Elements of #hashtag Style

This week, I’m writing in #hashtags. A #postitnote I scrawled on last week led to yesterday’s tip of the day which made me think about how we use them.

Are there #grammarrules? What would #strunkandwhite say about them? Is there a space between a hashtag phrase #likethisone or is it only attached to the #word it connects? If you need #punctuation, (like this comma next door) do you attach it or skip it? So, the boldfaced sentence I just wrote would look like this if I skip it:

If you need #punctuation (like this comma next door) do you attach it or skip it?

But now it #doesntmakesense above because I took out the comma.

Oh, hmmm, what do you do with #contractions? Do you use them or skip them as in the previous #singlesentenceparagraph or #singlesentenceparagraph?

#doesntmakesense

#doesn’tmakesense

#doesnt #make #sense

#doesn’t #make #sense

Perhaps this is a great time to understand and observe how #grammarrules are made and why they exist. Are we now the future #old #cranky people who invented these #dumbrules? Don’t even get me started on #citations…

March 11, 2025

9 thoughts on “Elements of #hashtag Style

  1. I like this, but it makes me wonder if I should go back to school to learn more rules about punctuation. Hashtags, for instance. I am one of those boomers, #lastofourkind . Sorry, Alice, you are the next generation after me, even if you feel like one #oldtimer. Not yet my friend! But, plz correct my mess up here. I don’t know how to use them #???. If you are old, then #whatami?

    Keep evolving, I’ve dead ended.

    Love you always!

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  2. One of the most annoying things for me about hashtags and IG handles is that you aren’t allowed to use punctuation or capital letters (since it reverts to all lowercare). So, my IG handle is jenniferslifeabroad rather than Jennifer’sLifeAbroad. #annoyingtothisgrammarnerd

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  3. I learned a while back that mis-using pop-trends (or “fads” as a profession used to call them) makes for great fun when you are talking to #teenagers. It turns out it doesn’t matter how #old they are. You know what is #SUPERFUN ? Instead of writing with hashtags, sprinkle them into your day to day speech. Like “Oh my sweet googly-moogly! This classroom is hashtag way too loud!”

    I know that it might not be the most professional thing for a teacher to do: be a little goofy to annoy kids, but they get to annoy me and some of them are REALLY #gooftastic.

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  4. Hashtags remind me of parentheses and when used well, can be incredibly funny. Students love them as part of a being funny repertoire, and I could see it leading to great punctuation lessons. I think you’re on to something.

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    1. As I used them, I thought also thought about how parenthesis function. They’re so similar. I noticed they also seem to work almost like using all caps (but not shouting) and boldface (without being too obvious). Maybe a happy combination of the two.

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  5. I wish I wrote this. 😂 You have asked all my questions about hashtags. I also got a kick out of all the funny comments received on this post.

    #doesntmakesense

    #doesn’tmakesense

    #doesnt #make #sense

    #doesn’t #make #sense

    Haha! I’m with you.

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