January 28, 2010

What's with all the Air Quotes?

At Memoirs Ink we often discuss fascinating issues such as the importance of commas, properly used exclamation points, and most recently, air quotes. These air quotes, or finger quotes, as they are sometimes called, are used most often when quoting someone or something while speaking, or to show that someone is being sarcastic.

Some of us at Memoirs Ink think that using air quotes is just as annoying as throwing in exclamation points after every sentence in an essay. Others think that they're okay in small amounts.

Take a look at this clip from Friends, where Ross is upset that Joey has, "accidentally" proposed to Ross's ex-girlfriend and mother of his child, Rachel. Let us know what you think about air quotes.

*This is not my video. No copyright infringement intended.*

2 comments:

  1. I know I defended exclamation points last time, but yes, there is no use for the air quotes! Unless you really are using them correctly, which isn't the case nine times out of ten.

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  2. I am happy you agree. Air quotes are useless, but hilarious to watch in the clip above.

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