Text Messages and Internet Forums

Today on Everyday Grammar, we will explore two relatively¹ new methods of communicating: text messages and internet forums².

We will talk about two common expressions you might see: lol* and I know, right?

These expressions carry much more meaning than you might expect, as we will see.

Definitions and grammar

We start with the term lol. Lol is short for "laughing out loud," as in "I am laughing out loud." The subject, I, and the BE verb, am, have been left out. Basically, lol expresses a person's opinion about something.

You might think that is the end of the story, but it is not. The term lol has a much richer meaning than what we just told you. We will talk more about it later.

Our second term, I know, right?, seems like a simple statement. The words I know are the subject and verb. The word right? is a kind of tag question – a word that is connected to the expression.

But I know, right?, like lol, has a much more interesting story than you might expect.

Important use in communication

John McWhorter is an expert on languages. In the book Words on the Move, he notes that lol serves an important purpose in written communication: "easing."

By easing, McWhorter means actions that people do to show they are feeling at ease or trying to be nice. For example, in real life, people often laugh or smile. They do this to show they are at ease and that the situation is not too serious.

Lol, McWhorter says, serves that same purpose in written communication.

English speakers use lol at the beginning, middle or end of a sentence. In many cases, they use lol to soften³ language or bad news.

Here is an example. A person borrowed a friend's car to run a brief errand.

The borrower wrote the friend the following text message:

Lol your car started to overheat just as I pulled into the driveway.

In this case, the person writing the text "eases" the news of the car overheating by starting the sentence with lol.

The writer also could have written the statement with lol at the end of the sentence, as in:

Your car started to overheat just as I pulled into the driveway lol

A person might use lol in the middle of a statement as in:

Bad news lol your car started to overheat!

In any case, the basic idea is that lol helps make language gentler. It means far more than "laughing out loud." In fact, it does not really relate to laughing at all.

"Anyone who used LOL to signal actual laughter would now be misunderstood: it would be, quite simply, a mistake," McWhorter writes.

In writing, other acronyms⁵ have taken the place of lol to show actual laughter.

Agreement

Our second expression today, I know, right?, is like lol. It also serves the purpose of "easing."

But, as McWhorter notes, the words I know, right? show agreement in an indirect way. Instead of writing "I agree" or "I know" many times on internet forums or texts, many people use I know, right?

It has a casual, pleasant sound. It is a nice way to agree with someone.

So, you might see something like the following exchange on an internet discussion board:

Wow! That cat looks like Simba from the Lion King!

I know, right? It's incredible!

Imagine a change in the wording, as in:

Wow! That cat looks like Simba from the Lion King!

I know.

Such a statement is more abrupt⁶, and far less conversational⁷. The exchange between the two writers probably would not continue for much longer!

Closing thoughts

The point of our report today was to show you how English speakers use some terms or expressions that have more meaning than you might expect.

Understanding details like these will help you when you communicate or read in casual situations.

And some of the details we talked about – the placement of lol for example - are true of other kinds of words in English. Adverbs are one example.

The next time you read internet forums or send text messages, try to find other examples of words or expressions that native speakers use.

We will be back next week with another Everyday Grammar!

Lol that was a long report.

I know, right? But hopefully it was fun and helpful for the listeners.

Words in This Story

errand – n. a short trip that you take to do or get something

acronym⁴ – n. a word formed from the first letters of each one of the words in a term

casual – adj. unstructured or unofficial; everyday

incredible – adj. unbelievable; unimaginable

abrupt – adj. talking to other people in a very brief and unfriendly way

conversational – adj. relating to or suggesting informal talk; relating to or suggesting a discussion

adverb – a word that changes the meaning of a verb

1 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

2 forums   

讨论会； 座谈会； 广播专题讲话节目； 集会的公共场所( forum的名词复数 )； 论坛，讨论会，专题讨论节目； 法庭

参考例句：

• A few of the forums were being closely monitored by the administrators. 有些论坛被管理员严密监控。
• It can cast a dark cloud over these forums. 它将是的论坛上空布满乌云。

3 soften   

v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和

参考例句：

• Plastics will soften when exposed to heat.塑料适当加热就可以软化。
• This special cream will help to soften up our skin.这种特殊的护肤霜有助于使皮肤变得柔软。

4 acronym   

n.首字母简略词，简称

参考例句：

• That's a mouthful of an acronym for a very simple technology.对于一项非常简单的技术来说，这是一个很绕口的缩写词。
• TSDF is an acronym for Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities.TSDF是处理，储存和处置设施的一个缩写。

5 acronyms   

n.首字母缩略词( acronym的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Scratch the subject of defence and acronyms, abbreviations, and buzzwords fly out. 话题触及国防，缩合字，缩写字和行话就满天飞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some acronyms as scientific terminology are used as a lexical item. 一些科学术语缩写用作词汇项目。 来自互联网

6 abrupt   

adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的

参考例句：

• The river takes an abrupt bend to the west.这河突然向西转弯。
• His abrupt reply hurt our feelings.他粗鲁的回答伤了我们的感情。

7 conversational   

adj.对话的，会话的

参考例句：

• The article is written in a conversational style.该文是以对话的形式写成的。
• She values herself on her conversational powers.她常夸耀自己的能言善辩。