Spike_x1
Get off my bandwagon!
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I still don't believe a word of that. How would you indicate that you are using an exclamation mark unless you're writing it out? Would you vocalize the fact that you're using the punctuation; "I like muffins, Exclamation mark."Since you asked Spike x1, I know this is just a little conversation you and I are having, I got that definition of the word exclamation from Websters expanded dictionary for home, school or office.
Yes, you would use exclamation points anytime emotion, shouting, passion are being expressed, because it is the appropriate punctuation. But for clarification purposes, especially when writing or in this case typing on the internet, it is common knowledge and internet etiquette that capitals are used to indicate shouting.
The use of exclamations on the internet doesn't automatically indicate shouting, it could be confusing, as a result conversations like this very one, but capitals leave absolutely no doubt.
I have never seen a book or other form of writing outside of the Internet to use capital letters to indicate that shouting is taking place. In fact, it seems to violate the rules that govern capitalization in English grammar (to be used at the start of a sentence, name, place, etc). Yes, capitals do give the impression of shouting on the internet (at the cost of bad punctuation), but so do exclamation points, and I haven't seen any definition to the contrary (I have the Gage Dictionary, dictionary.com, and the Oxford Concise Dictionary of Literary Terms here, and none of their definitions for "capitalization" or "exclamation" are in line with what you're saying). The point is that, no matter what form of writing you're using, exclamation marks do indicate that you're yelling, and not that the statement is meant to be sincere or whatever. Just use a period if you want sincerity to come across.