I've written on this site before about the evolving use of punctuation in texting, and that odd progression seems unavoidable. However, something I notice with alarming regularity is the use of exclamation points in students' academic essays. I know they are trying to emphasize a point or manufacture some semblance of "voice," but it's quite off-putting, and I'm always amazed previous teachers haven't weaned them off such a bad habit. I've always been of the F. Scott Fitzgerald mindset that using exclamations is "like laughing at your own joke." Or, take the advice of crime novelist Elmore Leonard: "limit yourself to just two or three exclamation points per 100,000 words of prose writing." That's about 400 pages, by the way. Instead, spend more time choosing the right words to elicit the tone you desire.
I bring this up because there was a quick piece on CBS Sunday Morning yesterday about those ghastly exclamation points that I thought was entertaining. It's always good to see grammar discussed on network television. Take a look...
I bring this up because there was a quick piece on CBS Sunday Morning yesterday about those ghastly exclamation points that I thought was entertaining. It's always good to see grammar discussed on network television. Take a look...