Exclamatory Sentence

An exclamatory sentence expresses strong emotion. It ends with—wait for it—an exclamation point.

How to remember it? Think of another super-thrilled "ex" word: excited.

If you're excited, you tack an exclamation point (or five) on the end of your sentence. Yeah, the exclamatory sentence is perpetually shouting "Ermahgerd!!!"

 

Examples

"We won the championship!"

Any grammar champ can tell you that this is an exclamatory sentence. It expresses a strong emotion: happiness. That exclamation point at the end is also a good tip-off, but don't get too relaxed: an imperative sentence can also end in an exclamation point if the speaker is issuing a forceful command or request.

"I can't believe it's not butter!"

Butter substitutes have never fooled anybody except, once upon a time, Fabio. And you shouldn't be fooled into thinking that this sentence, with its strong disbelief and an exclamation point, is anything other than an example of an exclamatory sentence.

"Our pets' heads are falling off!"

This memorable line from Dumb and Dumber expresses Lloyd's outrage at his and Harry's terrible situation. They're out of food. They're out of work. And Harry's parakeet has just met a tragic end.

 

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