4th October 2026
Did you know the early Bible was written without punctuation?
Perhaps they were being ‘whatever’?
But of course not, though that would have been amusing. It’s actually because punctuation at that time did not exist as we know it.
My punctuation is awful. So much so my other half does not bother to hide his grimace when perusing my writings. Despite years of schooling (and experience as a faux writer), I struggle to appreciate the use of a semi colon over a comma over the colon. So you would have thought the debates around the virtues of such annotation to be music to my ears…but no. It horrifies me.
The notion to remove punctuation and soften on other mechanics such as spelling, syntax (the order of words) in the written or printed prose has an ambiguous logic. It is suggested such relaxation would ensure the writer has to be crystal clear in their message, spark the creativity currently hampered by rules and foster a reduction in elitism between those who can wield the instruments and the cannot’s. Text messages have forged ahead in this battle with a vanished full stop increasingly normalised. I appreciate punctuated composition facilitates clarity in the significance of a piece without sacrificing style and the careful placing of these marks, aids readability and context. In essence, without visual cues, punctuation in the written word can determine intent, semantics; decode the subtlety human nature embodies
Perhaps the rules need not be as strict as we have today. But in my old fashioned purview, a basic structure enhances the written word.
As I’ve mulled, it has become starkly obvious I have a favourite in the punctuation tool set. Full stops are the equivalent of the ram-rod mother, commas the unsure feckless boyfriend, colons remind me of the boring aunt trapped in her own world and question marks suggest an irritating toddler perpetuating the conversation. An ellipsis (….), true, I absolutely adore and overuse. But the explanation mark! It is the fabulous friend proclaiming ‘Look at me, aren’t I important and exciting. Come over here and engage’. Clearly explanation marks are a reflection of the ego of its handler….
The enigmatic surfacing of the explanation mark is in stark contrast to its brazenness. One analysis suggested it emerged in the 14th Century from the Latin word ‘io’, which implied joy. This word was eventually squashed into a line above a circle and then to ! and took on a wider breadth circling joy and wonder. Others speculate it was the invention of an Italian poet in the 1360’s to represent ‘admiration and wonder’. Who knows, possibly the same event? Regardless of its birth, over time this divisive character has swung in and out of favour.
Typewriters did not incorporate an explanation mark key until the 1970’s even though the machine was invented in the 1800’s. Terry Pratchett through various characters in his Discworld stories stated ‘Multiple exclamation marks are a sure sign of a diseased mind’ to ‘a sure sign of someone who wears his underpants on his head’. Last I checked, mine are where they should be…. In 2015, Julian Barnes proposed the exclamation mark had become ‘the slag of punctuation, slumming around with emoticons and OMGs’.
But despite this belittling, I’ve see the exclamation mark as quietly powerful. It amplifies meaning, giving words depth when a little is vital to convey nuance. Strangely it can add sincerity – representing genuine excitement and pleasure although I also accept its presence through overuse can trivialise, provoke fatigue and appear shouty.
It’s fascinating the exclamation mark has wider applications. Did you know there is a town in the UK called Westward Ho! And no the exclamation mark placement is correct. We use them liberally in comics and as warnings on road signs and in computer errors. In chess annotation an exclamation mark represents a good move with two a ‘brilliant’ move. In the field of mathematics, an exclamation mark denotes a factorial which is the whole number multiplied by all the whole numbers below it. for example 5! is 5*4*3*2*1. I digress but on the podcast ‘More or less’, Tim Harford the host suggested every pack of shuffled cards is a unique combination which has never existed before. How did he justify? Because there are 52 cards in a deck the number of possible order of cards is 52! which is a huge 68 digit long number of possibilities. That deserves an explanation mark!
So in summary, it is worth paying attention to this little fella. There is more to the eye than the slim scratches of pen would suggest. The essence of an explanation mark incorporates much of the contradictions that is life – energy, fatigue, sincerity, suspicion, excitement, danger, repetition and originality. But before you get too carried away in your enthusiasm, keep an eye on how you wear your underpants….
