OT: Question for modern Grammar Nazis
This has been one of my bigger pet peeves for a long time, and I want to get some input.
What is the technically correct way to end text inside parentheses with a smiley? I'm of the opinion that it just shouldn't be done, but I'm sure there are no written rules on it.
The problem:
-If you add the closing parenthesis, it looks like an extra smiley smiley or just plain weird depending on the font. (This phrase, for example... :))
-If you neglect the closing parenthesis, either the universe is no longer balanced or you've got an extra colon sitting all alone. (Just like in this case. :)
Either way, my OCD kicks in and I find that I need to just delete the whole thing altogether and find a way to word it that a) will use the smiley earlier in the phrase/sentence or b) avoids the smiley and/or parentheses.
Thoughts?
Yeah, I almost fainted when I saw that a while ago... it was nice to know I wasn't the only one.
My thought has always been to see it like ending a sentence with a.m. or p.m., for which you do not add a second period. Thus no closure needed.
(Although I do like the brackets quite a bit :)