Question marks and exclamation points go together.

Although the expression "every sheep with its mate" fits me like a glove, today I'm not going to talk about sheep, but rather about some very particular punctuation marks that always go together: the question mark ( ¿? ) and the exclamation mark ( ¡! ).

Although centuries ago, only the closing sign was used (as is still the case in some languages), Spanish orthography has recommended the use of the double sign since the mid-18th century. (Almost three centuries ago, and we're still struggling with this!).

And orthography assigns these two pairs a very specific function in writing: they are responsible for marking the limits of interrogative and exclamatory sentences , respectively.

To use them correctly we must always keep in mind that they are double signs and, therefore, both must be present in the statement .

In addition to their primary orthographic function , these signs are very useful for reproducing or reinforcing certain expressive nuances in writing, such as surprise , doubt, irony , disapproval, or strangeness.

When we speak, we add that extra expressiveness to our words by using a special tone , a particular intensity when we say them, or even the volume or duration with which we pronounce them.

How many of us have felt offended by the tone or volume with which we've said something!: " Don't talk to me in that tone ! You don't have to shout!" And, in Dominican, "Turn it down a bit!"

These expressive nuances , which we master in the spoken language , and which are usually very subtle (or not), are difficult to reflect in the written language .

To our aid are some special uses of question marks and exclamation points that we'll benefit from mastering. The Orthography of the Spanish Language highlights the most common of these special uses . Let's review them.

When you want to express in writing that a sentence has both an interrogative and an exclamatory meaning, do not deprive yourself: use both signs combined .

If I write "And you're going to dress like that!" I think you can all hear me (and I'm sure you've said it or heard it from someone more than once).

My use of the question mark and exclamation mark combined adds to what the words express shades of disapproval and disbelief, and who knows if anything else.

I could have also chosen to write it this way : And you're going to dress like that!?, which is the most advisable way.

If we want to add to what we write that tone of doubt or surprise , so often laden with irony , that comes out so well when we speak, there are question marks and exclamation points to help us.

For these cases, we simply use the closing sign and write it in parentheses at the end of the expression we want to mark. We can almost sense the raised eyebrows or the narrowed eyes when we read "I'm happy (?) with the news!"

Caution! The autocorrect gets really stubborn about this and usually replaces it with the opening character. It's a matter of automation and artificial intelligence, which don't get along very well with nuances.

And if the intention is to emphasize our words , we only need to increase their intensity by repeating them once or twice: Who said fear!!!

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