Hi Keith!

>I just finished reading a thread title that uses the apparently new English language standard of '???' to indicate the author's sincere desire to pose a question.

You mean, kinda like those people who ask if they can ask a question?

>I suppose the triplicate punctuation is supposed to add a sense of urgency to the thread.

In a marital environment, the triple question mark would be used for transcribing the following conversation:

Wife: Hi honey, how was your day?
Husband: Not too bad. How about yours?
Wife: I went to the mall, and saw that the mink coat was reduced from $14500 to $14250, so I bought it and saved a ton of money!
Husband: WHAT???
Wife to paramedics: And then he got very pale and collapsed.

>However, I read a thread last week where one of the posters used 'IMO' so much that I thought I was going to punch the wall before I was finished reading. It was even used twice in one sentence!

IMO, IMO is better the IMHO. I have yet to find anyone that uses IMHO who IMO would be what I call "humble". But that's just my opinion.

>Hint: We already know it is your opinion because you wrote it. Unless you are a recognized expert or are actively representing a third party, there is no reason to use 'IMO'.

Is that fact or yourMO?

>Disclaimer
>
>A great thing about this board is the flag next to our name. I realize that many of us are from a different country where English is not the primary language and improper English from the international members is perfectly acceptable. My beef is with the American members who should already know how to communicate properly.

I'm venezuelan, but you could probably have told that from my picture and accent, and understand very well what you're saying. It does make me wonder when I read or speak with "natives" and my language skills seem to run circles around theirs (I'd like to get a penny for every time "your" is confused with "you're").

>Maybe I wrote this because I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.

Nah, I'm still in bed and feel exactly the same way.

>But whether it is written or not, I still cringe when I see a row of question marks. It makes my teeth hurt.

If it's not written, how can you tell a question was trailed by three question marks???

>Am I alone in feeling this way?

I doubt it.

Alex

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