OFF. Exclamation mark not being liked by English-speaking writers

[Cucumber555]

Кто-нить знает, почему англоязычные не любят восклицательный знак?

Если сравнить сравнимые фразы на русском и английском, то видно, что там, где русский писатель с удовольствием поставит восклицательный знак, то англоязычный поставит только точку.

С чем это связано? Может быть Шекспир не писал предложения с восклицательными знаками?

Кто знает, кто знает.... Вот загадка...

[translator911]

Зато  англоязычные любят восклицательный знак в технической документации, например, в разделах по технике безопасности. У нас в документации восклицания не приняты.

[Lonely Knight]

Без восклицательного действительно не то.

Начало письма: "Доброе утро." С точкой звучит звучит как "У нас все хреново, и скоро так будет и у вас" ))

Как со смайликами:

- Hi )))

- Hi

- [No smiley? F*ck you, too.]

[интроьверт]

топикстартер немного не аптудейт

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/06/exclamation-point-inflation/563774/

[johnstephenson]

The exclamation mark (UK)/exclamation point (US) is used in English, but it tends to be used less than in some other languages, including French and Russian.

Exclamation marks are typically used in English:

* when you're shouting (eg, "Help!");

* when you're giving orders emphatically (eg, "Get out of my house!");

* when you're being enthusiastic (eg, "Happy Birthday!");

* when you're expressing shock/surprise (eg, "Gosh!");

* in certain other situations.

In French/Russian, an exclamation mark is commonly used after verbs in the imperative, but in English it may or may not be used. There are no rules saying that one must be used after an imperative, so some writers will add one, whilst others won't, depending on the context and on how emphatically the order is said. An exclamation mark is much more likely to be used after an imperative if the order is shouted or said emphatically:

* "Go away" (if said quietly)

* "Go away!" (if shouted or said emphatically)

[johnstephenson]

One notable exception to the above rules is Donald Trump. If you look at his tweets, for example –

http://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump

– you'll find an exclamation mark at the end of almost every paragraph he writes. So he'll write, for example,

* "I'm going to help the Ohio flood victims!"

* "There are too many unemployed people in America!"

* "We need to impose sanctions on Iran!"

The use of an exclamation mark in the above examples (all invented by me, but typical) is definitely not standard practice in either US or UK English, though, and no-one seems to know why he puts them there. Trump's written and spoken English is far from perfect, so don't copy him!

[mikhailS]

There could be an early morning tweet storm the moment that Donald Trump wakes up and you don't know what he's gonna say and then you've got the White House trying to make sense of it afterwards..   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC9NTafoZiA

PS Poor bastard: he can't even handle the 'noise' :-(

[mikhailS]

And then you've got the BBC trying to put a spin on it (the "tweet storm") afterwards.  :-)

I can't stand that guy: he is so full of himself (as are most of colleagues, for that matter )  

Remember when Trump reportedly ''insulted'' the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan? And the ensuing uproar and the moral outrage! (pardon my exclamation mark! :-)) 

They made it sound as if he did it for no reason whatsoever, he just felt like it!)))

 Because that's what he does (being the cad that he is) -- insults people just for the heck of it, for shits and giggles, right?..  But they rather conveniently forgot to mention that just a couple of days before the Mayor had compared Trump to a Nazi dictator (or smth to that effect, anyway).  

They used to be a paragon of unbiased journalism, no more.

[mikhailS]

Аскер, сорри за офф в оффе) (just couldn't help it)

[johnstephenson]

Trump's a strange character in many ways, but I'll try to avoid his personality/politics, as the website rules don't allow it. Suffice to say that his use of exclamation marks in his tweets is very over-the-top.

Unfortunately if you use exclamation marks all the time rather than selectively, it gives the impression that you're trying to make everything you say appear very important and/or very dramatic – so they quickly lose their effect and, instead, the reader starts to think that you're just slightly 'strange'. He's not a good (oral or written) communicator.

[интроьверт]

good or bad, he is just slightly ahead of the curve - see the link at 24.06.2019 17:33:54

[mikhailS]

He's not a good (oral or written) communicator.

And yet somehow he managed to talk (using his 'poor' communication skills, mind you!) the majority of the country into electing him as President! 

But that doesn't necessarily make him a good communicator, now does it?..)

[mikhailS]

Perhaps, you should watch his rallies, John -- you might change your mind about his communication skills)

[mikhailS]

24.06.2019 23:56:15 

*as are most of his colleagues

[johnstephenson]

интроьверт: I read your link the first time round. It's true that social media messages in English (and, no doubt, in Russian) contain more exclamation marks than standard written English does – but that's probably because they tend to be written in a relaxed, chatty (spoken) style which has simply been transferred to writing.

However, that alone doesn't explain Trump's (mis)use of exclamation marks. He puts them in the wrong places in his tweets: not after selected sentences that he wants to emphasise, but nearly always at the end of each paragraph, whether an exclamation mark is appropriate there or not.

As an illustration, in this paragraph (invented by me):

"My mother died on Thursday. She was 87 and unfortunately had a heart attack. We're burying her next week!"

the exclamation mark at the end looks bizarre, because it gives the impression that I'm either joking about the burial, or am getting excited about it. Anyone reading it will simply think "Why is he joking/getting excited about his mother's funeral?" And yet that's the sort of thing Trump does in his tweets all the time.

[johnstephenson]

[pborysich]

** *as are most of  his  colleagues  24.06.2019 23:56:15 ***

no need to point that out, works either way imho )

[mikhailS]

Well, maybe it does, but I just like being on the safe side, you know ;-) 

[mikhailS]

Also, (while I am at it) the "I can't stand that guy'' bit refers to the guy from the video and not president Trump. (I don't want the wrong people to get any wrong ideas)  :-)