Definition and Examples of Exclamatory Sentences

In English grammar, an exclamatory sentence is a type of main clause  that expresses strong feelings in the form of an exclamation, as opposed to sentences that make a statement  (declarative sentences), express commands  (imperative sentences), or ask a question  (interrogatory sentences). Also called an  exclamative or an exclamative clause, an exclamatory sentence usually ends with an exclamation  point. With the appropriate intonation, other sentence types—especially declarative sentences—can be used to form exclamations.   Adjectives in  Exclamatory Phrases and Clauses Exclamatory phrases can sometimes stand on their own as sentences. For example, if someone says, No way! or uses an interjection such as, Brrr! These sentences dont require a subject and a verb, though to qualify as an exclamatory clause or sentence, a subject and a verb must be present. Author Randolph Quirk and his colleagues explain how adjectives play a part in creating exclamatory phrases and clauses: Adjectives (especially those that can be complement when the subject is eventive, eg: Thats excellent!) can be exclamations, with or without an initial wh-element...:​  Excellent! (How) wonderful!... Such adjective phrases need not be dependent on any previous linguistic context but may be a comment on some object or activity in the situational context.From A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language, Longman, 1985 Interrogative Clauses as Exclamations In addition to sentences that have the typical declarative  subject/verb  structure, there are exclamatory sentences that take a positive or negative interrogative structure. For example, examine the sentence structure here: Oh wow, was that a great concert! Note that the verb was comes before the subject concert. If youre having trouble parsing out subjects for this type of sentence, look for the verb first and then find the subject by deciding what subject belongs to the verb. Here, its concert, as you could put the sentence in a subject/verb order as, Oh wow, that concert was great!   There are exclamatory questions, too, such as, Isnt this fun! or Well, what do you know! And there are rhetorical questions of surprise, such as What?! that end with both a question mark and an exclamation point.   Avoid Overuse in Your Writing Exclamative sentences rarely appear in  academic writing, except when theyre part of  quoted  material, which would likely be rare in that field. Please be aware that overuse of exclamations and exclamation points in  essays, nonfiction articles, or in fiction is a sign of amateurish writing. Use exclamations only when absolutely necessary, such as  in a direct  quote or dialogue. Even then, edit out what isnt absolutely necessary. You should never allow exclamation points (and exclamatory sentences) to become a crutch to carry the emotion of a scene. In fiction, the words characters speak and the tension in the scene driven by the narrative should be what expresses the emotion. The authors voice  should carry the message in an essay or nonfiction article. Exclamations should be restricted to direct quotes attributed to sources. A good rule of thumb to follow for any piece of writing is to allow only one exclamation point for every 2,000 words (or more, if possible). Editing them out of progressive drafts will make your overall piece stronger by the time its finalized.