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hydrophilic attack · Aug 17, 2017

While I'm a bit of a stickler for proper semantics, on occasion, I have been known to be somewhat of a punctuation anarchist. But sometimes I actually want to make an effort and write properly, grammar, punctuation, and the rest. And when I do, there is one punctuation mark I make sure to give its proper due: the colon.

I mean, look at this beautiful thing:

Straightforward, yet elegant, its presence makes your text more assertive, and anything that follows it is given more prominence. Yet, I see so many people ignoring it. Truly a sad state of affairs.

Which punctuation mark do you feel is the most underrated, underutilized, and just plain-old rudely ignored?

SpaceWolf · Aug 17, 2017

ElectricBlanketFire · Aug 17, 2017

...underrated punctuation marks?

BosSin · Aug 17, 2017

Krakatoa · Aug 17, 2017

SpaceWolf said:
;

I agree the semi colon.

kami_sama · Aug 17, 2017

‽

ZOONAMI · Aug 17, 2017

Yeah people just use commas instead of semi colons or colons, which is annoying, but what can you do.

Platy · Aug 17, 2017

the question mark is the basis of every language and people never give the recognition it deserves

catapult37 · Aug 17, 2017

We use semi colons EVERY DAY.

no really i <3 semicolons

besada · Aug 17, 2017

The em-dash

Hannor Mir · Aug 17, 2017

Semicolon

SecretSphere · Aug 17, 2017

kami_sama said:
‽

This, the interrobang is useful and has a great name. Shame it is barely used.

NewFresh · Aug 17, 2017

Krakatoa said:
I agree the semi colon.

I also agree; however, people tend to not use it correctly.

crimzonflame · Aug 17, 2017

I dont know how to use a semicolon. I never really paid attention when they taught it in school

ZackieChan · Aug 17, 2017

Edit: I must be high or something.
Also, some of those seem to be bordering on being run-on sentences, and could use a semi-colon.

Semi-colon for lyfe.

muteki · Aug 17, 2017

MKIL65 · Aug 17, 2017

Platy said:
the question mark is the basis of every language and people never give the recognition it deserves

???

/s

Gentleman Jack · Aug 17, 2017

Going to make a thread someday about the rampant abuse of 'underrated' or 'overrated' as the hollowest of platforms from which to express an opinion, because it's often an unearned identification as an underdog or minority position in a fight that literally nobody else is fighting.

The colon is a standard punctuation mark that everyone learns to use at around age ten.

MudoSkills · Aug 17, 2017

I just like the name of the tilde ~

ClivePwned · Aug 17, 2017

oxford comma. Was taught not to use it in the early 80s in Australia. Now that I'm living in Europe, I'm using it again.

so good.

MudoSkills · Aug 17, 2017

crimzonflame said:
I dont know how to use a semicolon. I never really paid attention when they taught it in school

Between two separate but related clauses - your post actually being an example.

kapowza · Aug 17, 2017

tilde reprazent!

68029706-letter-tilde-from-3d-with-american-flag-texture-wrapped-volume-usa-font.jpg

Westbahnhof · Aug 17, 2017

The two symbols making up ^_^ are all I need to feel young again.

Edit: Even though I don't think those symbols are punctual marks.. Whoops

King Tubby · Aug 17, 2017

¿

It gives you extra time to consider a question, which naturally leads to better insight.

Quonny · Aug 17, 2017

SomedayTheFire · Aug 17, 2017

MudoSkills said:
I just like the name of the tilde ~

Came for tilde.

Wiped89 · Aug 17, 2017

crimzonflame said:
I dont know how to use a semicolon. I never really paid attention when they taught it in school

You should have been taught in school; the fact you weren't is concerning.

Therion · Aug 17, 2017

Ah, the old dotted-period, signifying a 50% longer pause at the end of a sentence. Never found much use for it myself.

Westbahnhof · Aug 17, 2017

Wiped89 said:
You should have been taught in school; the fact you weren't is concerning.

I; agree

TheGreatMightyPoo · Aug 17, 2017

Here's the most overrated one
#

Fuchsdh · Aug 17, 2017

I'm probably too much of a sucker for using semi colons and em-dashes, but I love them just the sameespecially the ability of the em dash to convey a pace to your writing that can sometimes be hard to express.

DiipuSurotu · Aug 17, 2017

I dunno about you guys but I use my colon everyday.

Piston Hyundai · Aug 17, 2017

so is the trick to not getting juniored making dumb yet ultimately harmless threads

it's the semicolon, by the way

daviyoung · Aug 17, 2017

ElectricBlanketFire said:
...underrated punctuation marks?

Obviously it's the ellipsis

TheSecondSpitter · Aug 17, 2017

Em-Dash Every thing else is a poor man's hyphen and all PhD candidates "must learn to use it properly" (according to my supervisors).
http://www.thepunctuationguide.com/em-dash.html

Type "ALT 0151" and you too can unlock this magical symbol

Westbahnhof · Aug 17, 2017

Piston Hyundai said:
so is the trick to not getting juniored making dumb yet ultimately harmless threads

it's the semicolon, by the way

You didn't; even use; it.

Hispanic! At the Disco · Aug 17, 2017

kami_sama said:
‽

Most Underrated Punctuation Mark Thread Presents: A Colon‽

DiipuSurotu · Aug 17, 2017

ClivePwned said:
oxford comma. Was taught not to use it in the early 80s in Australia. Now that I'm living in Europe, I'm using it again.

so good.

LordKasual · Aug 17, 2017

ClivePwned said:
oxford comma. Was taught not to use it in the early 80s in Australia. Now that I'm living in Europe, I'm using it again.

so good.

I was taught not to do that in school as well, but it's stupid, and I dont know why people don't just naturally do this.

Anyway, it's the semicolon; nobody ever uses it.

Westbahnhof · Aug 17, 2017

DiipuSurotu said:

Ugh, isn't the first one open to interpretation again?
It could be a racist president, plus one misogynist

MudoSkills · Aug 17, 2017

I also really like the word ampersand, and enjoy writing one when I need to: &

It dawns on me I lead a fairly joyless existence.

Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew · Aug 17, 2017

EmmanuelMunoz said:
I also agree; however, people tend to not use it correctly.

Look who's talking; you just used it incorrectly!

So did I?

True Savior · Aug 17, 2017

The dot-vertical bar-dot .|.
My own version .||.

Khrno · Aug 17, 2017

kami_sama said:
‽

Woah, that's questioning on a completely different level

RionaaM · Aug 17, 2017

In Spanish, it's probably the opening question and exclamation marks ("¡" and "¿"). Nobody ever uses them, unless they're writing a formal text. I'm no exception, and I only use them when I'm feeling pretentious enough or want to sound smarter than I am.

kami_sama said:
‽

What the...? Today I learned this is a thing. Plus the name is awesome: interrobang. How on earth did I miss it all this time‽

bggrthnjsus · Aug 17, 2017

you; are, all! wrong?

Nachos · Aug 17, 2017

Any of y'all saying the tilde better not be saying it because it's used so much in Japanese translations.

besada said:
The em-dash

I like the en-dash more, since, typographically, it can do everything the em-dash can and more. Still, more people need to know the difference between -, , and .

TheSecondSpitter said:
Em-Dash Every thing else is a poor man's hyphen and all PhD candidates "must learn to use it properly" (according to my supervisors).
http://www.thepunctuationguide.com/em-dash.html

Type "ALT 0151" and you too can unlock this magical symbol

Please. Alt + 0150 for life.

Jazzem · Aug 17, 2017

SpaceWolf said:
;

Yessss, I get a surprising amount of use out of this one

Wag · Aug 17, 2017

When/how do you use the fucking semi-colon?!?! I don't know!!!

Woorloog · Aug 17, 2017

besada said:
The em-dash —

I never understood why there is need for different dashes. The context makes it clear what it is, no? Per Wikipedia, seems to be dating from typewriter days, maybe.

As for em-dash being underrated... I doubt most people know how to make one (even if they're aware of its existence). I know i don't. Looking at my keyboard, minus and dash keys have different length lines, but both create same symbol.

EDIT Seems people talked about this already. The problem with alt-#### symbols is that they're slow to write, and on laptops, might not be possible at all (eg my old laptop didn't accept alt-Fn+numbers/numpad-equivalents).

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