Writers Write is a resource for writers. In this post, we look at 10 obscure punctuation marks and when they can be used.
10 Obscure Punctuation Marks
1.The Question Comma and the Exclamation Comma – For when you want to ask questions and/or express excitement in the middle of a sentence.
2. The Irony Mark – Introduced in the 19th century by Alcanter de Brahm, the Irony Mark is exactly what it sounds like — an indicator that the sentence should be understood on “another level”. And the mark generally precedes the sentence, so you know exactly what you’re getting into when you start reading.
3. The Acclamation Point – Another of Bazin’s creations, he described this one as: ‘the stylistic representation of those two little flags that float above the tour bus when a president comes to town.’
4. The Doubt Point – Another mark proposed by Bazin, this snazzy number imbues your sentence with a note of scepticism — no eyebrow acrobatics required.
5. The Authority Point – For when you want your reader to know that you know what you’re talking about.
6. The SarcMark – This squiggle, invented by Paul Sak, isn’t the first proposed punctuation mark to denote sarcasm, but it’s definitely the weirdest to look at.
7. The ElRey Mark – This little two-headed exclamation point should be used when you’re cheery, but not over-the-top excited.
8. The Asterism – The Asterism is used for minor breaks in text, like a sub-chapter.
9. The Love Point – This mark, proposed by French author Hervé Bazin in his 1966 essay Plumons l’Oiseau, is obviously meant to come after statements of affection.
10. The Interrobang – It has all the drama and excitement of “?!” but without having to type two characters.
10 Interesting Punctuation Marks from Flavorwire
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If you enjoyed this article, please read these posts:
- Punctuation For Beginners: What Is Punctuation?
- 33 Perfectly Odd Oxymorons
- How to Deflate those Inflated Phrases
- All About Prefixes
- Between You And Me
- Commonly confused abbreviations: etc., i.e., e.g.
[Top Tip: If you need practical help with your grammar, buy The Complete Grammar Workbook.]