MM: Exclamation

This one is very simple, short and to the point.

Exclamation points (aka Exclamation marks).

Don’t use them any more than you have to.

Period.

And if you DO have to use them?

Only use one. Never multiples.

Too many exclamation points make you sound like an overly-excited teenager, jabbering on the telephone to her BFF. (Like, OMG!) Now, obviously, there are times when you need to use them. Nobody calmly says, “Stop,” to a toddler running toward a busy road. If there’s a fire, you shout, “Fire!” I mean, the punctuation exists for a reason.

The problem is that, as writing gets more casual and more conversational . . . as we write more quick, little e-mails to friends, or comments on blogs . . . it’s easy to overuse the Exclamation Point. Sometimes it’s warranted, of course. If your favorite blogger just got a book deal, you tell them, “Congratulations!” “Happy birthday” just doesn’t sound the same without the “!” at the end. For that matter, when you see your best friend for the first time in ages, you’re going to be speaking in exclamations (“It’s so great to see you! You look fantastic! I love your haircut!” Your kids are getting so big!”)

The point is that you don’t want all of your daily correspondence to have that breathless, OMG! kind of feeling. Or, well, maybe you do. If you, you know, want to sound like a giggling teenager.