Welcome to the Grammar Minute, where we’re saving the English language sixty seconds at a time! I’m Lauren Smyth, and I’ve got a war on punctuation marks. Not all punctuation marks, mind you. I’m a big fan of commas and periods and question marks. Colons are on thin ice and should be used sparingly. In previous episodes, I’ve argued that semicolons shouldn’t be used at all. I’m back with another controversial opinion; exclamation marks also shouldn’t be used.
This is a bit of a generalization. Of course, in informal writing, you can do pretty much whatever you want. You don’t have to remove the exclamation mark from your keyboard. But when you’re telling a story or attempting to be persuasive, you should try to structure your sentences so that the emphasis is clear without using an exclamation mark.
There are several reasons for this. Firstly, an exclamation mark often conveys a sense of extreme urgency or anger, which may not be what you’re trying to convey. Secondly, it usually violates the “show, don’t tell rule” of storytelling. An exclamation mark is a serious tell. It doesn’t let the reader imagine what’s going on—it forces them to conclude that someone is experiencing a strong emotion. And thirdly, we all know that one person who sends emails where every sentence ends in an exclamation mark. The tone is meant to be friendly, but it often comes off as overly caffeinated and possibly manic. Don’t let that be you. Use exclamation marks sparingly—if at all.
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