E is for Ellipsis…and Exclamation!
Relax…I’m not here today to lecture you on the proper use of
punctuation. God forbid! What I am going to discuss is how I love to
abuse these particular two, especially when I leave comments.
For some reason I feel like everything I say in a comment is
hyper-important, I mean everything, so naturally each sentence qualifies for an
exclamation mark. It’s so bad that I
have to force myself to read back though my comment and choose which sentences to
downgrade to a simple period. Sometimes
I’ll go so over-board that I’ll even double up!! It’s like an addiction. The blogs I’ve followed for a long time have
probably gotten use to my idiosyncrasies and simply ignore my punctuation altogether. After all, we all take liberties with our
comments…right?!
I’m much more likely to misuse the ellipsis in a blog post,
like this one, but I’ve been known to sprinkle a few in my comments as well. Somewhere I’ve gotten it in my head that (…)
should represent a pause in delivery, you know, for dramatic effect. So what if that’s not its proper use, it just
seems more logical that way. Much more
so than the (--).
What it boils down to is that for MY comments and MY blog…I
utilize MY rules! I understand that
bothers some purist out there, and for that I apologize, but much like I’d
apologize for wearing a red tie with a brown shirt. That’s just how I roll. And yes, I realize
what kind of impression I might be sending to potential agents who might be
checking me out after receiving one of my query letters. I’ll take that risk because this blog is my
home, and I wear my well-worn t-shirt and raggedy shorts at home.
It's all good! :) I overuse the :)
ReplyDeleteGreat E post...
I once apologised to a friend for always using :) and exclamations marks - she said that it doesnt bother her when it comes from me, apparently in person I am pretty much the same!! :)
ReplyDeletemy two fave punctuation marks!
ReplyDeletei know i overdo... so what?!
DL, this is so funny. I use both all the time as well as well as too many Capitals!! SEE WHAT I MEAN?!? Extra question marks too. I think I'm trying to get some excitement into the written word. I don't do that when I poetry or prose...or do I? I'd better...check!!
ReplyDelete"Multiple exclamation marks, the sure sign of a diseased mind."
ReplyDeleteI believe Pratchett makes the point quite succinctly on this one.
love this! will definitely be back to read more. (and I also love the little dot dot dots, can't get enough of them!)
ReplyDeletebest,
MOV
http://mothersofbrothersblog.blogspot.com
Haha, but I love the ellipsis and exclamation point. I abuse them ALL THE TIME. In fact, the only punctuation I love more is... the interrobang?!
ReplyDeleteAlas, you don't really get to use the interrobang all that often. I guess I don't express shocked disbelief all that often, haha.
I guilty! of both! I freely sprinkle those little dots all over the place...it's like taking a breath.
ReplyDeleteI am guilty of overuse of both! See what I mean...?
ReplyDeleteYou don't need to be sorry for either. I'm the EXACT same way. I even catch myself using !!!! over and over again. And I also ... way too much. I do it in my writing, my emails, and blog. It better then typing "wait for it" every fifty seconds. Tho sometimes I love the words "wait for it"!...!...!...!
ReplyDeleteA red tie with a brown shirt isn't bad.
ReplyDeleteI'm addicted to exclamations and smilies! :)
ReplyDeleteUniversal Gibberish
LOve this post!! Thank heavens for blogs...ellipses and exclamation marks have found a new home.
ReplyDeleteGrammar and punctuation do not count on the internet. Don't you know that by now!!!
ReplyDeleteNot to worry. I don't judge you by your exclamation points!
Heather
I think we can do anything we want to with punctuation on our blogs! Blogging is Conversational. I also recognize Old Kitty by her exclamation points!!!!
ReplyDeleteMy disabled daughter uses them a lot too!!!!!
You overdo this?? I don't think so!
Ann Best, Author of In the Mirror & Other Memoirs
LOL! I seriously just laughed through this whole post. 1. Because you are just funny. 2. It's true 3. I do the exact same thing!!! Like if I just put a period, I think people won't know that I was happy and wagging my tail. :-) I gave you a shout out in my post today just for this exact reason. You rock!
ReplyDeleteI am the exclamation point assassin when grading my students work, but as soon as I enter blog land, I just can't help myself. Not really sure why...
ReplyDeleteThe ellipsis is my favorite punctuation mark so you know...
ReplyDeleteI only overuse exclamation points in blogs and comments.
Me too! Ellipsis, exclamation marks and smileys. Can't write anywhere these days without a smiley :-) Problem is, when I have to do formal writing I feel like I'm missing out something. LOL
ReplyDelete*high five* I love ellipses and exclamation points!! Which I'm sure you've noticed over the years. LOL. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so bad at abusing them too. Especially when I do comments. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI'm totally guilty of overusing both also. I have to reread everything I write just to check for these.
ReplyDeleteI am guilty too of overusing too and you should tell them or whomever said something to you
ReplyDeletethat they should turn off the comment feature on their blog. :)
Love it. A blog should speak for a person's individuality. I'm all for writing outside the box.
ReplyDeleteThis past year, I have gotten really into exclamation points and elipses... I guess I figure I can use them on my blog whenever and wherever I want!
ReplyDeleteI am right there with you. If you haven't noticed... I use them a lot to. Oh, and I love exclamation points!!! He he!
ReplyDeleteI'm a comma junky.
ReplyDeleteI didn't even know ... was called an ellipsis. I always just called it dot, dot, dot. I feel knowledgeable now. :)
Hi DL ... it's my favourite form of punctuation - I probably get carried away using them ... oh well as long as no-one rejects me ... I'll feel ok!
ReplyDeleteI try and write properly at times!
Cheers - and thanks for calling in on my blog - good to see you there .. cheers Hilary
DL, I love to use ellipses...in fact, in one of my online writers groups I was known as Prairie Queen of the Ellipsis. (Prairie because I live in Wyoming). As for exclamation points...I've learned to edit. At first draft I add three, then I come to my senses and take aways all but one.
ReplyDeleteOh! Yeah! I... Use them too!!
ReplyDeleteNo worries, dude. Your blog, your rules, your prerogative, your policies. It's all good.
But, ummm... What's wrong with a red tie on a brown shirt? Seems fine to me...
The fun thing about language is that it's always evolving. Shout it out with an exclamation, if you feel the urge. Use the(...) if you want your thoughts to trail on. I do...
ReplyDeletePlay off the Page
Love it! And I so often wonder how I could write (...) and now I know! Love your blog!
ReplyDeleteKelly Stilwell
www.kellystilwell.com
Hear Hear!!
ReplyDeleteI am a big fan of the exclamtion point, but it never occured to me that I feel that everything I say in super important. Which of course it is! Thanks for the great post.
CHEERS!
CW3
readysetyoubet.blogspot.com
Well...you know...we all have our flaws!!
ReplyDeleteI amuse myself. Like Lynn, I add smiles quite a bit.
:)
Good for you. Proper punctuation and grammar are overrated. I'd like to add that so is proper spelling!
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Tracy Jo's nice comment about you on her post today, I realized I hadn't stopped by your blog yet during the A-Z. Ergo, time to rectify. I love ellipses, and probably overuse them, but generally keep exclamation points to a minimum. The way I see it, using too many exclamation points (like after every other sentence) renders them meaningless, and makes the writing look like an entry in a teenage girl's diary. (Except for the lack of little hearts drawn over every letter i ...)
ReplyDeleteI think we might be related ;D
ReplyDeleteI have issues, too with both and commas!!!
That brown shirt and red tie has been nagging me all day, what does it remind me of...thats it! A hot dog! :0
ReplyDeleteHey.... I like exclamation marks and ellipses too!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteLoved all your posts....will do one comment...my middle name is Leigh (female version of Lee)....grandfather was named Lee, mom too........and I hated my name in school....I grew up in south florida....with country club friends named Nancy Savage, Muffie, Buffie, Midge, and Susan Sabra....and those were just their first and middle names...and there I was....plain ole Karen Lee...yep...I feel your pain.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I'm not alone with abusing - ahem - gratuitously using the ! and ...
ReplyDeleteI love them. They are my punctuation buds and even when I don't use them the right way, which is more often than not, they understand me. So you wear that pair of shorts that closely resembles swiss cheese and that shirt that's more holes than cloth. Cause this blog IS your home! And you can use ! and ... as you see fit.
He he! I also have to go back through my comments and edit out exclamations. In fact I spend more time on deciding which are the best ones to keep and which must go for decency's sake, than on the original thing I said! It's a relief to now I'm not the only one.
ReplyDeleteI love ellipsis. I even love the WORD ellipsis. I abuse italics on my blog and am also fond of the dash. So yeah...I can relate.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes have to edit my comment because I use too many !!!!!!s. It's either that or :-), which always includes the - even though most people don't!
ReplyDeleteHehe! This made me laugh! I'm a total offender of the ellipsis. I can't help it...
ReplyDeleteYou make a good point--to a large degree, exclamation marks are replacing periods as the standard sentence ender on the web.
ReplyDeleteHow, then, do you emphasize a sentence?
Understatement, I think. Sometimes you have to whisper to be heard.
E/Emberglow
Ahh...a kindred spirit! I overuse both as well, and I'm ok with that in casual forums. I like your analogy of your blog being your home.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog, and for the follow.
Christine@
Coffee in the Garden
In the Care of the Great Physician
Ahh...a kindred spirit! I overuse both as well, and I'm ok with that in casual forums. I like your analogy of your blog being your home.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog, and for the follow.
Christine@
Coffee in the Garden
In the Care of the Great Physician
I love ellipses and exclamation points!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I try to use them all the time...!!!!! Even in places where they should not be!!!! See what I mean?! Proper punctuation...smunctuation!!
ReplyDeleteI have a shirt just like that. Ha!
I love ellipses... and !!!! -- and the dash :)
ReplyDeletenice write... thanks for stopping by and following.. :D
ReplyDeleteI would never in a million years do this...ever!!! :)
ReplyDeleteI thought they were full of it back then, but now I realize my parents were right about how many unnecessary exclamation points my books had when I was a lot younger. Every other line does not need to be screamed, yelled, shouted, or cried. I was very annoyed when I began revisiting the old Five Little Peppers series a few years ago and saw how many exclamation points littered the first book. At least there aren't quite so many in the other books I've read so far.
ReplyDeleteFrom the comments it seems I'm one of a very large club! ...!! er, you know what I mean...
ReplyDeleteLOL! I have a few things I overuse too...
ReplyDeleteOh wow, I am SO bad about this!
ReplyDeleteI tend to abuse these with equal abandon. :) Especially the ellipses and my editor is always calling me on it.
ReplyDeleteI popped over from Doris' blog . . . and was held by this post! I, too, use way too many exclamation points and ellipses. I can't help it. I also have to go back, in my comments and my posts, and remove them. But, I'm trying really, really hard not to overuse them in this comment!!! Oops! I forgot for a moment what I was doing.
ReplyDeleteI approve of your rules :-) I'm way more casual with blog comments than I am with any other writing.
ReplyDeleteHm... No comment! :-))
ReplyDeleteDoris
I do love ellipsis, more than dashes. Since you are a mystery writer, I have a great blog to recommend. www.murderiseverywhere.com Seven published mystery writers write blogs on this site. Love your breezy attitude.
ReplyDeleteI have the exact same problems! <---See? I was worried that I was looking like a flake for my overuse of exclamation points in responding to comments and such, but then I saw a book on online etiquette, and it said usage of exclamation points is friendly in this day and age, so...I'm just friendly!
ReplyDeleteShannon at The Warrior Muse, co-host of the 2012 #atozchallenge! Twitter: @AprilA2Z
This is... quite simply a FANTASTIC post!!! You and I are brothers from another grammar teacher! I'm more of a dash abuser - I use them constantly to blunt my seemingly neverending run-on sentences - because there's always a little more goodness I can pack into that one sentence. I do go for my triple dots too, and I thrown in parenthetical punctuation (!) so I'm basically an English grammar telethon waiting to happen.
ReplyDelete