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least appreciated punctuation mark?


jsharr

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It's gotta be the semicolon: no one knows when we're supposed to use it so we use a comma or a colon.

Wikipedia: "A semicolon can be used between two closely related independent clauses, provided they are not already joined by a coordinating conjunction."

We can use a semicolon to separate two equal or nearly-equal different ideas in the same sentence; people may be impressed if we do so.

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2 minutes ago, MickinMD said:

It's gotta be the semicolon: no one knows when we're supposed to use it so we use a comma or a colon.

Wikipedia: "A semicolon can be used between two closely related independent clauses, provided they are not already joined by a coordinating conjunction."

We can use a semicolon to separate two equal or nearly-equal different ideas in the same sentence; people may be impressed if we do so.

And Wikipedia couldn't even be bothered to use a semicolon in the definition of the semicolon!  That's the ultimate proof of its non-appreciation!

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19 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

That's the most wonderfully named, so I really appreciate it!

Clearly, though, as a word, it is unappreciated!  Even as the official roadsue version - interrobang - is disrespected.

image.png.fb0cdaa3a4f3fd3e5581da074ae67585.png  image.png.88447a483c0587ba1d5771f82b30df2a.png

I've also seen it spelled interibang. It's so underappreciated that no one can decide how to spell it!

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6 minutes ago, UglyBob said:

I've also seen it spelled interibang. It's so underappreciated that no one can decide how to spell it!

Yeah - my wiki link showed you were correct (just in the "also known" secondary sense).  I really only know it as a bang! as also noted in the wiki explanation. Why do you think spellcheck hates it?

The interrobang (/ɪnˈtɛrəbæŋ/),[1] also known as the interabang[2] (‽) (often represented by ?!, !?, or ?!?), is a punctuation mark used in various written languages and intended to combine the functions of the question mark, or interrogative point,[3] and the exclamation mark, or exclamation point, known in the jargon of printers and programmers as a "bang". The glyph is a superimposition of these two marks.[4] The interrobang was first proposed in 1962 by Martin K. Speckter.[5]

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7 hours ago, UglyBob said:

You want under appreciated? What about the interabang? Do any of you know about the interabang? When you want to ask a question and you're really excited or surprised, it's the perfect tool to express the emotion, but does anyone care!?! No!

Image result for interabang

Right?!

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I'm going with the lowly comma. Can change entire meanings merely by deciding whether or not to appear. For example: "Eats shoots and leaves." v. "Eats, shoots, and leaves." And yes, the Oxford Comma is non-negotiable. :P

And the crowd pleaser: "Let's eat Grandma." v. "Lets eat, Grandma."

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15 hours ago, Ltdskilz said:

I'm going with the lowly comma. Can change entire meanings merely by deciding whether or not to appear. For example: "Eats shoots and leaves." v. "Eats, shoots, and leaves." And yes, the Oxford Comma is non-negotiable. :P

And the crowd pleaser: "Let's eat Grandma." v. "Lets eat, Grandma."

Those are entertaining examples, but comma usage is a struggle. The underlying issues are wordiness and lack of control over ideas. These show up as misused commas. 

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1 hour ago, roadsue said:

The underlying issues are wordiness and lack of control over ideas.

Th single largest reason that I have almost exhausted my lifetime allotment of commas.  Fortunately for me, I have an employee that excels at chopping on my text in drafts.

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On 11/20/2019 at 9:14 AM, UglyBob said:

You want under appreciated? What about the interabang? Do any of you know about the interabang? When you want to ask a question and you're really excited or surprised, it's the perfect tool to express the emotion, but does anyone care!?! No!

Image result for interabang

I knew an author who had an interabang in his name. Amazon wouldn't recognize it and that pissed him off. They converted it to !? 

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