Capital Question Mark

Written language is really pretty amazing when you think about it. Different arrangements of line segments, twists, and dots help direct us to form sounds with our mouth that can be understood as speech.

Punctuation is really interesting as well. It follows the same rules visually as the letters we use to form words it makes no sound of it's own (unless you are Victor Borge). In conjunction with grammar, punctuation helps us organize a series of lines and dots we call words into coherent thoughts. Rather than writing that a phrase needs to be said loudly or excitedly we simply put a line above a dot (!) or signify a question with a squiggle above a dot (?).

The rules of punctuation often perplexed me in my English classes. I was taught that the proper way to end a sentence was with one punctuation mark (except for when using quotation marks or parentheses). I dared not ask how then are we to ask a question loudly or with conviction.

As our language becomes increasingly less (interesting oxymoron) vocal I have noticed an increased use of what I call the "capital question mark " (a question mark and an exclamation point adjacent to each other).

The capital question mark can be used in one of two ways; with the exclamation point followed by the question mark or vice versa. I will demonstrate each use with one word "really" If a person was surprised or excited their question would be punctuated as follows "Really?!" Whereas if someone was frustrated it appear as "Really!?" If you find yourself wondering if this entry was really worth the effort I would answer "Wasn't it?!"