Friday, April 5, 2013

Eliminating Exclamation Points


seinfeld photo: seinfeld seinfeld.jpg
                                                                     


 
                                                    
In a classic Seinfeld episode,  Elaine gets mad at her boyfriend when he shows her a phone message announcing the birth of her friend's baby. She can't believe that he didn't use an exclamation point at the end of the sentence. He replies, "Maybe I don't use exclamation points as haphazardly as you do." An argument ensues, and he storms off  adding, "Well you can put one at the end of this...I'm leaving!"

Later when Elaine tells Jerry about their fight he says, "I never heard of a relationship being affected by punctuation." Of course it doesn't help matters that Elaine is in the midst of editing her boyfriend's manuscript.

The exclamation points escalate when Elaine's boss Mr. Lippman reads aloud from her final draft: "It was a damp and chilly afternoon, so I decided to put on my sweatshirt (exclamation point)!  Get rid of the exclamation points. I hate exclamation points."

This episode was written twenty years ago, and most men still aren't comfortable around exclamation points. Sure some men will insert the occasional punctuation mark, but only during private conversations with women, or close male friends.

Society is slow to accept changes in punctuation. I know a woman who wouldn't go out with a man who sounded absolutely perfect for her on a dating site. His only crime was adding a smiley face at the end of his email.

Fortunately, the blogging community is an exception to this rule. It's safe for male bloggers to let their hair down while tossing out exclamation points, smiley faces, and lol's. Their willingness to express their feelings while supporting other bloggers shows strength and courage. Now that's certainly worthy of an exclamation point or two!!

45 comments:

  1. Agreed! ;-) but in creative writing I can't stand seeing too many of them. They should be preserved for appropriate speech and a rare piece of prose. But in blog comments!! They're brilliant!!

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  2. Excellent post, I enjoyed reading as usual . It is a pleasure to visit your blog. Have a good day.

    Yvonne.

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  3. I think people might associate using exclamation points with being emotional, and some people don't want to come across as "emotional." I use exclamation marks when I comment on blogs...like right now!
    Cool post, Julie!


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  4. Rosalind - You're absolutely right. That's why I found the Seinfeld episode so funny, as they were overdramatizing the use of exclamation points. For casual emails, comments, and birthday greetings there's still a place for them!

    Yvonne - It's always a pleasure to read your blog too. Thanks Yvonne!

    Cynthia - Elaine even said that she added all of the exclamation points, because she thought the piece needed more emotion. Great point Cynthia, and I'll try to limit them to comments.

    Julie

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  5. I loves me my exclamation marks .... and my dots and dashes and capitalizations and underlinings and lols and anything else that can jazz up my usually dull and useless posts.

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    1. Your posts are never "dull and useless." They are as informative and entertaining as your comments Delores!!

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  6. I am aware of my love of exclamation points when I write. I try to go back and remove them where it seems possible, but sometimes a sentence just demands that mark. I'd insert a smiley face here, but I think I overuse that too!

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    1. Joyce - I wish that I knew how to use smiley faces. I'm sure I would become addicted to them too.

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  7. Hi Julie .. did you write this for me ........ you didn't mention ellipses - I got away lightly!?

    Cheers and I didn't see that episode .... Hilary

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    1. Hilary - You are such a wealth of information that you present so eloquently. So feel free to continue to ellipse and exclamation point away! Does that even make sense...?

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  8. If only I had taken more note during my school days in English class!

    I have a habit of just using commas, exclamation points etc when I feel the need to, otherwise I get bogged down for hours reading something a thousand times wondering if it is right or wrong place.

    So I hope all those out there that reads anything I write,will truly forgive me when they see the ! or , or :) or anything else in the wrong place :)

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    1. RPD - I'm sure that I'm a punctuation disaster. I just do the best I can, and think we should all do the same. Let's leave it for the editors.

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  9. Replies
    1. Lynn - It was a great show, and I still love the reruns!

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  10. In formal writing, they can seem out of place or slightly hysterical. On social media, you seem too stiff and formal without them, at least once in a while.

    I'm with Hilary, though. Elipses (and em dashes) are the sins of letter E I have to watch out for.

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  11. Ah, that's a breather. I do use exclamation points and smiley faces all the time. Ha! :D

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  12. Julie, that's a great point. I constantly use exclamation points in smilies...especially when replying to comments on my blog.

    I guess it's because I tend to smile and chuckle a lot, as I speak and I like to try to convey that in writing, too.

    Glad to hear that it's not, totally, a bad thing! :)

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  13. Exclamation points aren't manly? Oh crap!

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  14. Great post! I'm often reminded to use exclamation posts sparingly in writing, which leads, I think, to my under use of them. However, I would never let grammar be the deciding factor on how I feel about a person. I might miss out on some really fun folks.

    Jenn @Scribbles From Jenn

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  15. Hi Julie, long time great to read your post, I seem to be using them more and more, especially in social media. Its funny to hear about the woman and the smily face. Hope your having a blessed week, and look forward to reading more posts.

    Amanda - Realityarts-Creativity
    Art Blog

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  16. Laurel - Beware of the sins of letter "E!"

    Father Dragon can do no wrong!

    Mark - I think it's great that you want to spread good cheer!

    Alex - You make everything manly!

    Jenn - I couldn't agree with you more!

    Arleen - Thanks for cheering me up!

    Amanda - Good to see you! I agree that it just seems friendlier.

    Julie



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  17. I love exclamation points. I love smiley faces. They both add a touch of emotion to letters and blog posts. Really!!!!!

    I also love Seinfield. All I have to do is think about one of my favorite episodes and I laugh. Now that's a great bit of writing, isn't it?

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  18. Well, I don't care for a plethora of exclamation points, but they have their place. Isn't it amazing what nonsense Seinfeld turned into humor?

    Good luck with the challenge.

    http://www.thebusymomsdaily.com/2013/04/blogging-from-to-z-challenge-letter-e.html

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  19. I stands by Delores!! Blogsites are basically the only place I use them there exclamation points!!! Otherwise, my life is only periods and question marks.

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  20. Lee - I always loved Seinfeld, but I think I appreciate it even more now.

    Cheryl - Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld were an amazing team! Good luck to you as well Cheryl!

    Susan - I reckon I could oblige by them rules too!

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  21. Oh, I had forgotten about this episode. I think if I had to pick my favorite show ever, it would be Seinfeld. Even after so many years, I can watch an episode and still laugh as hard as I did the first time.

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  22. I was never a fan of "Seinfeld", (I know... blasphemy, right?) but I think I would have enjoyed the episode about exclamation points. I'm not a fan of THEM, either. A certain magazine which was kind enough to pay me for a story has one huge shortcoming: they sprinkle exclamation marks all over the place. Everywhere, on every page, without rhyme nor reason. Looking through that magazine is like reading a teenage girl's diary.

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  23. Totally agree!! :)) In fact at times...just an exclamation mark is all we need!

    Regards
    ~Kriti~

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  24. It is a favorite punctuation mark of mine!
    I have tried to cut down...
    :-)

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  25. I don't mind using them in blog posts or comments, but I don't use them in my writing. I read somewhere about restricting your manuscript to a couple per 50,000 words or something like that. A quick search of mine and there were none. Happy to keep them in my blogging!

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  26. Terrific post! I'm almost embarrassed to say that I have never watched a single episode of Seinfeld (!), but your discussion of this one has made me change my mind.

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  27. I remember that episode. Nice post. Good to meet you.

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  28. I'm with the boyfriend. Exclamation points don't have much use now a days. That just means a person has to really think about what they are saying.

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  29. As a former NYer I'm ashamed to say I don't remember that episode!
    Real men punctuate!

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  30. Lately I've been hearing a lot of negative things about exclamation points. It makes me think people have run out of other things to complain about.

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  31. In writing so much of what is being said needs the help of punctuation to bring the voice of the writer to life; hence the use of LOL and OMG and emoticons in text messages and emails.

    It would be a very dry read indeed if one did not add those little writing assistants to their words.
    The exclamation mark has been referred to as the "screamer" as it adds volume to the words before it.

    Example:
    Cheers! What an amazing post! Thanks, Julie, you rock! Ah...it felt good getting that out. :)


    Jenny @ PEARSON REPORT

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  32. I love exclamation points!!!!
    But my favourite is the ellipses... which I tend to overdo...

    Writer In Transit

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  33. LOL!!!!! : - )

    Since I've been on Blogger I've about worn out the exclamation key on my laptop. :P

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  34. Whew! I was worried when gender traits emerged in your post! LOL I feel much better now though! :)

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  35. This is a fun post ;) The idea of just men not being comfortable with exclamation marks amuses me!

    !!!

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  36. Julie - I wholeheartedly agree with you! Does Elaine's unique dance style remind you of anyone?

    Susan - Congrats on being published in a magazine, and getting paid on top of it! Sorry they got carried away with the exclamation points. Funny comparing it to a "teenage girl's diary."

    Kriti - Nice to meet you, and thanks for the follow. Looking forward to visiting you, and sharing our joy of exclamation points!

    Gemma - We need to start an Exclamation Points Anonymous!

    Pete - I agree that it's best to use them sparingly in manuscripts, but they're fun for social media.

    Josna - There's nothing to be embarrassed about. If anything I should be embarrassed for watching too much TV. There are reruns running day and night. You can also google scenes and work your way up to full episodes. Our whole family loves the show.

    Jianne - Great to meet you too! Hope you're enjoying A to Z.



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  37. Good points Yvonne!

    Jen - You can catch it online when you're up for it.

    Emily - It is silly, but I don't think people will ever run out of things to complain about. It would be nice though.

    Jenny - I never heard it referred to as " the screamer" before! I love it! Thanks Jenny!

    Michelle - You gotta love ellipses...An excellent choice for "E" that adds suspense!

    Luanne - Mine also looks a little under the weather!

    Jeff - No need to worry, as I demonstrated that male bloggers are more evolved!

    Trisha - Glad you found it amusing! Thanks Trisha!


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  38. Where would we be without explanation points and smiley faces.

    Rhonda @Laugh-Quotes.com
    AtoZ #42

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  39. I'm so tired of the "rules" laid out, and then you read a best selling author and they break every one!!! What gives? Double standards? And you know, older "classic" novels are full of everything we are now told not to do! I'm just gonna write the way I want to, and then let my editor handle the rules!!! Lol! (Loved using all those exclamation points)

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