Exclamatory Sentences
Exclamatory sentences
An exclamatory sentence is a type of sentence that expresses strong emotions, excitement, surprise, or urgency.
It is characterised by its punctuation, typically ending with an exclamation mark (!).
Exclamatory sentences can take various forms, similar to declarative, interrogative, or imperative sentences.
Declarative exclamatory:
Declarative: The sky is so clear tonight.
Exclamatory: The sky is so clear tonight!
Interrogative exclamatory:
Interrogative: Did you see that amazing sunset?
Exclamatory: Did you see that amazing sunset!
Imperative exclamatory:
Imperative: Close the door quietly.
Exclamatory: Close the door quietly!
They convey a heightened emotional tone to emphasise the speaker’s feelings.
These sentences often feature words or phrases that convey strong emotions, such as joy, surprise, anger, admiration, or frustration.
The primary purpose of an exclamatory sentence is to convey a sense of intensity or strong sentiment in the expression of a thought or statement.
Exclamatory sentence intonation:
The pitch and stress patterns of speech can help express strong emotions.
Rising intonation on key words or at the end of the sentence enhances the exclamatory effect.
Declarative exclamatory:
Declarative: The sky is so clear tonight. (normal, neutral intonation)
Exclamatory: The sky is so clear tonight! (Rising intonation tonight to convey excitement or emphasis)
Interrogative exclamatory:
Interrogative: Did you see that amazing sunset? (Typically, there is a rising intonation at the end of the question.)
Exclamatory: Did you see that amazing sunset ! (Similar to the interrogative, but with a stronger emphasis and excitement.)
Imperative exclamatory:
Imperative: Close the door quietly.
(normal, neutral intonation)
Exclamatory: Close the door quietly!
(Rising intonation quietly to emphasise urgency or importance.)
Exclamatory sentences with pronouns What and How:
Exclamatory sentences can begin with the pronouns what and how when these words are used to express strong emotions or surprise.
Here are examples:
Exclamatory sentence starting with What:
What a beautiful sunset!
What an incredible performance!
Exclamatory sentence starting with How:
How amazing that magic trick was!
How stunning the view is from here!
What is used with nouns, and how is used with adjectives and adverbs.
What with nouns:
Word Order/Structure: What + (a/an) + adjective + noun
Example: What a fantastic idea!
How with adjectives and adverbs:
Word Order/Structure: How + adjective/adverb/adjective phrase/adverb phrase + subject + verb
Example: How beautifully she sings!
How beautiful her voice is!
The word order, structure, and intonation work together to create a sense of excitement or strong emotion.
What with countable/uncountable/plural nouns:
The use of articles with What in exclamatory sentences depends on whether the noun following What is countable or uncountable.
Countable Nouns:
Use the indefinite article a or an before the countable noun. The adjective usually stands before a noun.
Examples:
What a beautiful garden!
What an interesting movie!
What a talented artist!
Uncountable Nouns:
Do not use an article before the adjective and uncountable noun.
Examples:
What delicious cake!
What stunning scenery!
What incredible talent!
Plural Nouns:
Typically, do not use an article before the adjective and plural noun.
Examples:
What wonderful friends!
What amazing achievements!
What fantastic opportunities!
How with adjectives and adverbs:
When using How in exclamatory sentences with both adjectives and adverbs, the structure and word order can vary based on the context.
How with adjectives:
Word Order/Structure: How + adjective + subject + verb
Examples:
How beautiful the sunset is!
How talented she is!
How amazing the performance was!
.
How with adverbs:
Word Order/Structure: How + adverb + subject + verb
Examples:
How quickly time flies!
How gracefully she dances!
How effortlessly he solved the problem!
Variety in structure:
Exclamatory sentences can have various structures.
They may follow the traditional subject-verb-object pattern, or they may involve inversions (changing the usual word order for emphasis), especially when starting with What or How.
Traditional subject-verb-object (SVO) patterns of exclamatory sentences:
The basic structure follows the common syntactic arrangement found in declarative sentences.
The key difference is the expression of strong emotions or emphasis through the choice of words and punctuation.
Subject + Verb + Object:
1. I can’t believe it is snowing so heavily today!
2. She has done an incredible job on the project!
3. You’ve created a masterpiece with this artwork!
4. This is the most delicious meal I’ve ever tasted!
5. Our team won the championship!
6. They bought a new house, and it’s absolutely gorgeous!
Inversed exclamatory sentences:
The typical word order is altered for emphasis, often starting with What or How at the beginning of the sentence.
This inversion is a common feature in exclamatory constructions, and it contributes to a more dramatic or impactful expression of emotion.
Inverted Subject + Verb + Object:
What a treasure he found!
How amazing the concert is!
Inverted Auxiliary Verb + Subject + Main Verb:
What a project she has completed!
Inverted Prepositional Phrase:
How over the lake the birds flew!
Inverted Adverbial Phrase:
How gracefully she danced!
Implied subject:
Exclamatory sentences may sometimes have an implied subject, especially when focusing on the emotion or the quality being emphasised.
For example, what a beautiful day! may imply It is such a beautiful day!
In implied exclamatory sentences, the speaker relies on modifiers, adverbs, or specific language choices to convey enthusiasm, surprise, intensity, or urgency, creating an exclamatory effect.
Implied Emotion:
This cake is delicious! (Declarative)
This cake is so delicious. (Implied exclamatory)
Implied Intensity:
She’s a talented musician. (Declarative)
She’s such a talented musician. (Implied exclamatory)
Implied Surprise:
I found the missing keys. (Declarative)
I found the missing keys in the most unexpected place! (Implied exclamatory)
Implied Urgency:
Please complete the task. (Imperative)
Please complete the task as soon as possible! (Implied exclamatory)
Context and tone /types of exclamatory sentences:
The tone of exclamatory sentences can vary widely, from excitement and joy to surprise, anger, or urgency.
Exclamatory sentences can take various forms, expressing a range of emotions, intensity, or emphasis.
Here are different types of exclamatory sentences:
Surprise or Astonishment: What a surprise to see you here!
Joy or Happiness: How happy I am to see you!
Admiration or Appreciation: What a talented artist she is!
Frustration or Anger: How frustrating it is to deal with this situation!
Urgency or Importance: What an urgent message you have!
Agreement or Confirmation: What a fantastic idea!
Disbelief or Disapproval: How irresponsible that behaviour was!
Anticipation or Excitement: What an exciting adventure awaits us!
Omitting the subject or to be:
In an exclamatory sentence, it’s common to omit elements for brevity and emphasis.
If you want to express How cold it is! and choose to omit the subject and the verb to be, you can simply say:
How cold!
In the sentence, What a fine building! The subject and the verb to be are implied or omitted for brevity and impact.
What a fine building!
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