GEN, GENQ AND SRS: DIALOGUE AND CORRECTION WORKSHEET Original teaching examples; common conventions can vary. No guaranteed interpretation. COMMON EXPANSIONS AND LIMITS /gen; also /g | Genuine: the sender means the statement sincerely. | A statement or question whose genuine intention needs labeling. | The statement is accurate, welcome or free of every possible ambiguity. /genq | Genuine question: the sender is asking for an answer. | A question that might otherwise look rhetorical, mocking or challenging. | The wording is automatically gentle, or the recipient owes an answer. /srs | Serious: the sender means this seriously. | A serious statement, question or request. | The situation is urgent, the claim is verified or the reader must agree. EIGHT ORIGINAL CONTEXTS Rules at a game night | “Can a player pass twice in a row? /genq” | The sender wants to understand the rule, rather than making an obvious rhetorical point. | “I’m learning the rules: is a second consecutive pass allowed?” The reply still needs the ruleset or game being discussed. An unusual recipe step | “Why is the pan cooled before adding this? /genq” | The writer labels the question as genuine curiosity. The tag does not make a food-safety claim. | “I’m trying to follow this recipe. What does cooling the pan achieve at this step?” Name the actual recipe and ingredient if those determine the answer. A sincere compliment | “Your explanation helped me understand the diagram /gen.” | The writer intends the compliment sincerely; this is a statement, not a request for information. | “Thank you for explaining the arrows. I understand where the load goes now.” Use the factual detail only when it describes your experience. A serious request during play | “Please leave the camera on the table /srs.” | The request is meant seriously, even if the surrounding chat is playful. | “Please leave the camera on the table while I finish setting it up.” Supply the practical reason or duration when it helps the reader act. A low-stakes but real preference | “I do want to keep the longer book title /srs.” | The preference is serious. Seriousness alone does not imply an emergency or a stronger right to decide. | “I prefer the longer title because it names the place. Could we compare it with the short version?” The group can still discuss or disagree. A sentence that sounds like a challenge | “Did you read the instructions? /genq” | The tag declares a genuine question, but the bare words may still sound accusatory. | “Have you had a chance to read the setup steps? I can explain the part about the cable.” Keep that offer only if it is what you intend. A question following a joke | “My shelves have declared independence /j. Do you have a level I could borrow? /genq” | The joke and the genuine borrowing question have separate scopes. Neither tag identifies when the level is needed. | “I’m joking about the shelves. Could I borrow your level for an hour this afternoon?” A recipient can decline the request without disputing the tags. An unfamiliar reader | “Do you want the window open? /genq” Recipient: “What is genq?” | The unfamiliar abbreviation has become an extra piece of information to explain. | “It means genuine question. I’m asking whether you would prefer the window open.” Explain once; use ordinary wording when that serves this reader better. FIVE MISUSE CORRECTIONS Treating /srs as evidence | “It must be true because they added /srs.” | Read it as an intention label. Check the factual claim through an appropriate source. Making a tag do the whole request | “That thing /genq” with no identifiable question | Name what you are asking and the relevant context. A tag cannot reconstruct an absent question. Demanding an answer | “I used /genq, so you have to explain.” | Ask clearly and allow a refusal. Genuine curiosity is not an entitlement to personal information. Covering mixed sentences with one label | A joke, a quotation and a real request followed by one /srs | Put a cue beside the intended part or write the parts separately in ordinary words. Escalating with more labels | Repeating /gen /genq /srs after someone says the wording hurt | Acknowledge the actual concern and clarify or change the wording. More labels do not settle its effect. SIX PRACTICE DECISIONS WITH EXPLANATIONS Case 1 A friend writes “That is a thoughtful present /gen.” Must you interpret this as a request to explain where you bought it? No. It labels a sincere statement, rather than supplying a question. The literal sentence is a compliment. The common genuine label explains its intended sincerity for a reader who knows the convention. It does not add an unstated shopping question or require a detailed reply. You can acknowledge the compliment normally. If the next sentence asks about the shop, answer that separate question if you want to; do not treat the tag as though it contained it. Case 2 Someone asks “What does this setting change? /genq” in a technical chat. Does the tag identify the device, setting or version? No. Those details must come from the words and context. The question is presented as genuine, but the recipient may still lack enough information to answer. Ask which setting, device or version is being discussed. A useful rewrite names the item: “I’m trying to understand the exposure-lock setting on this camera. What does it keep fixed?” Use details that are actually known. Recognizing the intention label is one step; identifying the referent is another. Case 3 A classmate writes “I mean this seriously /srs” about their preferred poster layout. Is this proof that the choice is urgent or objectively correct? No. A serious preference can be low-stakes and open to disagreement. Seriousness describes how the person intends the statement. Urgency would need a time constraint, and correctness would need evidence or agreed criteria. You can take the preference seriously while asking why that layout helps readers or comparing it with another design. Avoid translating the tag into an emergency or a command. If there is a real deadline, it should be stated separately in the actual request. Case 4 You quote “Why would anyone do that? /s” and then ask “What does that reply refer to? /genq.” Does the sarcasm label make your own question sarcastic? No. Keep each cue with the words it labels. The /s is inside the quotation; your /genq follows your own question. You are reporting a sarcastic line and asking a genuine question about its referent. Preserve that distinction when copying the exchange. A cropped excerpt may lose the scope, so a written-out version can help: “The quoted reply is marked sarcastic. I’m asking which action it refers to.” You still need context to identify that action. Case 5 A recipient says “That question sounded like an insult” after you added /genq. Is repeating the tag enough to resolve the exchange? No. Explain the intended question and address the wording that caused concern. You can mean a question genuinely and still phrase it in a way the reader finds hurtful. Ask what sounded insulting if that is useful, acknowledge the concern, and restate the information you actually need without the unnecessary challenge. “I was asking whether the setup steps were available; I can see my wording sounded accusatory” is useful only when it reflects the situation. A label is not a ruling on the other person’s experience. Case 6 A new group member does not recognize any slash tags. Should essential directions be understandable only through /gen or /srs? No. Write the important meaning or instruction in ordinary words. Explain a tag briefly if the person asks, then provide the actual statement, question or request. You can ask about their communication preference when it matters, without assuming it from their age, diagnosis or group membership. For an essential instruction, name the action, item and time independently of the cue. The same message should still be useful if the reader skips an unfamiliar abbreviation. Familiar labels can support the wording, but they should not hide it. BLANK MESSAGE REVIEW Invented or anonymized message: ____________________ Literal statement, question or request: ____________________ Exact cue and the words it labels: ____________________ Common expansion / sender’s stated use: ____________________ What remains unknown: ____________________ Relevant missing detail or concern: ____________________ Plain-language clarification: ____________________ Answer received / revised reading: ____________________ FORMAT AND SCOPE Use a forward slash in these examples: /gen, /genq, /srs. Put the cue beside its intended words. Distinguish quotations, jokes and real requests. Write essential meaning out for unfamiliar readers. Genuine curiosity does not create an obligation to answer. Sincerity is not truth; seriousness is not urgency. SOURCES https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tone_indicator Documented public usage examples; full captured text read, not universal or clinical evidence. https://thesciencesurvey.com/news/2022/03/16/a-new-way-to-communicate-emotion-has-emerged-tone-indicators/ Contemporary student article’s /g and /srs examples; broader social/origin/clinical claims not adopted.