Say adieu to 'whom', check your 'LOL' usage and beware the single 'ha', says BuzzFeed's chief copy editor.
Emmy Favilla Photo: supplied
Emmy Favilla wrote the first style guide for the news and entertainment site and the new book called A World Without Whom: The Essential Guide to Language in the BuzzFeed Age.
'LOL' has now been strewn about so casually that its literal meaning (Laughing Out Loud) has been lost, Favilla says.
The acronym is used – and comes across – more as punctuation now, Favilla says.
"If you're actually genuinely amused by something you're probably better off typing out 'ha ha ha'"
If you're going that way, beware the single 'ha' which can come across inexpressive and even disingenuous, she says.
The very worst, though, is 'ha, full stop'.
"If you're out to make friends avoid 'ha' or 'ha.'
The full stop – still the most important punctuation mark we have – seems to have become optional at the end of one-line sentences, Favilla says.
"When you're sending text messages, when you're sending one line direct messages, when you're tweeting … there really isn't a need for end punctuation."
A full stop at the end of a text message can come across as overly formal or even with an undertone of aggression, she says.
"You get a text message from someone – 'I'll see you seven.'
You're like 'Well, is this person gonna murder me? What's going on?"
As the full stop loses power, the wavy-line symbol known as the tilde ( ~ ) has jumped into a much-needed punctuation job that has been vacant a while.
The tilde is found on most English keyboards but until recently was primarily used over an 'n' in Spanish.
Now you can impart a sense of levity, irony or sarcasm to a word or phrase by putting a tilde on either side of it, Favilla says.
"You want to let someone know that you're not super serious about your use of it. The tilde performs that function ... We had been trying so hard to find a punctuation mark to do this."
By contrast, the word 'whom' is near retirement, she says.
"It's so antiquated that it's going the way of 'shan't' ... We don't use it in casual conversation. From my observations, you have to put a little more effort into throwing in the 'whom' – 'Is it really the objective case? Am I using it correctly?'
The neutral 'Hi' is Familia's favourite way to start an email.
"I'm a big fan of 'Hi [insert name] [insert comma']"
'Hey' runs the risk of being a little too casual, she says.
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