Exclamation Mark

Punctuation is the basic element of English grammar and without it a sentence is not only incomplete but also insensible. There are various marks of punctuation that are used in sentences to give them more meaning and make it easier for the reader to understand. If we omit these punctuation marks from a sentence we will be left hanging. Also, without a punctuation mark a sentence can have various meanings and the reader might assume the meaning the writer is not conveying.

Today I will talk about the point of exclamation or the exclamation mark and its usage in English language.

Denotation:

The point of exclamation is denoted by the symbol ! in a sentence.

Point of Exclamation:

The exclamation point is used in English sentences when the feelings or emotions are expressed. The expression of any kind of emotion like happy, frustrated, angry or excited etc. are all accompanied by an exclamation mark.

Example:

Yay! We won the match.

In the above example, the word ‘yay’ at the beginning indicates excitement and tells the reader that the person saying the above sentence is very excited about winning the match. Thus exclamation mark is used after ‘yay’.

Exclamation mark can also be used at the end of a sentence like a period and question mark when the whole sentence conveys a command or a declaration.

Example:

Get out of my house!

The above sentence is an example of a strong command for the other person and thus an exclamation mark is used at the end of the sentence.

Exclamation mark can also be used for a strong emotion at the end of a sentence.

Example:

Stop messing around my work!

The above example indicates that the person is irritated and unhappy with the other person who is messing around his work.