Exclamation Mark

This lesson is on the exclamation mark the exclamation mark sometimes also called an exclamation point.

Is used to indicate a strong emotion ie anger or excitement.

It replaces a full stop at the end of an escalator his sentence unless the last word is an abbreviation.

We’ll see examples of these adds urgency to imperative sentences is used to add emphasis to individual words or phrases and it can be combined with other exclamation and question marks can also be used to indicate sarcasm or irony and you need to be careful when formatting titles with exclamation marks for strong emotions.

These are used to indicate anger or excitement yuck liver and spinach for dinner again.

And this of yak has an exclamation mark to raise or emphasize the yuck woo hoo holiday starts tomorrow and after the woo hoo we have an exclamation mark.

And after holiday starts tomorrow another exclamation mark because they’re both showing excitement you passed all your exams.

Well done.

And again excitement.

Well done.

You passed your exams estimation marks to show this exclamation marks replace a full stop at the end of estimate three sentence unless the last word is an abbreviation so to show again amazement you could just say I’m amazed you know him full stop.

But here’s I’m amazed that you know him.

Exclamation mark.

Emphasizes the amazement.

or in this case him being a well-known actor Robert Downey Junior.

I’m amazed that you know Robert Downey Junior and because the junior J.R dot is an abbreviation we have the DOT and the exclamation mark at the end of the sentence.

Or my operation is scheduled for 4 am.

Again exclamation mark.

To emphasize the early ness of it they also add urgency to imperative sentences that have a look at some examples.

I need the report by Friday.

A normal sentence with a full stop at the end.

Or I need the report by Friday.

Now the estimation Mark really emphasizes it.

I really need it by Friday.

Makes it stronger.

Or if someone says you need to come down without the estimation mark or you need to come down really kind of made it stronger.

Expression

and you also use it to add emphasis to individual words or phrases and when we do this we normally put the exclamation mark in brackets after the word or phrase that we want to emphasize and this is only in informal writing with formal writing you wouldn’t do this so if we look at this example and pretended that the exclamation mark wasn’t there we just say we worked really late it was midnight before we left.

And it’s a fairly neutral statement but saying as it’s written say we worked really late it was midnight before we left.

And the exclamation mark and emphasizes the midnight or she has had five husbands and still hasn’t found the right one.

But with the exclamation mark she’s had five husbands and still hasn’t found the right one.

So this emphasizes the five was quite a high number for husbands or for motorbikes.

He really likes motorbikes.

He has 10 in his carriage that tends quite a lot to have especially when he can only ride one at a time or we use them in combination with other estimation marks and question marks and again this is only informal writing.

Don’t use us in formal writing.

Leave me alone with a big row of exclamation marks emphasizing the fact that he wants to be left alone.

You can also use it with summation marks as shown here.

She said what it really emphasizes like the astonishment of what this person has said for Oh my God who does he think he is.

And we see both here and we use it for sarcasm.

Now the context and the tone of voice will tell us whether the person is being sarcastic or genuine so if this is a genuine statement Some say Oh you’re so clever but if it’s a sarcastic they say you’re so clever and usually eye rolls and shaking of head to emphasize the point or she look positively radiant would be the nice way.

But if she looked a real mess you might say oh shit it positively radiant and this one probably hasn’t got a serious version.

You failed your driving test again genius though you can use that summation of marks to indicate sarcasm and irony.

Now we need to be a little bit careful when formatting titles with exclamation marks so titles of things like books and films are often italicized to show this and I tell sized has been italicized so you can see what it means so if the name of the book or film includes an exclamation mark then this would also get italicized but if the name is not with a note the next summation Mark then the exclamation mark is normal.

so for instance how many times have you seen Mamma Mia this month and the film titled Mamma Mia has an exclamation mark in it and belong therefore belongs to the title.

So as you can see here the Mamma Mia with the exclamation mark is all in italics or have a film like Groundhog Day which doesn’t have an exclamation mark.

And as somebody says I really liked watching Groundhog Day the estimation Mark is not italicized in this example.