One, two or even three exclamation marks are often added, especially in e-mail, to convey emphasis to phrases such as Thanks!, or No problem!. My problem is that in British English, you could also use the exclamation mark to convey sarcasm such that Thanks! could just as well be interpreted as Thanks a bunch, why on earth did you have to do/say that!. Is this just a simple regional difference? I make a point of suggesting workmates use the exclamation mark with great caution! (emphasis intended)
Learn English – Use of ! to convey sarcasm vs. emphasis
british-englishpunctuationwriting
Related Topic
- Learn English – Punctuation to denote sarcasm
- Learn English – If a sentence ends with a place name that ends with an exclamation mark, what punctuation should follow
- Learn English – Comma before adverbial participial phrases (reduced adverbial phrases) and participial prepositions
- Learn English – Origin of “dripping with [sarcasm]”
- Learn English – Are guillemets used at all in English
Best Answer
Given how bad direct text is at transmitting nuances of expression such as sarcasm, I would definitely have to chalk this up as a regional thing. Certainly in most of the online communities I have participated in, the expression of sarcasm uses a variety of fairly clear indicators: