end of a sentence.

What is rule 4 in commas? ›

4. Distinguish Complete Statements. Rule: Commas distinguish complete statements linked with a coordinating conjunction (i.e., for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so). EX: Jenny tried the sushi, and she found that it was surprisingly tasty.

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