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

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

everyday grammar

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.

* You might see lol spelled in lower or upper case letters, or a mix of the two i.e. lol, LOL, Lol

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