Full stop, exclamation mark or no punctuation after a message

[Crispsandicecream]

(Lighthearted)

How would you interpret these different versions of a happy birthday message on a Facebook wall?

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday.

Happy birthday

I was chatting to an Australian friend and this came up in conversation. He doesn’t think there’s any meaning behind the different endings but I think they send subtle signals.

To me it’s a bit like the difference between eg Kind regards and Regards, where the latter is not really very friendly.

I’m curious to see what others think! How would you write happy birthday on a Facebook wall and how would you interpret the different versions?

My kids tel me a full stop is rude.

Happy Birthday! is obv more excitable.

Happy Birthday or Happy Birthday. is just a quick routine message.
I'd always put a kiss on it

*tell

I hear full stop is rude. I'm too old to care tbh. They belong at the end of a sentence.

Do people really waste mental energy on new ways to take people the wrong way for using the correct grammatical structures of the English language?
Taking ‘choosing to be offended’ to new levels.

Oh interesting that there might be an age/generational aspect too, I hadn’t considered that.

I’m not aware of anyone wasting mental energy on it, nor of anyone choosing to be offended. It was a lighthearted discussion about some of the quirks of British humour and etiquette/unspoken rules.

So do mine. Which is why I make the effort to correctly punctuate all my texts to them 😂

I always use an exclamation mark when writing/typing happy birthday as it "sounds" happier and more sincere.

So do I @SoupDragon 😂

I would put an exclamation mark after happy birthday. Using a full stop would be choice number two. I would never not use any punctuation -that would signal you really couldn’t be bothered even to write happy birthday.

I'd put the birthday cake or streamers emoji 🤷‍♀️

Or do a Dwight Schrute and go with “It is your birthday.”

@MegGriffinshat 😆 I’m doing that next time!