Exclamation marks (!) on a serious conversation

[Junkhead]

What do you think when people use exclamation marks to express anger or like they're yelling in a serious conversation. Do you take them seriously?

If SF has taught me something, it's that when you're expressing anger or yelling, you should use ALLCAPS. I find it silly when some users use the exclamation marks to denote anger, yelling, etc.

As far as I've seen, I've noticed people that don't have much experience on the Internet do that...like a friend, my dad and some users here.

[DragonLord]

I agree, people sometimes don't get the message when you don't type all caps. It's quite frustrating sometimes...

[Rehab]

It's the easiest way to be sure they know, but it depends on your choice of words, ultimately. It's possible to express fury with just regular type, but I think it's more likely to take longer.

[Lux Aeterna]

Depends on who I'm talking to. Generally I use ALLCAPS to denote that I'm joking, rather than angry--or if I'm mockingly copying someone, I tend to use ALLCAPS, as well.

On messengers, I tend not to use periods anymore (it fell out of habit), so someone can generally tell if I'm serious if they start seeing those.

I can only think of one circumstance where I use exclamation marks when I'm upset. But that only happens on messengers.

Now that I think of it, the one or two times I've gone off the rails in private messengers, I used both ALLCAPS and exclamation marks.

Edited May 19, 2012 by Lux Aeterna

[Celice]

I use exclamation points when I'm talking through text with someone I don't think is a text-linguist. Sort of to replace the tone an emoticon would set--because period marks are just so slab-like without them.

See.

I think my exclamation points are an imitation of raocow's inner being.

[nflchamp]

Exclamation points don't denote anger. Neither does typing in nothing but caps. Write proper English with strong words that convey discontent - you've done a better job of showing your anger than by using exclamation points or all caps.

Now exclamation points and caps can help make your point, usually by highlighting more important points of your text. They just don't mean anything on their own; not even on the internet.

[Flying Shogi]

I don't know if others are like this as well, but exclamation marks tend to make the conversation less serious for me. Just using proper English and strong words as nflchamp said is a better way to convey one's feelings.

[Junkhead]

I know, I see it often.

[Tangerine]

What do you think when people use exclamation marks to express anger or like they're yelling in a serious conversation. Do you take them seriously?

If SF has taught me something, it's that when you're expressing anger or yelling, you should use ALLCAPS. I find it silly when some users use the exclamation marks to denote anger, yelling, etc.

As far as I've seen, I've noticed people that don't have much experience on the Internet do that...like a friend, my dad and some users here.

I use caps to emphasize things. People who use them to express anger are...different, to say the least.

I dunno about exclamation marks, I've never thought much about it. I use them jokingly, and almost never use them in serious conversation. Same with emotes.

[Klokinator]

I haven't used Allcaps or more than a single exclamation mark in probably... 4 years? I find bolded text, underlined text, and large text to be far more efficient at conveying anger in a somewhat mature manner than allcaps and EXCLAMATION MARKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ever will.

[Esau of Isaac]

Exclamation points work great! It shows you're saying it with vigor! BUT BOLDED LETTERS ARE USED TO SHOW YOU'RE SPEAKING WITH MORE VOLUME, EVEN IF IN A LEVEL VOICE LIKE SO. And bolding specific areas can show enunciation, or a strongly-worded sentence. SO THEN COMBINE THAT SHIT, MOTHERFUCKER!

At the end of the day it depends on the person. There's no rule, I suppose, as to what is the most effective in getting a point across.

[I.M. Gei]

IMHO excessive use of exclamation marks or going ?! turns your post into a parody; it's pretty easy to laugh at people who do that.

[1st Mate Bob]

An "!" to me has always been something that marks an exclamation or an imperative. Thinks like "Whoa!" or "Hey! Stop that!"

Showing anger, though, is a bit strange to me. When the sentence is longer and depending on the context, an exclamation point typically adds some sort of astonishment to the sentence!

There are other ways to show dissatisfaction that work a lot better. Cussing typically gets the point across, but if you're excessively doing it then you're bound to not be taken seriously anymore either.

[Ein]

IMHO excessive use of exclamation marks or going ?! turns your post into a parody; it's pretty easy to laugh at people who do that.

Is that why you always go to the TVTropes and Something Awful forums? That's kind of sad and creepy to be honest.

Any who.

Talking with text only sucks balls.

It'd be better if we could actually SEE and HEAR each other because then we'd be able to actually have decent to meaningful conversations far more often whether it's just a simple conversation over what we were doing today to something of great concern for example.

So yeah.

[Original Alear]

I express my anger with letters of the alphabet. The most angry letter for me is probably i.

[Melonhead]

I express my anger with letters of the alphabet. The most angry letter for me is probably i.

don't forget q.

I use allcaps sometimes, but not really esclamation marks. If it's gonna be a rant or something, bold is a must.

Oh, and larger letters too. Something along the lines of:

WAIT, Why the HECK Should I be taking orders from YOU?!

I just find a combination is the most effective.

[Phoenix]

It depends on the person who's using them and what they're saying. I personally never use them unless I'm trying to imply 'loudness' and/or excitement, and I usually use all caps for emphasis(because SOME PEOPLE need it ... and I'm spending too much time on IRC apparently).

I really wish the 1/! key wasn't so close to the tilde key, though.

[Ciarre]

I think that depends.

For example, "What the hell." That sounds more angry than, "What the hell!" It kind of looks like you're expressing just exasperation instead of anger/irritation, like the former.

[Original Alear]

I think that depends.

For example, "What the hell." That sounds more angry than, "What the hell!" It kind of looks like you're expressing just exasperation instead of anger/irritation, like the former.

To me, "What the hell." sounds like a rather flat confusion/disgust/disappointment. "What the hell!" is more like anger.

To each their own.

[Lord Raven]

I'd say it depends on context, sometimes it sounds happy and sometimes it sounds angry.

[Nanami Touko]

I'd have to say it depends on the person. I know people who use exclamations when they're upset, and some who use them when they're just being silly. It's way too varying, person to person, to be definite.

[Thor Odinson]

I don't have an issue with exclamation marks used sparingly, since they exist to emphasize or to indicate a type of emotion. Spamming them to no end like at the end of every sentence or using several consecutively is annoying, though.