It’s easy to misinterpret text messages. Often, it is not the words in the message that cause the recipient to misunderstand the meaning, but rather the punctuation.
Periods, specifically, can change the tone of a text, says Daniel Post Senning, co-author of “Emily Post’s Etiquette: The Centennial Edition.”
‘The difference between someone saying: ‘Funny!’ and ‘funny.’ “It’s interesting in how it can be interpreted,” Senning says.
When it comes to exclamation marks, you can’t overdo it.
Periods can add a tone of hostility to SMS. You don’t need to end “one- or two-word responses” with a period, Senning says.
If you want to get the message across that a problem is really serious, use a period, he says.
Another tool you may want to use sparingly is humour, as tone, something that cannot be conveyed through text, is crucial to interpreting it correctly.
“It’s really hard to write funny,” Senning says.
Before sending a joke via text message, Sinning suggests asking yourself, “Are these relationships established enough or do I need to know them well for them to work?”
However, exclamation marks can be used quite freely.
“It’s worth knowing that people use exclamation marks and emojis more freely in texts,” says Sinning. “It’s a way to show enthusiasm and not indicate an overly enthusiastic interpretation. It can be used to adjust the tone to the positive side.”
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