Oh Really ... ?!!!!!!
See these? !!!!!!! I'm quite addicted to using them. I mean, it's not as if I'm addicted to some DRUG or ALCOHOL or something. Using exclamation points is a harmless exercise in studied enthusiasm and an expression of urgency. Or so I thought.
Last week I asked a neighbor if I could use her fax machine since mine was broken. BIG MISTAKE. The first attempt failed. So she took my cover sheet and an invoice I was sending to a textbook editor and she shuffled the pages. In shuffling them, she noticed several !! on my handwritten cover sheet: "Hi Sue, did you ever get a chance to send me the manuscript for that computer book you asked me to edit for you? I really need it soon in order to complete this job on time! Could you please send it asap? Thanks so much!! Zed"
Neighbor: I wouldn't leave those exclamation points in there.
Me: Why?
Neighbor: Because that's rude. It's as if you're yelling at her. Why would you want to yell at her?
Me: I'm not yelling at her. I know this woman for 15 years--we're friends. We write to each other like this all the time ...
Neighbor: Well, when I receive a note like this at work, with all those marks on it, I rip it up. I don't even read it. I'm not going to put up with that--I don't want to be spoken to in that manner.
Me: What manner?
Neighbor: Rudely. It's as if you're yelling at her. I'd just rip it up!
See that last exclamation point attached to the neighbor's final comment? I added that just to be obnoxious.
Here are some more, lady:
!!!!!
Last week I asked a neighbor if I could use her fax machine since mine was broken. BIG MISTAKE. The first attempt failed. So she took my cover sheet and an invoice I was sending to a textbook editor and she shuffled the pages. In shuffling them, she noticed several !! on my handwritten cover sheet: "Hi Sue, did you ever get a chance to send me the manuscript for that computer book you asked me to edit for you? I really need it soon in order to complete this job on time! Could you please send it asap? Thanks so much!! Zed"
Neighbor: I wouldn't leave those exclamation points in there.
Me: Why?
Neighbor: Because that's rude. It's as if you're yelling at her. Why would you want to yell at her?
Me: I'm not yelling at her. I know this woman for 15 years--we're friends. We write to each other like this all the time ...
Neighbor: Well, when I receive a note like this at work, with all those marks on it, I rip it up. I don't even read it. I'm not going to put up with that--I don't want to be spoken to in that manner.
Me: What manner?
Neighbor: Rudely. It's as if you're yelling at her. I'd just rip it up!
See that last exclamation point attached to the neighbor's final comment? I added that just to be obnoxious.
Here are some more, lady:
!!!!!
posted by Zed on Sunday, September 16, 2007
30 Comments:
What??
You used that many?????
GASP!!!!!
You should be ashamed!!!!!!!
I hang my head in sorrow and grief, Jin.
Waaaaaaa!
I think ripping a note up without reading it qualifies as rudeness.
Most people would equate capitals with YELLING. There must be somthing in your neighbor's past for her to act in this strange manner, where and when did this fear of exclamation marks start? Is there a word to describe such a fear? žžž (these are exclamation marks raised to the power of Zed).
Long live the exclamation point!!!!!!!!!!
Tell your neighbor to kiss your asterisk!!!!!
Sans, you never cease to make me feel special. Ever. Thanks for the exclamation points raised to the power of me! :)
I'm with you, Chris! They rock! ... And point!
That act sounds good in theory SD, but I'd like to avoid kissing ANYONE'S asterisk. I think I'll run upstairs and put exclamation marks all over her front door for spite! :)
Honestly, I'm not a big fan of overuse of the exclamation mark. But I (like sans) would never interpret it alone as yelling - THIS IS YELLING!!!
I associate a lot of !!!!s with perky people that have a lot of energy. I personally prefer to emphasize only one thing with a solitary exclamation point to show when I'm really excited about something. I guess I'm not as perky as you!
all I have to say is
?!?!?!??!?!??!?!?!??!?!??!?!?!?
...
Gee and I thought I was a punctuation nazi! Now I feel all accepting and such.
Yep, Kristi, I'm just perky, perky, perky. :)
Jen? ?! # mmm ##@! 8shfkn ##&^^@@@6kd n% lljjjk??? !!! :)
Oh, and I hate ":)" also, but I can't stop!
Stop yelling at me!!!
What a witch! Exclamation marks mean excitement, not necessarily anger.
I thought it was using upper-case that stood for yelling, not exclamation points. I just always thought using multiple exclamation points was just being annoyingly perky. It seems mostly something females do. Like LOL, or ROFL, or ROFLMAO (well, females and Mister Fab, that is).
Those are nice, but I would rather have the alcohol.
You've a heart of gold, Barbara, all warm and fuzzy. Did you want a "!"? Well, there you go! (Ooooh, another!) I can't stop! Help me! Help me!
Know what, Nobody? This: !!!!!!!!!
I knew you'd understand, Shelli. This neighbor is known as a witch in the tri-state business world, and is proud of it. Here's some !!!! for you too. :) AND a smiley face too. I must really really like you. :) <--another one!
Dick, she's confused about what exclamation points do. I have never (well, almost never) used LOL, ROFL, or ROFLMAO because they make me want to vomit. I feel strongly about this! :) <-- another smiley face!! <--and two exclamation points
Dale, I so appreciate the simplicity of your comment. Subtle, yet meaningful. I cried for a minute or so on reading it, then needed to rest for a while to recover from the impact that it made on my subconscious. ... Whatever! :)
Fab, I've only got wine. White or red? Oh, I'm sorry: White or red!?!!
I'm doomed then!! I use exclamation points all the time!! I have been accused of overusing them!!!!!
Definately a bad case of exclamataphobia. Next time, go to Kinkos. They don't care what you fax.
Not YOU Lynda!!!! Not YOU!!!
Dave, that woman definitely has issues. Issues, I tell you! :)
A few comments up Chris called them exclamation points. I've often suffered label-confusion in this respect. As a kid, I was taught exclamation points, but now it seems to be exclamation marks.
The British call quotation marks "inverted commas" and periods "full stops"
What say you Zed-in-publishing?
you should write her a ty note that reads. "IT SURE WAS NICE OF YOU TO LET ME USE YOUR FAX MACHINE!!!!!!!! - zed"
GT, we lean toward exclamation point, with exclamation mark being the alternative phrase. So there you go!!!! :) (I'm giving out free exclamation points today, GT.)
Oh, Sushiboy, you have no idea how much I'd love to do that. But I'm trying to maintain good neighbor relations. Besides, she'd just rip up the note. I'm feeling generous today, so here you go: !!!!!!!!!!!! I just give and give.
I use them all the time. In fact, I say the more the merrier!
YOU!!! GO!!! GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love exclamation points. I used to abuse semicolons, but the points are so much more fun! See what I mean?!?!!!!
For shame. The blatant use of exiting punctuation and capitals is very rude. I tried to rip up my screen in attempt to ignore your shameful, rude grammar. It didn't work. Now I have scratches all over my monitor. I will be sending a repair invoice, divided equally, to each of your blogs.
THANK!!!! YOU!!! BETH!!!! FOR!!! THE!!!! ENCOURAGEMENT!!!
No; actually; I; don't; Beckeye. Semicolons; are; equally; fun.
Dear Lady Upstairs, You're a loon!!! Try to rip THAT up!
Perky!! ,Sad¡¡ ,Perky!! ,Sad¡¡
Pantalunatic.
In the words of my 80 year old friend Sherlee, "God, people just need to lighten up....."
VrQNYK actually, that's brilliant. Thank you. I'm going to pass that on to a couple of people.
Please write anything else!
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