Oct
29
2009

(Don’t) Mind My Exclamation Mark!

Was chatting with a friend last night when something came to light. You see I am the type of person who gets excited easily while chatting. And I have the tendency of using the exclamation mark at the end of most sentences.

I was then politely told that the usage of that exclamation mark in my sentences caused some confusion in him. He assumes that I was angry when I exclaim. Oh my! Oh my!

Okay, first of all, I was not angry. Then why the heck did I use that exclamation mark? Habit? YES!

I have two major bad habits online.

#1
Using the exclamation mark way too often
{It’s like honking to greet a fellow driver. People might misunderstood you for being annoyed. But then again, I don’t drive! Blek… :P}

Moral of the story: Don’t honk. Err, no. Don’t exclaim.

#2
Using way too many ‘dots’ after each sentence.
{It’s like… talking to someone…. Then.. dragging your words… }

Moral of the story: The phrase “The more the merrier” does not apply here. One DOT is more than enough. Full stop.

*****

So now I’m trying to fine tune my fingers to not press on the exclamation mark and to not rest on the full stop after each sentence.

That is the ‘danger’ of online communication. We can’t see the other party’s expression {unless of course, if we are using the webcam}. We have to be extra careful in the way we express ourselves as to avoid any misunderstanding. Clarification is the key. If you are not sure, ask. Don’t assume. And we will have world peace.

P/S: How then will you know when I am angry?

IF I WRITE IN FULL CAPS, LIKE THIS. COUPLE IT WITH BOLD FONTS AND TRIPPLE IT WITH LOTS OF EXCLAMATION MARKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now honey, that is how you’ll know if I am angry. ^_^

About the Author: Merryn Tan

22 Comments + Add Comment

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reanaclaire October 30, 2009 at 3:47 am

wah… who made u so excited during chatting? i also like to use exclamation mark in my posts.. sort of emphasizing.. something..

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Merryn October 30, 2009 at 5:44 am

YOU la claire. always making me excited for nothing.. lol. U oso use that very banyak dot dot dot…

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Mei Teng October 30, 2009 at 5:51 am

How come he associates exclamation mark with being angry?! Haha..

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Mummy Gwen October 30, 2009 at 5:52 am

I never give any thought about the exclamation mark and dots..haha. Anyway, I seldom use these symbols. :P A good tip from you actually. ;)

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Uncle Lee October 30, 2009 at 6:01 am

Hi Merryn, ha ha, love your humour.I guess all of us do have our quirks here and there.And habits die hard. Not to worry about it…when reading your sentences or mentions ending with the ha ha, you dropping your anchor, an exclaimation mark…can see its your style or you making a point.You stay easy and have a nice day, Lee.

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Linda October 30, 2009 at 11:49 am

hahaha… i also like to use a lot of dot dot dot dot…. see? and also full caps with lots of BOLD when I was angry…. dot dot dot again. :)

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Superman October 30, 2009 at 5:37 pm

Yup, some people will get angry if you write to them with !!!.

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mNhL October 30, 2009 at 7:19 pm

Oh no! I like to use !!!! and ….. a lot too!!!! It is like a habit….whenever I type…I must use them. hehehe

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little prince's October 30, 2009 at 7:39 pm

I like to use …………… too! hahahaha~

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suituapui October 30, 2009 at 10:17 pm

Yalor…use caps and lots of exclamation, then only angry. Otherwise, it may mean a surprise, excitement…anything! LOL!

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Kev October 30, 2009 at 10:26 pm

Sending e-mails has its ethics, so does any other forms of online written communication. The reason for this is to avoid misinterpretations. Therefore, using CAPITAL LETTERS and exclamation marks, especially, should be avoided unless you know that person pretty well. We don't wanna make enemies, do we? And we don't know how the other party is feeling as we can't see them.Unless you're very angry or wanna highlight something really crucial, do not use bold or exclamation marks.If unsure, clarify by asking. That's always the best thing to do. You respect others, others will respect you.Happy blogging and chatting :)

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Health Freak Mommy October 31, 2009 at 12:21 am

I'm also like you – bad habit of using ! and ….. in most of my sentences! Ah, there I go again, hehe…. oppps.

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Tekkaus October 31, 2009 at 12:58 am

Same here! I also love to use exclamation mark! Nothing wrong right? RIGHT!!!!!! :D

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Cynthia October 31, 2009 at 3:10 am

oh.. what the heck with the dots.. I use that a lot too! :D and using exclamation mark means angry? no la, when I go school, teacher only say exclamation mark is to make this more 'excited' but didn't say angry lei.. :pyour friend just bit too sensitive or is he or she a teacher ah? coz teacher normally tells us to write according to the 'rules'.. :D

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wenn October 31, 2009 at 4:41 am

Better to use a full stop. Exclamation mark n capital letters could mean shouting. But everyone has their own style of writing..

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Karlota October 31, 2009 at 5:57 pm

i didn't think using exclamation marks shows that you're angry. In our office though, we were informed not to use ALL CAPS often.. weeee

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slavemom November 1, 2009 at 5:19 am

I'm the opposite. Always leave out the punctuation marks, esp question marks.

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Irene November 2, 2009 at 7:49 am

hahahaha… !!!! is normally associated with surprises, or happyness? no? hmmm…

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mumsgather November 2, 2009 at 11:49 pm

I like to use dot dots and exclamation marks too! Now, I know I should tone it done as well. Hehe.

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foongpc November 3, 2009 at 6:47 am

WHY NO ETHAN IN THIS POST??!!!

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foongpc November 3, 2009 at 6:48 am

Actually I'm not angry, just pretending to be angry. LOL!

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Ayie November 3, 2009 at 10:21 am

i am quite fond using many dots too =P

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About Me

Home is where MY heart is.
I am a mother to two boys; Ethan and Ayden and a wife to Darling William. I'm a stay at home mum who blogs to break the monotony of life and to avoid feeling jaded. Would love to get to know all the Super Mommies and Daddies and Babies or Singles out there with the hope that we can learn more from each other. Most of all, I am a happy person, and I hope YOU are too.