ooh, a cliff-hanger

Mousekie · Post by **Mousekie** » Wed Dec 05, 2001 1:40 am

now see, to me, ?!?!, !?!?, ??!! and !!?? are all different things, presenting different levels of curiousity/confusion and surprise/alarm.
thus:
?!?! is a mixture of questioning and surprise, with curiosity predominating while
!?!? shows predominant alarm, mixed with confusion.
??!! (one of _my_ favorites) indicates questioning, with some concern about the implications of the question and/or answer.
!!?? indicates astonishment, with confusion or curiosity about the source of same.and it works _fine_ in lower case (honestly, why does everyone have to _shout_ all the time?)------------------
capitalization is the opiate of the masses

TeenIdol · Post by **TeenIdol** » Wed Dec 05, 2001 11:10 am

That's really all I had to say about that.But since you're here...DOES IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE IF YOU PUT THE QUESTION MARK FIRST IN THIS SERIES OF PUNCTUATION?!?!DOES IT SOUND DIFFERENT WITH THE EXCLAMATION MARK FIRST!?!?!CAN I DO THIS??!!HOWS ABOUT THIS?!@&^%@!*really doesn't work so well in lowercase, does it?!?!?
------------------
you certainly may visit <A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/masterofallhesurveys" TARGET=_blank>james & kim's fun page</A>
(no toons, other stuff to waste time)[This message should have been edited by TeenIdol.][This message has been edited by TeenIdol (edited 12-06-2001).]

BoxJam · Post by **BoxJam** » Wed Dec 05, 2001 11:15 am

Since an <a href=http://www.interbang.net/>interbang</a> has the exclamation point
inside the question mark, and the question
mark is open on the left, closed on the right,
I always put the exclamation point left of the
question mark.Never mind that the very page I linked to, in
an example, has the excamation point right of
the question mark.------------------
<A HREF="http://www.boxjamsdoodle.com/" TARGET=_blank>BoxJam's Doodle</A> - the ballast
that keeps <A HREF="http://www.altbrand.com/" TARGET=_blank>Alt Brand</A> down.[This message has been edited by BoxJam (edited 12-05-2001).]

Somebody Strange · Post by **Somebody Strange** » Thu Dec 06, 2001 5:27 am

Hmm. Interesting. I've actually never seen (or at least consciously noticed) either ??!! or !!??, but I'm a frequent user of:?!
!?
?!?
and
!?!I seldom go to four marks (as in ?!?! or !?!?), just finding it to be slight overkill. But I'd always felt that the four that I use have specific meanings.?! -- primarily a question, but some alarm
!? -- an emphatic statement, but one that I cannot verify with total certainty
?!? -- quite confused, somewhat alarmed
!?! -- quite alarmed, somewhat confusedI know those are minor differences. I also tend to utilize "proper" punctuation first, followed by its counterpart... so:Your sister told me to eat a bug!?!
--Your sister told me to eat a bug, and I'm amazed at this, and somewhat confused.
Your sister told me to eat a bug?!?
--You just told me that your sister told me to eat a bug, and I'm trying to confirm information that has seriously bewildered me.But then again, I've already been in an argument this year with someone about the specific degrees of intensity for "good" vs "pretty good" and whether a smile or a grin is the bigger one that shows teeth.--Strange/Dave------------------
<A HREF="http://viciouslies.keenspace.com" TARGET=_blank>Vicious Lies.</A> You can't handle the truth.
<A HREF="http://divergence.keenspace.com" TARGET=_blank>Divergence.</A> Apparently, neither can I.
Neurotic: sane, but unhappy about it.

Lee Herold · Post by **Lee Herold** » Thu Dec 06, 2001 9:07 am

Hey, Dave. My sister told you to eat a bug.------------------
---Lee
<A HREF="http://www.choppingblock.org" TARGET=_blank>Chopping Block</A>
<A HREF="http://www.altbrand.com" TARGET=_blank>Alternative Brand Studios</A>

Somebody Strange · Post by **Somebody Strange** » Thu Dec 06, 2001 10:29 am

Your sister told me to eat a bug%

Brad J. Guigar · Post by **Brad J. Guigar** » Fri Dec 07, 2001 6:51 am

How cool to find out that I'm not the only one who spends time thinking about this stuff!Here's how I perceive it. There are only two versions:?! -- A question asked with extra gusto!? -- An exclamation that happens to be a question (rhetorical questions, etc.)As far as the extra ?s and !s, they just serve to increase the intensity of the first two Indicator Punctuation Marks. The actual marks and the order in which they are tacked onto the end is inconsequential.At some point, though, they reach the Point of Decreasing Returns at which they actually *decrease* they intensity of implied emotion. That point is somewhere between five total punctuation marks and seven.Further testing is needed.------------------
~~Brad
<A HREF="http://www.greystoneinn.net" TARGET=_blank>Greystone Inn</A>[This message has been edited by Brad J. Guigar (edited 12-07-2001).]

Mousekie · Post by **Mousekie** » Fri Dec 07, 2001 8:22 am

i personally would denote 'question asked with extra gusto' as '??'(aka interogissimo) - but to each his own idiom (why, only today i encountered someone - apparently gainfully employed in a responsible (non-marketing) position - who employed 'dialog' as a verb - i mention this only to demonstrate my own open-mindedness). these may be 'minor differences' - but the ability to express such tiny shades of meaning is what makes english so wonderful.

Somebody Strange · Post by **Somebody Strange** » Fri Dec 07, 2001 9:07 am

Further testing is needed?!?!?!?::gasps, spews cola out nose, does flip-take::

Broberds · Post by **Broberds** » Fri Dec 07, 2001 9:18 am

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Brad J. Guigar:
How cool to find out that I'm not the only one who spends time thinking about this stuff!Here's how I perceive it. There are only two versions:?! -- A question asked with extra gusto!? -- An exclamation that happens to be a question (rhetorical questions, etc.)<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I feel pretty much the same way, and I've been known to spend a long time dithering over which is best suited to a particular application.
OK, it's only a couple of seconds. But it seems like a long time.
------------------
Bob Roberds
<A HREF="http://www.soaprope.com" TARGET=_blank>Soap on a Rope</A>

Brad J. Guigar · Post by **Brad J. Guigar** » Sat Dec 08, 2001 5:18 am

That's a really good point. Although I think ?? is best suited for a question asked in astonishment.The difference:?! (gusto): You asked the question because you really want to know the answer.?? (astonishment): You asked the question and you can't believe you're even asking the question!Your right. English *must* be unique in this respect. You don't see the French sitting around in sidewalk cafes, holding their cigarettes backwards, discussing these issues. <IMG SRC="http://www.keenspace.com/forums/smile.gif">------------------
~~Brad
<A HREF="http://www.greystoneinn.net" TARGET=_blank>Greystone Inn</A>

Mousekie · Post by **Mousekie** » Mon Dec 10, 2001 4:31 am

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Brad J. Guigar:
You don't see the French sitting around in sidewalk cafes, holding their cigarettes backwards, discussing these issues. <IMG SRC="http://www.keenspace.com/forums/smile.gif">
[/B]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>um....well.....i can't honestly say i've seen _americans_ doing this either....(holding their cigarettes _backwards_??! [she says, neatly combining two suggested usages into one, and providing an example in one smooth motion] - that must make smoking them _really_ painful.)

Mousekie · Post by **Mousekie** » Tue Dec 11, 2001 2:51 am

BoxJam · Post by **BoxJam** » Tue Dec 11, 2001 6:54 am

B<sp>.

Mousekie · Post by **Mousekie** » Wed Dec 12, 2001 1:13 am

si, ich hab' es gesehen, mais no se' so much how to talk good aus autres.(and i thought perhaps you were just trying to do a thorough job of attracting my attention)

BoxJam · Post by **BoxJam** » Wed Dec 12, 2001 7:10 am

You didn't notice my clever upside down question mark and exclamation points to begin my foreign sentence!?------------------
<A HREF="http://www.boxjamsdoodle.com/" TARGET=_blank>BoxJam's Doodle</A> - the ballast
that keeps <A HREF="http://www.altbrand.com/" TARGET=_blank>Alt Brand</A> down.

PDI · Post by **PDI** » Thu Dec 20, 2001 8:00 am

We call it interrobang ... either ?!?!?! or !?!?!? -- the overkill version is then an interogangbang 1?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
--then there's the segregated (or "gay" if I'm feeling flippant) interrobang ??!! or interrogangbang: ?????????????!!!!!!!!!!!*smokes his pipe backward, in an attempt to out-French everyone*------------------
Scott Maddix
<A HREF="http://pdi.keenspace.com" TARGET=_blank>Psychic Dyslexia Institute</A>
<A HREF="http://spoon.keenspace.com" TARGET=_blank>Fire on the Mountain</A>