Questions tagged [exclamatives]
For questions regarding short sentences usually beginning with an exclamation such as "how" or "what", ending in an exclamation mark, and used to express surprise, awe, despair, or other strong emotion.
57
questions
0
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Does "Aren't you a silly girl!" mean "You aren't a silly girl!"?
my example:
(1a) Are you a silly girl!
As I understand, (1a) means (1b):
(1b) You are a silly girl!
wordreference.com:
(2a) Aren't you a silly girl!
Am I right that, by analogy with (1a), (2a) means (...
- 1,997
-1
votes
1
answer
86
views
Is 'Kay a shortened form of Okay?
This is from an interview by Vogue 73 questions with Cindy (see 03:01-03:06)
The reporter asks questions to a celebrity. Right before one of the questions, he says:
'Kay Cindy, what is something that ...
- 5,242
0
votes
1
answer
28
views
how much have you grown
a. My God, how you have grown!
b. My God, how have you grown!
c. My God, how much you have grown!
d. My God, how much have you grown!
Which are correct and natural?
I am pretty sure (a) and (c) work. ...
- 2,387
0
votes
1
answer
23
views
Is "there" an adverb or an exclamation in "so there!"?
I often here people say:
So there!
For defiance of something. My question is:
"so there" is an idiom, but in this context, having "there" used after "so".
Is "...
- 2,057
1
vote
4
answers
65
views
Is 'how cold' natural? [closed]
If someone acts very indifferently towards an invitation, is the exclamation 'how cold' natural?
For example:
Alice (trying to act as if she's not scheming): Would you like a glass of wine?
Bob (...
- 3,348
0
votes
1
answer
45
views
Can exclamations like "oh" be written without exclamation points?
Exclamatory sentences are the ones that express sudden or strong emotions and feelings, but I saw some sentences expressing feelings without exclamation marks. Why is that?
For example:
"Oh, is ...
- 137
0
votes
1
answer
61
views
My goodness! (Why native speakers say this phrase?) [closed]
My goodness!
Why this expression is used as an exclamation expression? I can't understand it.
goodness: the quality or state of being good
- 4,088
8
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Is "wait" an exclamation in this context?
Which part of speech is the word "wait" in this context?
Wait! You forgot your keys!
Is it a noun, verb, or else? I couldn't find any discussion about this, the only parts of speech I ...
- 4,970
2
votes
1
answer
32
views
I am confused about the correct use of "what" in this sentence
Is the sentence below a correct sentence? If so, what kind of a sentence is this, and what is the role of the word "what" in this sentence? Is this sentence supposed to be an exclamatory ...
- 21
5
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Is 'you' an exclamative in 'you fools'
In the Lord of the Rings, Gandalf yells this famous line:
Fly, you fools!
Now, I am wondering what the function of 'you' is. Is it an exclamation? The Collins Dictionary uses the examples 'what' and ...
- 197
0
votes
2
answers
600
views
Is there any difference between 'Come off it' and 'Come on'?
To get straight to the point, here are two examples:
Oh, come off it, you're smarter than me!
Oh, come on, you're smarter than me!
Do they sound natural? Can you tell me the difference if there's ...
- 4,970
0
votes
0
answers
29
views
How to express the following meaning using a single exclamatory sentence?
I betrayed someone in the past. Now I regret and I blame myself for my betrayal.
I want to use a single exclamatory sentence to express self-blame, starting by 'how'.
I guess it may be: 'How shall I ...
- 101
0
votes
1
answer
61
views
About exclamatives with interrogative form
Did I do something stupid last night!
I suppose it can be expressed by: What a stupid thing I did last night!
Wow! Can she sing!
It means that She is really good at singing.
Look at those ones! ...
- 177
1
vote
1
answer
140
views
'Do you want to see it!' - Which type of sentence is this? Why exclamation mark at the end of a question?
I am a beginner, but my knowledge says that Do and Does come at the beginning of a question. Simply put, to my mind, the sentence should be
Do you want to see it? rather than Do you want to see it!
Am ...
- 3,800
0
votes
3
answers
52
views
How to change a declarative sentence with 'a lot' info na exclamative one?
I struggle with the transformation of a declarative sentence with "a lot" into exclamative. I am familiar with the rule but I am not sure in this specific case:
He talks a lot.
will be
How lot ...
1
vote
0
answers
386
views
What/such +a/an + noun
Can we use "What/such +a/an + noun" without an adjective between "a/an" and "noun"? Because I've heard the sentence "What a beauty you are."
For example:
What a dress
What a hamburger
Such a ...
- 37
0
votes
1
answer
33
views
How to use the word "lucky" properly?
Imagine i'm walking in the street starting looking for a florist and i come across one straightaway. Should I say or think: "How lucky!" or rather "How lucky for me! or How lucky I am? Is there any ...
- 947
7
votes
3
answers
655
views
Is sometimes "how I shall" = "how shall I"?
"I shall certainly hoodwink the archbishop, and how I shall enjoy doing it!"
This is a quote known to be said by Mozart. A couple of books on him have this sentence somewhere in them.
What confuses ...
- 175
0
votes
2
answers
211
views
Exclamation with "What or How"
How does it say correctly with exclamation?
How she looks!
or
What she looks!
- 1,370
0
votes
1
answer
370
views
Exclamations with verb
How to make an exclamatory sentence with a verb?
For example:
Someone plays football incredibly and you want to exclaim how he plays.
I guess I made the sentences wrong.
How he plays football!
...
- 1,370
2
votes
1
answer
114
views
Is "What a big heart" structure valid when inserted within the speech?
I read a similar question which is "What big cheeks!" and "What a big cheek!" (I have rephrased the question according to the answer it received).
As I, now, know that the phrasing is correct, I ...
- 2,448
2
votes
2
answers
161
views
What sentence pattern is followed in exclamatory sentence
How lovely these flowers are!
How lovely flowers these are!
I would like to know if the formation of above 2 sentences is correct. I personally feel the first sentence is correct as the word "...
- 421
-1
votes
1
answer
32
views
Hello = I say hello -> correct?
Could I consider that all the exclamation is the abbreviation form of the S-V-O structure?
No = I say no / It's no
Hi = I say hi
Wow = I say wow
There = There you go / There it is / etc
- 1,954
1
vote
1
answer
972
views
use of article in exclamatory and interrogative sentence
See the following examples:
What sort of (a) man he is!
To my knowledge, this is wrong because in sentences starting with 'what kind of' 'what sort of' 'what type of' 'what variety of' and in ...
0
votes
1
answer
171
views
How to express my negatively positive response?
Wow, awesome, wonderful, and the like are good expressions and indeed they denote that you are happy because the event is happy. But I just came across a weird situation!
In India, medical students, ...
- 65.7k
2
votes
1
answer
781
views
How to do exclamatory sentence with a main verb?
While I know how to make exclamatory sentences with nouns or adjectives (or both together), such as: "what a big animal it is" etc. I don't know how to build exclamatory sentence with a main verb, for ...
- 26.9k
0
votes
2
answers
7k
views
Could it be a negative exclamatory sentence?
I learnt about the 4 types of sentences: declarative, interrogative, exclamatory, imperative. I remember that declarative, interrogative and exclamatory can be either positive or negative. But I don't ...
- 26.9k
0
votes
2
answers
67
views
Correct grammar...article "a"
Somebody can explain me the difference between these two sentences:
"What a wonderful day?"
and
"What wonderful day?"
Actually I'm not sure if those ones are written in a correct way, I think ...
- 3
1
vote
1
answer
84
views
How to better translate "et voilá" from french?
In English, there is an expression that sound's like Ta-Da or Ta-Taan or Ta-Daaan
It's is the same meaning as the French expression as et-voilá?
If yes how do you correctly spell it?
If not what ...
- 131
1
vote
1
answer
252
views
Is [How kind she is to take care of Tony!] correct? [closed]
I found a sentence in my grammar book for Junior high school students in Japanese as follows;
How kind she is to take care of Tony!
The book explains that this sentence means ”she is so nice,
...
- 11
2
votes
2
answers
1k
views
What's the difference between the exclamations "what" and "how"
What's the difference between:
What a rude person you are!
How rude you are!
How rude of a person you are!
How rude of you!
Which one is correct? Please give me some elaboration so I can understand, ...
5
votes
1
answer
40k
views
It's great vs this is great vs that is great
There are too many hotels in our city. It's great!
Or this is great ?
Or that is great ?
What is the best to say here?
When does we say each ?
Thank you
- 2,089
1
vote
1
answer
94
views
Is "tripe" also used as a single-word exclamation?
I'd like to know whether a construction with "Tripe!" as for example in
"He is very active on StackExchange!" "Tripe! He doesn't even know about the existence of StackExchange!"
is possible and ...
0
votes
1
answer
190
views
Exclamatory 'how'
We use 'how' in exclamatory sentences, generally in this structure:
How + adjective/adverb (subject + verb), as in :
How gorgeous she is!
What about this sentence?
How you've grown!
How I ...
- 717
1
vote
1
answer
156
views
Where to insert the exclamation mark
Where would I insert an exclamation mark and a comma in the below sentence?
"Look at that boy" he exclaimed.
- 21
1
vote
3
answers
2k
views
Other pronouns with "Boy, am I tired"
Would this emphatic expression be used with other pronouns and other tenses?
Boy, am I tired!
Would you give an example for each tense. An example for all cases would be best but not necessary. ...
- 5,918
5
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Is "Poor them, who hate chocolates" grammatical?
Poor them, who hate chocolates. – V.V.
This message was posted a bit ago on Language Overflow, and proved to be more interesting than usual. I wonder if it's grammatical, strictly speaking.
...
- 7,351
2
votes
2
answers
7k
views
Meaning of holy cow and holy $h!t
What do the words holy cow and holy shit mean? I have read them in dramas and online articles. Are they offensive? Is it normal for a person to use it?
user30777
1
vote
3
answers
3k
views
"What a beautiful are your works" vs "How beautiful are your works"
What is the difference in the meaning in the two following sentences?
a) "What a beautiful are your works!"
b) "How beautiful are your works!"
The context: I see my friend in his exposition of ...
- 26.9k
-1
votes
1
answer
30k
views
Does the sentence "Aren't they pretty!" mean "They are pretty."? [closed]
Does the sentence "Aren't they pretty!" mean "They are pretty."?
- 2,389
2
votes
3
answers
6k
views
May I use "wtf" with a non-question? -- "wtf I just watched."
I know that usually people write:
"wtf did I just watch?"
But is "wtf I just watched" a correct English sentence as "I just watched" is a correct English sentence and adding wtf should not make ...
- 121
2
votes
2
answers
1k
views
What does 'on earth' mean?
I have a query about the meaning of 'on earth'.
Here is an example.
What on earth are you doing under the table?
At here, what is the purpose of 'on earth'?
- 215
1
vote
1
answer
2k
views
Is "How beautiful are the flowers!" old-fasiond?
In Practical English Usage, Swan says
Have you got a surprise coming!
and
Was I mad!
are spoken American English and exclamations with ‘how’ or ‘what’ are old-fashioned, but I want to ask you ...
- 1,514
1
vote
1
answer
75
views
Can you help me define parts of the sentence in these sentences?
Some of them don't even have predicates. I simply don't understand how to distinguish parts of speech here.
What a still perfect day!
No sound! A lovely evening. Then the first stars.
user11312
6
votes
5
answers
4k
views
Should I say a question is "very long" or "large" or "big" or "huge"?
Someone asked a question with lots of content, and I said wow a very long question after hearing his question. Was that OK? Later I was wondering which one I should use:
wow a very long question
wow ...
- 255
0
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Is that real vs Really
Is that real.
Really.
When you hear a unbelievable thing, can I say both of them?
- 1,377
1
vote
2
answers
144
views
Is "I know >how many< evils the world is riddled with" exclamative?
I now know how many evils the world is riddled with.
Is this like,
How many evils the world is riddled with!
namely, an exclamation sentence?
user2492
1
vote
2
answers
5k
views
Punctuation used in the celebration of a festival. (full stop vs exclamation mark)
Please tell me the difference between these two example letters:
(1).
Dear teachers,
Happy New Year!
sender's name
(2).
Dear teachers,
Happy New Year.
sender's name
If a student used an exclamation ...
- 5,585
7
votes
2
answers
13k
views
Did I ever! -- what does this emphatic statement exactly mean when you say it?
Example:
— Did you see how Bill came in to work this morning?
— Did I ever! Boy, was he hot under the collar!
— What brought that on?
— He said that he was extremely angry because he got ...
- 37.4k
1
vote
3
answers
22k
views
Is it wrong to say "How beautiful a girl she is!"?
Is it wrong to say
How beautiful a girl she is!
- 2,983