Originally Posted by dbd33

Surely you mean only that it is commonly used by Canadians.

An interrobang is a combination of exclamation and question marks (print slang, bang = !). It can't easily be rendered on a computer and so one, or many, of each character is, or are, used.

Originally Posted by Judy in Calgary

Shocking, positively shocking.

Seriously, benjy25, I have a different take on it. Having posted 6,481 messages (not counting this one) since February 2005, I am highly appreciative of questions that are posed coherently. That is, I'm grateful when I can understand what the poster has asked.

In my very early days on the forum, I cared about spelling. But correct spelling soon dropped down to item number 37 on my wish list.
x

Originally Posted by fledermaus

Thank you for interrbang info. I will try and use the word ASAP

re Oxford comma, at my Canadian College we had English grammar lessons and I was told that it was correct usage. I always believe teachers.

Originally Posted by Oakvillian

my take on the interrobang is that something can be either an exclamation or a question: it cannot be both at once.

I tend not to use the Oxford comma in lists of single items, but would always use one where you have more than one thing per item so have a smattering of "ands" in your list. For example, if I were preparing for a picnic I might buy bread, ham, cheese, tomatoes, pickle and peanut butter. With those ingredients, I might make sandwiches containing ham and pickle, cheese and peanut butter, and tomatoes and cucumber.

Originally Posted by Oakvillian

What I find more annoying than poor spelling is degree-educated pedants, who claim to dream about grammar, failing to demonstrate a basic grasp of punctuation. Twice in your post (and again in the title) you use the dreaded 'interrobang' and you compound your error through overuse of exclamatory punctuation. Every sentence except the last "rant over" uses some kind of exclamation point. As I'm sure your dreamscape will tell you, overuse of overexcited punctuation diminishes its impact to the point of meaninglessness.

Must try harder. I'd give you a B- for this effort.

Originally Posted by Oakvillian

my take on the interrobang is that something can be either an exclamation or a question: it cannot be both at once.

I tend not to use the Oxford comma in lists of single items, but would always use one where you have more than one thing per item so have a smattering of "ands" in your list. For example, if I were preparing for a picnic I might buy bread, ham, cheese, tomatoes, pickle and peanut butter. With those ingredients, I might make sandwiches containing ham and pickle, cheese and peanut butter, and tomatoes and cucumber.

Originally Posted by Novocastrian

As long as it's not pickle and peanut butter.

Originally Posted by Souvenir

Why not? That sounds quite nice.

Originally Posted by dbd33

Extraordinary sandwiches, what !?

Originally Posted by benjy25

'Emagration', 'immagration': WTF?!

You would have thought that after agonising over that very issue for any number of months or years people would at least be able to spell it correctly!

How do these people get in?!

Rant over.

P.S Before any wise-guy mentions the spelling of 'anybody' in the title, my wireless keyboard is screwed!

Originally Posted by Oakvillian

my take on the interrobang is that something can be either an exclamation or a question: it cannot be both at once.

I tend not to use the Oxford comma in lists of single items, but would always use one where you have more than one thing per item so have a smattering of "ands" in your list. For example, if I were preparing for a picnic I might buy bread, ham, cheese, tomatoes, pickle and peanut butter. With those ingredients, I might make sandwiches containing ham and pickle, cheese and peanut butter, and tomatoes and cucumber.

Originally Posted by The4BellsLondon

does that require an Interrowhatchamacallit??? !!?!?!?!
l

Originally Posted by The4BellsLondon

I have learned / learnt . . . . (ha ha ) something here. I would not have put the comma after the butter and before the and. But, I can see why it has been put there, in order to separate the different sandwhich types of sandwhich filling.

And now I am off to sort my desk prior to the office move. Just what I need 3 weeks before I leave the place and whilst I am trying to sort my own home move! aaaaagh - does that require an Interrowhatchamacallit??? !!?!?!?!:curse:
l

Originally Posted by dbd33

It may, but there's no reason to emote, we're British here.

Originally Posted by Souvenir

Ahem....