However, the full stop is such a useful punctuation mark, in many cases indispensable, and the humble . will be around for a long time yet.Download Time Stopper 3.7 free latest version for windows. What I do see is that we’re using all forms of punctuation less and less, including the full stop, and I know this is all part of the natural evolution of language and language use. I still use full stops at the end of texts, but only because it seems normal and ‘correct’ to me. In the informal writing of texting and instant messaging, the full stop has fallen out of favour and it’s now normal to end a message with no punctuation, as if the conversation has not ended.Īccording to some linguists, ending a message with a full stop in this context can be interpreted as having some sort of significance other than simply indicating the end of a sentence – it means the conversation/discussion is over, or that the writer is angry or is being sarcastic. The full stop in text messaging and instant messaging In American English the preference is to use a full stop: UNICEF – United Nations Children’s Emergency Fundįor titles such as Mrs, Mr, Ms, and Dr, British/UK English favours writing these without a full stop. NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organization It used to be normal practice for some acronyms and initialisms to be written with full stops between the individual letters, but they’re now commonly written without punctuation. You can see and example of this in the heading examples directly below:įacebook. More than 1.2 million people use Facebook every… However, if you use a heading at the beginning of a paragraph as part of the text, this would normally close with a full stop (or a colon). Generally, a full stop is not used at the end of a title, heading or subheading. When you tweet someone directly, or reply to them using their Twitter handle, only the people you jointly follow will see that tweet in their feed.īut if you put a full stop before the symbol on your tweet, it’s potentially visible in the feeds of all your Twitter followers.įor I love the typewriter sound on ? #proofreading #writing If you’re a Twitter user, you might already be familiar with this social media tip. Who knew that writing the time could be so complicated? Whereas Australian English favours no full stops and lower case: But North American English favours no full stops and (small) capitals: In North American and Australian English there are no full stops. (post meridiem) are written in lower case with two full stops in British/UK English. If you're writing academic English, always follow your individual university's guidelines.Ī.m.
Many universities also frown upon using Latin abbreviations at all in academic English (except perhaps in footnotes), preferring instead the use of 'for example' instead of 'e.g.', etc. There are different recommendations for this use of full stops, and I've seen at least one university stating they're not necessary in Latin abbreviations. Latin abbreviations are very often written with them: For example:įull stops are also sometimes used to show abbreviated words or phrases. The full stop is used for emphasis or dramatic effect in informal writing such as text messages and social media updates, where a full stop between each word creates a pause and adds impact. Each full stop is placed exactly where it’s needed to create the rhythm, pace, and dramatic effect the writers wanted. “Into the face of the young man who sat on the terrace of the Hotel Magnifique at Cannes there had crept a look of furtive shame, the shifty, hangdog look which announces that an Englishman is about to talk French.” (The Luck of the Bodkins by PG Wodehouse.)īut the full stop is so much more than a simple mark at the end of a sentence.Įven in the two brief examples above we can see it's a key tool in the fiction writer’s toolbox.