In advertising and marketing writing, exclamation marks usually demonstrate a failed attempt to express emotion. Better to let the words and ideas do the work and end with a period. However, in texting and email, these marks can express enthusiasm, appreciation, outrage, or friendliness. Commas are often omitted:

Hi Miller! Thanks Joan! What?! Hello!

Back to marketing and formal writing: Using an exclamation mark is sort of like putting a Rolls Royce hood ornament on an economy car. You're not going to fool anybody. You might as well construct a metal exclamation mark and weld it to the hood of the car. The effect will be about the same.

Using a lot of exclamation marks further weakens the intended effect. The marks become redundantly and abundantly uninspiring, essentially canceling each other out. I've seen writing that has exclamation marks after every sentence! How insane is that! Tell me!

Exclamation marks do have value in other applications. They are good for using in front of folder names because the folder moves toward the top of your list. Exclamation marks also communicate the mathematical concept of factorial: a number multiplied by all numbers below it in value. Thus 5! = 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1, or 120. Yes. Pretty exciting.

As with hyphens and commas, sometimes less is more. If you have strong emotions about this subject, please get in touch with me.

© Miller McMillan