Alice in Wonderland
If I were setting up grammar and punctuation in the world, I would have variations of question marks and exclamation marks. I feel a need for some smaller-sized punctuation.
Here’s what I mean: Although the particular syntax of a sentence may have the structure of a question, it is not a real question. The only example I can think of this minute is, when said in a certain tone of voice, “Now, how do you like them apples?” I am not really asking a question, and it’s really not an exclamation either. It’s more subtle. Why couldn’t we have some new punctuation, something less wholehearted than the usual question and exclamation marks?
Little question marks and exclamation points would help, do you agree? We could keep upper case exclamation and question marks as they are now, but we’d also add an option for lower case, sort of punctuation at half-mast.
Do you see where I am coming from?
!While I am on the subject of punctuation, I think it is very smart of the Spanish language to put a question or exclamation mark at the beginning of a question or exclamation! ?Doesn’t that make sense? ?And why hasn’t English adopted that?
I would also let go of grammar rules sooner. Properly, we’re supposed to say: “Everyone will take off his hat.”
But we like to say, “Everyone will take off their hats.” I know the word everyone is singular so we should say, “Everyone will take off his or her hat,” but who likes to say it that way? [The previous clause would have a short question mark.] Do you see what I mean?
I am sure that in our lifetime, the precision of proper usage will fall away just the same way as now we don’t have to differentiate the word shall from the word will any longer – “I shall write a blog entry,” as opposed to, “I will write a blog entry no matter what.”
Certainly now, we never have to say, “I shan’t do a blog entry,” as once was considered correct and proper in contrast to, “I won’t do a blog entry,” We don’t have to use the word shall anymore at all.
I’m with Lewis Carroll, author of Alice in Wonderland, who wrote:
“When I use a word….it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less.” (Attributed to Humpty Dumpty. )
While I’m quoting from Lewis Carroll, here are a few more quotes [the word quotations is more proper] of his I just love:
“The rule is, jam tomorrow and jam yesterday - but never jam today.”
“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.”
“But I don’t want to go among mad people,” said Alice. “Oh, you can’t help that,” said the cat. “We’re all mad here.”
Lewis Carroll, English Logician, Mathematician, Photographer and Novelist, 1832-1898
Godwriting is a blog by Gloria Wendroff and is about Gloria's daily life as the Godwriter of the Heavenletters project that is having a profound effect on the lives of people around the world.
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