Y'all, it is so much fun! It describes my favorite ever state of being--panicked or questioning excitement. It's the kind of punctuation that accompanies a sentence that accompanies crazy eyes. It's the kind of punctuation that causes my voice to get really really high-pitched and squeaky when I get excited or indignant about ridiculous things, and then I turn into Alvin. And that's always funny.
Normally I'm pretty picky about my repetitive punctuation. I very much dislike when people constantly use like 6 exclamation marks when they're really excited. Just use more interesting words, people! Every now and then it's okay, but don't do it too much. And question marks are the same. However, I really love the interrobang substitute, or ?!. Maybe because I'm constantly pre-manic or bemused and therefore ready to interrobang away?
And yeah, it's not really real punctuation. I'm pretty sure it's not used anymore, and it certainly will never be in any books I read. In fact, I'm not sure I know why I'm even familiar with it. BUT IT'S AMAZING NONETHELESS. Seriously, everyone go out and interrobang all you can. This is your homework assignment.
And now, an example: I'm going to the gym for the third day in a row?! I'm running?!
2 comments:
"Interrobang"?! (Do you see what I did there?) So dirty! But I mean seriously, Stin, where did this come from?? I had no idea there was an actual name and visual conjunction for my favorite written state-of-being. So cool! The UNICORN of the literary world, and the best written approximation of CRAZY-EYES, indeed! This new information pleases me to no end. Things will never be the same!
Must admit, I also have a great fondness for the question mark that comes after a statement? I suppose its primary purpose is to indicate inflection, but it also alters the meaning of the statement and encourages reader participation and/or deeper contemplation of the statementsproposed. Is there such a name/alternate figure for this perhaps most auditory of punctuation marks, or am I and Dinosaur Comics' Ryan North doomed to be misunderstood as mere simpletons without a grasp of simple, correct punctuation? I challenge you to find an answer!
(Laura)
Haha, Interrobang?! Indeed. I would like a t-shirt that just says "Interrobang?!" I really have no idea where I first learnt it, but I think I'll start lobbying for its return to common writing. Here is some reading and a marvelous punctuation debate in the comments: http://fontfeed.com/archives/the-interrobang-and-national-punctuation-day/.
That is a good point about the question mark coming after a statement. I am also fond of that usage and will research its use further. Although, when you mention that its purpose could be to read the sentence as having a deeper, secondary meaning, that got me thinking about ANOTHER obscure punctuation mark I just learnt about.
The irony mark: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irony_mark. which looks like...dun dun dun...a backwards question mark!
There's all kinds of crazy punctuation out there! And I will utilize (haha, utilize) and become an expert in ALL OF THEM.
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