my favourite punctuation mark

[lobelia321]

Inspired by isiscolo's post , alerting us to National Punctuation Day, I am going to ask everyone:

What is your favourite punctuation mark?

Mine is the lowly and lovely semi-colon. (As if you didn't know!) I like it because it combines two punctuation marks in one (the fullstop so manfully topping that moaning and bending comma). I also feel a need to stick up for it as it is a mark much maligned by the How-To-Write mavens for whom the semi-colon is almost as bad as the adverb. And for some reason, in my head, the semi-colon is the punctuational equivalent of that loveliest and maligniest of parts of speech, the adverb. Also, my students tend to pepper their tapewormesque sentences with commas when they should be using semi-colons. The semi-colon can often be replaced by a fullstop (or, as the Americans like to say, a period which reminds me more of my monthly menses than anything grammarian), especially when used carelessly because love of the semi-colon can get out-of-hand.


;




So, what is your favourite punctuation mark?

Comments

[yellow-oranges.livejournal.com]

Once I get going on a semi-colon roll, there's no stopping me!! I'm also partial to the pipe: | but not in a narrative way, usually in naming conventions.

Also fond of @ which is good since now it's everywhere!!

(Looks like the exclamation point should be in there as well.)

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

Wow, the pipe. I didn't even know that thing was called a pipe! And I'm not even exactly sure what it is for. What is it for??

Sweet | dreams. ;-)

[brightest-blue.livejournal.com]

Semi-colon; no question. I probably overuse it.

[andraste-oz.livejournal.com]

I too am a semi-colon fan. I don't see it as lowly, and I don't know why it has such a bad reputation; it seems such an elegant way of joining two phrases which are separate but too connected to be stand-alone sentences.

[pecos.livejournal.com]

I'm an exclaimation point girl! Couldn't write the Dog Stories without them, (as well as Caps!) Treats!jar. Toys! Doorbell! Evil Cats! Dog Clearly understand Caps and Exclaimation Points!


Treats!

[msilverstar]

I am deeply fond of ellipses and em-dashes, because I like thoughts that trail off and sentances that go off on tangents -- as long as they come back!