Changing sentences into exclamatory form is a valuable grammar skill that helps express strong emotions such as surprise, joy, anger, or admiration. Exclamatory sentences are essential in both spoken and written English because they add tone, mood, and energy to communication. For learners of English, practicing the transformation of declarative or assertive statements into exclamatory ones enhances fluency and emotional expression. This topic provides a clear explanation of how to change into exclamatory sentence exercises, with practical examples and tips for better understanding.
What Is an Exclamatory Sentence?
An exclamatory sentence is used to express a strong feeling or emotion. It usually ends with an exclamation mark (!) and often begins with the words what or how. These sentences are not questions, although they may sometimes appear similar in structure.
Common Features of Exclamatory Sentences
- They express strong emotions.
- They usually begin with ‘What’ or ‘How.’
- They end with an exclamation mark (!).
- They often omit the subject-verb inversion used in questions.
Rules for Changing into Exclamatory Sentences
To change a normal declarative sentence into an exclamatory one, consider what emotion the original sentence conveys. Then, restructure it using either ‘What’ or ‘How’ while keeping the intended meaning intact. Below are two primary structures used:
1. Using What
This is used when referring to a noun or noun phrase. The structure is:
What + a/an + adjective + noun + subject + verb!
Example:
Declarative: She is a beautiful singer.
Exclamatory: What a beautiful singer she is!
2. Using How
This is used when referring to an adjective or adverb modifying the verb. The structure is:
How + adjective/adverb + subject + verb!
Example:
Declarative: He runs very fast.
Exclamatory: How fast he runs!
Change into Exclamatory Sentence Exercise
To get a better grasp of the transformation process, try practicing with these change into exclamatory sentence exercises. Each original sentence is followed by its exclamatory form.
Examples with What
- Declarative: It is a lovely day.
Exclamatory: What a lovely day it is! - Declarative: That was a great idea.
Exclamatory: What a great idea that was! - Declarative: She is an excellent teacher.
Exclamatory: What an excellent teacher she is! - Declarative: This is a huge opportunity.
Exclamatory: What a huge opportunity this is!
Examples with How
- Declarative: He sings beautifully.
Exclamatory: How beautifully he sings! - Declarative: She is very kind.
Exclamatory: How kind she is! - Declarative: The baby looks so cute.
Exclamatory: How cute the baby looks! - Declarative: They acted wisely.
Exclamatory: How wisely they acted!
Exercise for Practice
Try changing the following sentences into exclamatory ones. Think about whether to use what or how and rewrite them accordingly.
- It is an amazing performance.
- She dances gracefully.
- He is a clever boy.
- They made a terrible mistake.
- He works very hard.
- The sunset is beautiful.
- She spoke politely.
- It was a thrilling match.
Tips for Mastering Exclamatory Sentences
Here are some tips to help you improve your ability to change into exclamatory sentence form:
- Understand the Emotion: Focus on what emotion the sentence conveys. Is it admiration, shock, or happiness?
- Choose the Right Starter: Use what when highlighting nouns and how for adjectives or adverbs.
- Use the Exclamation Mark: Never forget to end the sentence with an exclamation mark.
- Maintain Sentence Flow: Ensure that the new sentence is grammatically correct and maintains the original meaning.
Why Learning Exclamatory Sentences Matters
Knowing how to change into exclamatory sentence structure is not just a grammar exercise it enhances your ability to communicate vividly. Whether you are writing stories, essays, or even casual messages, using exclamatory sentences brings emotion and impact to your writing.
Enhanced Expression
Using exclamatory forms helps add enthusiasm or surprise to your sentences. This is particularly useful in creative writing or speech presentations where emotional tone matters.
Grammar Improvement
Practicing these exercises strengthens your understanding of sentence components like nouns, adjectives, and adverbs. It also reinforces sentence structure and syntax rules.
Better Communication Skills
Exclamatory sentences reflect how people actually speak when they feel strongly about something. Being able to use them correctly can make your spoken English sound more natural and expressive.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
When attempting to change into exclamatory sentence form, beginners often make small errors. Here are a few to watch out for:
- Using What for adjectives: What should describe nouns, not adjectives. Use how for adjectives.
- Forgetting the topic: Don’t skip a or an in What a beautiful day it is!
- Using question format: Avoid writing What a nice day is it? which is incorrect. It’s not a question.
Learning how to change into exclamatory sentence form is a key part of mastering English grammar. Through exercises, examples, and practice, you can become more comfortable with this sentence type and improve both your written and spoken expression. Start by identifying the feeling in a sentence, decide whether what or how fits better, and reconstruct the sentence with emotion and clarity. The more you practice, the more natural this process will become in everyday communication.