11 examples of exclamation-point abuse

There’s a “Seinfeld” episode in which Elaine breaks up with her boyfriend over his failure to use an exclamation point. If you don’t remember it, Elaine’s boyfriend had written down some phone messages, one of which said that her friend had a baby. Elaine found it “curious” that he didn’t think someone having a baby warranted an exclamation point. “Maybe I don’t use my exclamation points as haphazardly as you do,” Elaine’s boyfriend tells her: I’ve had several conversations recently about the overuse, abuse, and misuse of exclamation points. These...

Many famed writers were no fans of the e...

Last week, I wrote about the rampant overuse of the exclamation point and looked to style guides for guidance. The consensus was to use these punctuations marks sparingly. This week I wanted to share some quotes from authors and grammar wonks who have some strong words to say about the beleaguered exclamation point.   Laughing at your own jokes “Cut out all these exclamation points. An exclamation point is like laughing at your own joke.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald Mark Twain also said the use of exclamation points was like laughing at your own humor, “all of...

Stop the madness! Rules for using the ex...

A recent study reported on PR Daily found that “43 percent of online daters consider bad grammar a ‘major’ turnoff.” So I think it’s safe to say that bad grammar can affect relationships. And so can punctuation. Does anyone remember the “Seinfeld” episode in which Elaine breaks up with her boyfriend over his failure to use an exclamation point? In case you missed it, Elaine’s boyfriend had written down some phone messages, one of which said that her friend had baby. Elaine found it “curious” that he didn’t think someone having a baby warranted an...

27 alternatives to “I hope this email fi...

It seems to be everyone’s default, reflexive email greeting . . . “Hi Ruldolph. I hope this email finds you well.” “I hope this email finds you well” is one of those awkward, forced-interaction phrases that adds little value to the email exchange, but acts as a crutch in the uncomfortable transition between the opening (“Hi Rudolph”) and the reason you’re emailing (“I need you to lead the sleigh tonight”). Such unnecessary phrasing adds to the noise readers are trying to filter out. We’re all writers here. Can we come up with a few alternatives to...

What writers really want for the holiday...

This year’s holiday post on “gifts for the writer in your life” doesn’t include any physical items. Though there are plenty of books, games, apps, and coffee mugs out there for writers to covet and for their loved ones to purchase, listing these felt wrong for 2020. After the year we’ve all had, doing something kind for the writer you love seems more meaningful than buying them a t-shirt that says, “I’m silently correcting your grammar.” With this in mind, my 2020 holiday post includes a list of 10 things you can do to soothe the writer in your life. Okay ....