Most people tend to write to others in the same way that you address them verbally, including slang. Most text messages don’t end with periods because when someone speaks verbally, their sentences don’t necessarily end with abrupt interruptions. Instead, they fall silent and allow other people to contribute their own opinions to the discussion. So if you end your sentences with periods while digitally texting, it will feel passively aggressive because it feels like you are ending the conversation and not allowing the other person to move on.
Personally, I prefer full sentences, grammar, and meaningful punctuation. To me, a poorly worded message full of spelling mistakes seems lazy / hasty, not friendly or humorous. With close friends, punctuation shouldn’t change the status of your friendship, and when texting a stranger, it’s better to be formal anyway! Granted, everyone has different preferences when it comes to writing texts, which is exactly why I think it’s nonsense to say that the whole generation finds the use of periods rude. It’s hardly new that it can be difficult to make out the tone of a text message. Almost everyone will understand that there are different preferences when it comes to writing, and that’s fine.
– Sophie, Bentonville West High School
The people who feel uncomfortable or even angry when you type like a normal person think far too much about the situation. Why would someone intentionally degrade their grammar? If it’s a casual environment, I should be able to speak freely, and if I want to finish my sentence in an hour, as I’ve been taught since first grade, why not? If you are the type of person who is so deeply into the degeneracy of the internet that you are alien to ending a sentence with a full stop, please take a moment to remind yourself that not everyone is into Communicates abbreviations, memes and inside jokes. I don’t always use perfect grammar when writing, but I never actively try to make it worse. If your group of friends is using grammar that is far from perfect when they copy, that’s perfectly fine; I’m not trying to control the way you speak. However, don’t pretend someone is wrong to use the simplest form of punctuation correctly.
– Aiden, JR Masterman in Philadelphia PA
Punctuation marks, text length and tonality
I agree that using periods in sentences can seem cold and aloof. Regular sentences that we pronounce out loud appear very distant when they are written with a full stop. For example, when you say, “I’m fine”. via text it usually means that you are upset about something, while saying “I’m fine” in most situations means that you are fine.
– Evan, Valley Stream North High School
From my point of view, SMS is an informal method of communication. That’s why I write as I speak. When I write to my friends, I don’t think about grammar or meaning. I even type out my laughter or frustration like UGH or HAHAHAHAH. I often use special capitalization or punctuation to represent the intonation or tone of my voice rather than being grammatically correct … Personally, I immediately feel more comfortable writing with a new friend when they are super casual.
Code switching for your audience
SMS culture, a whole new dialect with different unwritten rules. The copywriting is incredibly diverse, which means that everyone has their own style and way of interpreting tonality. I think most of us – teenagers – can agree that the last thing we care about when writing is punctuation and grammar. There are other generations who religiously use periods at the end of every text – yes, I’m talking to you Boomer. Personally, I think your texting style is valid as long as the other person understands your thoughts. If my grandma sends me a hilarious video and I answer “AHIEURIFHVJHCBKDWIJEH 💀” or “I’m LEVITATING”, her head would be confused; Hence, I need to have a predefined text style based on who I am texting to. On the other hand, if I answered “😂” to one of my friends, they would think I was being held captive. That’s the versatility of texting and the reason it’s so fun, popular, and fun.
– Ulices, Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School
When I write, I switch. Depending on who I’m writing to. My grandmother would get “hey grandma, i was wondering can you take me to the store” verses from my brother, he gets “ayo come take me to the store rq”. I start all of my messages with an uppercase letter, but grammatically I tend to let go. Your, you are, they are, they are usually considered the same word when texting.
– JM, WI
