Lesson 7:
End Punctuation.
#1: “Hey, Jeremy. I had a nice time on Saturday too. Thanks for drinks.”
This text message ends in a period, a punctuation mark that denotes the conclusion of a declarative statement. Forgoing punctuation is too open-ended, so some women utilize periods when they wish to bring the sentence to a full stop.
The sense of finality could connote that she is done with you after the first date. While she does not offer any follow-ups, it is important to note that there are no question marks in the text. We are to accept the “nice time” as a fact, implying agreement with your original position. This simple sentence is more indicative of her not wanting to seem overeager rather than being disinterested.
These are cut and dry, positive signs. Respond with confidence.
#2: “Hey, Jeremy. I had a nice time on Saturday too. Thanks for drinks ;”
This text ends with a semicolon. The semicolon links two independent clauses that are closely related in subject matter. It can also be used to make lists more orderly, particularly if list items include commas.
Yet since no one uses semicolons when texting, this is just the top part of a winky face emoticon without a smile. Anticipate a second text with “)” in the near future. The winky is the easiest emoticon to interpret, but for a refresher, refer to Lesson 4: “Nonverbal Digital Subtext.”
#3: “Hey, Jeremy. I had a nice time on Saturday too. Thanks for drinks..”
This text message ends with “..” or what grammarians refer to as a double period or a proto-pregnant pause. It implies either added emphasis at the end of a sentence or two-thirds of an ellipsis. This transitional punctuation falls somewhere between being final and being coy, although exact usage varies along with regional dialect.
As a general guideline, “..” means that the date went fine, but something is on her mind; something that will inevitably need to be addressed in future conversations.
Judging, however, from the fact that she took the time to separate “Hey” and “Jeremy” with a comma (as is grammatically correct with regards to direct greetings), it could very well be a typo.
#4: “Hey, Jeremy. I had a nice time on Saturday too. Thanks for drinks…”
This message ends with an ellipsis, three dots that signify an omission, an unfinished thought, or intentional silence. The ellipsis is a versatile punctuation mark so she can be saying so many things with those three little dots. She could be nonchalant, playful, foreboding…
By trailing off, is she implying that something isn’t right? We all know that ending a text with an ellipsis is shorthand for “So here’s the thing.” But if something were wrong, she would just say it. Unless she’s pausing in preparation for what she’s going to say next…
She very well could be coyly asking you to make the next move. Yes! That’s what she’s doing here, verbally batting her eyelashes. Like when you dropped her off outside her door, there was that brief moment when she cleared her throat when she was giving you the signal to kiss her.
Or it could be a sarcastic “Thanks for drinks.” Shit. That night you did have two beers and she only had one. She didn’t say anything at the time, but is she alluding to that? Did you come off as a drunk? Is that what she’s omitting with the ellipsis?
Oh, Lord. She wasn’t giving you the signal; she was just clearing her throat. Actually clearing it with no subtext or agenda. That’s all it was, wasn’t it? And just like that night, she started this text message with energy and invigoration and then it slowly fizzled away to the point where a period would be too finite and would not accurately reflect the fact that she has no will to continue this conversation so those three dots are the sound of her enthusiasm and interest slowly dying out…
But you two did have a nice time! And she is writing back. WHAT THE HELL DOES ANY OF THIS MEAN? WHAT DOES SHE WANT FROM YOU?!?
Please insert the next disk and proceed to Lesson 8: “Abbreviations and Whether Your Relationship Warrants Complete Words.”