Exclamations

We use exclamations to express surprise or shock or a strong emotion about something. The type of phrase or clause associated with exclamations is called exclamative.

We usually form exclamatives with what or how. In writing, we usually put an exclamation mark (!) at the end of the exclamative:

• What an amazing car!
• How I love the summer holidays!

What …

We can use what + noun phrase ((+ verb) (+ tag)):

+ noun phrase	+ verb	+ tag
What a beautiful day!	What a beautiful day it is!	What a beautiful day it is, isn’t it!
What bad luck!	What bad luck they had!	What bad luck they had, didn’t they!

How …

We often use how followed by an adjective only:

How sweet!

How lovely!

How amazing!

We can use How + adjective/adverb + subject + verb:

• How interesting it was to hear her story!
• How wonderful it is to see you!
• How beautifully she sang! Everyone was delighted.

In informal styles, we can also use How + adjective + verb + subject. This is particularly common in American English:

• How clever am I!
• How crazy is that!

Here are some short expressions we use to express surprise:

Wow!	No way!
Gosh!	That’s amazing!

Exclamatives with interrogative form

We sometimes make an exclamation using interrogative (question) word order:

• Have I got news for you! Peter and Michaela are getting divorced! (or, less strong: I’ve got news for you!)
• Did I do something stupid last night!

See also

• Punctuation
• Such or so?
• Interjections (ouch, hooray)
• Clause types