Punctuation

The Interrobang’s Brief, Glorious Life

What do you get when you combine a question mark and an exclamation point? In the 1960s, frustrated ad man…

1 week ago

Your Guide to Spanish Punctuation (It’s Easy!)

What's with the upside-down question marks (¿) and exclamation points (¡) in Spanish? Far from being a random quirk, these…

2 weeks ago

The Pilcrow’s Tale: The Paragraph’s Lost Symbol (¶)

Ever seen this symbol: ¶? Once a vibrant and essential mark in medieval manuscripts, the pilcrow guided readers through dense…

2 weeks ago

The Birth of a Question Mark

The question mark seems like a fundamental part of writing, but it wasn't always there. This ubiquitous symbol of curiosity…

3 weeks ago

The Unspoken Rules of the Slash (/)

Beyond its formal roles in dates and poetry, the forward slash has become a digital powerhouse, shaping everything from online…

3 weeks ago

The Little Star: A History of the Asterisk (*)

Look at your keyboard. Tucked above the number 8 is a symbol we see every day, yet rarely think about:…

3 weeks ago

The Scribe’s Shortcut: A History of the Tilde (~)

That familiar squiggle, the tilde (~), is more than just a decoration on the Spanish 'ñ' or a casual emoji.…

3 weeks ago

The Upside-Down Question Mark’s Origin

Why is Spanish the only major language to use inverted question marks (¿) and exclamation marks (¡)? This unique punctuation…

3 weeks ago

The Comma That Rules a Nation

The U.S. Second Amendment's meaning hinges on a single, hotly debated comma. This grammatical ambiguity has fueled a centuries-long battle…

3 weeks ago

Punctuation Reimagined: Hervé Bazin’s Linguistic Innovations

Hervé Bazin (1911-1996), a famous French writer and essayist, is known not only for his literary contributions but also for…

2 years ago

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