SARCMARK

Now a US firm has come up with an ingenious solution to this very real problem – a new item of punctuation.
The SarcMark, as it has been named, is designed to be used in the same way as an exclamation or question mark.

Anyone concerned that the irony of their email or text message might not be appreciated by its recipient can use the symbol to close their sentence, thereby avoiding awkward misunderstandings.
The symbol – a dot inside a single spiral line – can be installed onto any PC running Windows 7, XP or Vista, as well as Macs and Blackberry mobile devices.
It can then be used in Word documents, instant messenger conversations, Outlook email and other programmes, just by pressing Ctrl and the full stop button.
The Michigan company behind the SarcMark have applied for a patent to protection their invention.
They have even published a sample list of sentences that would benefit from a SarcMark, including the words of British woman who was awarded only half of her National Lottery jackpot by a court after the winning ticket fell from her pocket and was claimed by someone else.
It appears that the irony of her statement – "It's jolly decent of them to let me have a half share of my win" – was lost on some readers.
Paul Sak of the firm said that the new punctuation mark was not a gimmick and had serious potential applications, such as allowing deaf people to pick up sarcasm in subtitles.
The symbol currently costs $1.99 to download – a price that many may think deserves a SarcMark of its own.