Definition and Examples of the Interrobang

The interrobang (in-TER-eh-bang) is a  nonstandard mark of punctuation in the form of a question mark superimposed on an exclamation point (sometimes appearing as ?!), used to end a rhetorical question or a simultaneous question and exclamation. A blend  of the words  interrogation  and  bang, interrobang is an old printer’s term for the exclamation mark. Though editor Martin K. Speckter is generally credited with the marks invention in 1962 (its name was suggested by a reader of Speckters magazine,  Type Talks), a version of the interrobang had already been used for decades in the speech balloons of comic strips. Mac McGrew has characterized the interrobang as the first new punctuation mark to have been introduced in three hundred years and the only one invented by an American (American Metal Typefaces of the Twentieth Century, 1993). However, the mark is rarely used, and it hardly ever appears in formal writing. Examples and Observations James Harbeck Whats up with English punctuations?! Usually we have a glut, but for certain situations, we dont have a mark?! Say what?! –Where Is the Interrobang?!  Songs of Love and Grammar. Lulu, 2012 Martin K. Speckter To this day, we don’t know exactly what Columbus had in mind when he shouted ‘Land, ho.’ Most historians insist that he cried, ‘Land, ho!’ but there are others who claim it was really ‘Land ho?’ Chances are the intrepid Discoverer was both excited and doubtful, but neither at that time did we, nor even yet, do we, have a point which clearly combines and melds interrogation with exclamation. –Making a New Point, or How About That . . .. Type Talks, March-April, 1962 New York Times From 1956 to 1969, Mr. Speckter was president of Martin K. Speckter Associates Inc... In 1962, Mr. Speckter developed the interrobang, since recognized by several dictionaries and some type and typewriter companies. The mark is said to be the typographical equivalent of a grimace or a shrug of the shoulders. It applied solely to the rhetorical, Mr. Speckter said, when a writer wished to convey incredulity. For example, the interrobang would be used in an expression like this: You call that a hat?! – Martin Spekter obituary: Martin K. Speckter, 73, Creator of Interrobang. The New York Times, February 16, 1988 Keith Houston [F]everish interest in Martin Speckters invention followed the release of Remingtons interrobang key [on typewriters in the 1960s]... Unfortunately, the interrobangs status as a cause cà ©là ¨bre during the late 1960s and early 1970s proved ephemeral, and its popularity reached a plateau even as Remington Rands interrobang key let the average typist make use of it. A creation of the advertising world—and considered by some an unnecessary one at that—the interrobang faced resistance in literary and academic spheres and was beset by more prosaic technical difficulties at almost every turn... [A] combination of factors--the six-year delay in getting the new character from composition to printing; the sheer inertia of punctuation practice; doubt as to the grammatical need for a new symbol—sent the interrobang to an early grave. By the early 1970s it had largely fallen out of use, and the chance for its widespread acceptance seemed to have been missed. Shady Characters: The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols, and Other Typographical Marks. Norton, 2013 Liz Stinson In  many ways one could say that the interrobang has now been superseded by the emoticon, which makes similar use of glyph combinations in order to add emphasis and feeling to the sentence that precedes it. –The Secret History of the Hashtag, Slash, and Interrobang. Wired, October 21, 2015 William Zinnser According to its sponsors, the [interrobang] is getting support from typographers who recommend it for its ability to express the incredibility of modern life. Well, I certainly agree that modern life is incredible. Most of us, in fact, now go through our days in a state of Really?!—if not Are you kidding?! Still, I seriously doubt if we are going to solve the problem by creating new punctuation marks. That only clutters up a language more... Besides, let in one mans interrobang and you let in every nut who is trying to express the incredibility of modern life. –For Clear Expression: Try Words. Life, November 15, 1968

The Top Secret Details Into Good Essay Topics for Grade 9 That People Do Not Know About

The Top Secret Details Into Good Essay Topics for Grade 9 That People Do Not Know About New Step by Step Roadmap for Good Essay Topics for Grade 9 Developing a criterion for the evaluation essay topic in addition to the effective judgment from the face of the author is the fundamental requirement of an evaluation essay. Hence, it's advised that you select any one of the preceding illustration essay example then it is sure to allow you to fetch superior grades for yourself. Doing these exercises will definitely assist you to acquire clear ideas on the subject. It's the vision of an international topic of ethical grade. When it has to do with writing an argumentative essay, the main point to do is to select a topic and an argument that you could really get behind. By focusing on teachers, you are going to produce the topic realistic and related to your students. You must be affirmative once you state the argument topic. If you would like to come in really strong, you might go for a very controversial topic, like abortion. The third and fourth paragraph should give the seriousness of the issue and the repercussions if the issue isn't solved. For cases otherwise, here's a small guideline on how best to go ahead with a topic. Therefore, the above ten points is a 1 stop solution for the selection problem of the ideal essay writing company online, if you are going to follow them one by one you would surely wind up with a very best essay in the long run. Writing classification article subjects stands out as the starting point of any document creating because of the simple fact the subject can learn what the paper will most likely be concerning, what are the key problems are, and so on. Hence, if you believe banking essays are boring just like your company studies are, then you're probably wrong here. Banking essays can be real fun to play with if you've got a comprehensive understanding about the discipline and have keen interest in writing, so should you think that you cannot write decent banking essays than again you're erroneous. Inside my experience, descriptive essays are only difficult in regards to deciding just what things to write about. Illustration essays may also be very tricky whenever there is a demand for an example because sometimes student forget the idea of the example and compose some contradictory statements in the long run. If you're writing an argumentative essay it's important that you write on a topic that you have knowledge about and you believe you are able to win over the audience with your arguments. In a situation one time a professor asks to compose a superior article, a couple students get really frustrated because of how it's tricky to select one of the most effective classification essay topics for article operates. To the contrary, it can likewise be quite interesting to work on only when you have good topic in your hands as it's regarded as the backbone of an evaluative essay. Well, the response isn't too obvious here. The Fundamentals of Good Essay Topics for Grade 9 Revealed There's, naturally, a limit on the range of pages even our very best writers can produce with a pressing deadline, but generally, we can satisfy all the clients seeking urgent assistance. Before you order supplies, consider the size of the last document and the number of copies you intend to distribute. Reques t updates on the paper regularly so you can monitor it. For another thing, ensure you buy recycled papers for your office usage. Rather than searching for shortcuts like assigning the task to internet essay writing companies, students shall use tools and apps that can be found on the internet. Most likely, the students are really going to enter a play, and it gives everyone an opportunity to show off their distinctive talent. If any students cannot think of a skill to share, give them the choice of explaining the best way to do something relatively difficult they have learned to do in class, like an enrichment activity or a bonus issue. Not all students find the opportunity to leave a feedback once they receive their papers, but there'll be some of them who will be prepared to share their experience. The Lost Secret of Good Essay Topics for Grade 9 An elongated essay on applied chemistry rides on the chemical content. Writing about nuclear weapons is always a superb idea. Another matter is the effect of fossil fuels on our environment. In a prolonged essay on Applied Chemistry students need to present their understanding.

A Day Without a Phone Free Essays

Over this past weekend, when given the challenge to shut off my phone for 24 hours, I didn’t believe I could make it. My phone is probably involved in almost every activity I do throughout the day. Weather its taking notes down for my classes or tweeting my latest pointless thought. We will write a custom essay sample on A Day Without a Phone or any similar topic only for you Order Now It guides me when its dark, tells me when its going to rain, and even notifies me when I get poked on Facebook. I can honestly admit to being one of those people who are completely dependent on their phones. Knowing this about myself I had to factor in three important variables; what day, what am I going to do, of course how will I notify people of my whereabouts! Being the weekend and all, its kind of hard not being on the phone making plans for the night. How will I go about organizing a little get together with the close friends? So I thought to myself, Friday and Saturday are too important to be out of the loop. I finally made my decision that Sunday is perfect! I mean, who cares about Sunday? It’s a day of relaxation so I thought it would be perfect! Now I had to plan, what am I going to do. Earlier this weekend a friend of mine who was actually visiting from Florida had called me wanting to meet and catch up. Right before turning my phone off late Saturday I gave him a call explaining the situation, he laughed and told me to come pick him up from his aunts at 12 AM and to just simply get out of my car, walk to the front door, and knock. (Obviously texting a simple â€Å"here. † Would have been simpler). Besides that I thought I would just wing it and see where the day takes me. Now I just had one last issue, I got to hide it! Knowing myself pretty well, I knew it was a bad idea to have the phone around me, if I planned to actually commit to this. I decided to simply leave it in my mother’s possession for safekeeping. With these three issues resolved I’m now ready to, â€Å"slide to power off†. So Sunday begins. I woke up at around 11AM (kind of late due to the fact I couldn’t set the alarm on my phone). I got out of bed rushed out to the kitchen and looked at the oven for the time! I quickly proceeded to shower and get ready. At 12AM I arrived at my friends aunts house to pick him up, knocked on the door and he came right out (no big deal after all). We then went to lunch and spent a few hours talking and playing some call of duty on my Xbox. Without noticing, it was almost 6 at night! Wow! I was impressed. By this time I probably would have had to plug my phone in for the second charge of the day! Now it was time to go to the gym, I usually use my phone to play music but I had to bust out my little mp3 from back in the day. At the gym I’m rarely on the phone so this hour and a half went by swiftly has well. When I returned home I showered and started preparations to begin on my homework. It being 8PM now I thought the worse was over! So I read my 20 pages of Feed and did some of my history assignment and probably finished at around 9:30PM. At this point of the day I didn’t even remember I didn’t have my phone glued to my side. I realize now that having all those cool features and apps on my phone only makes me waist my time and procrastinate on the important things I should be doing. The last few hours till midnight I simply watched a few episodes of The Walking Dead to pass the time. It really wasn’t much of a challenge after all; it was actually very relieving not being involved in any social media and texting throughout the day. Perhaps I will make this an event for every Sunday! How to cite A Day Without a Phone, Essay examples