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October 7th, 2008

Inside Voices, Please: Avoid ALL-CAPS

A friend of mine has a cell phone that only sends all-caps text messages. More than once, she’s terrified me with a message. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” she’ll text, “WHERE DID YOU GO?” Of course, she’s baffled when I call her back to find out why she’s so upset. 

Why do I think she sounds angry? Words written in all caps look LOUD: they’re the textual version of shouting. Unfortunately, many people push their caps-lock key because they think capital letters are easier to read, or look unusual and attractive. In fact, lower-case letters are easier to read, especially on a computer screen. Save all caps for acronyms, quotations of shouted speech, and extra emphasis on rare occasions. 

For more advice on capitalization, check out E-Mail: A Write It Well Guide.

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