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.

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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 ...
user516076's user avatar
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8 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 ...
Michael Rybkin's user avatar
7 votes
3 answers
678 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 ...
kimweonill's user avatar
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 ...
Shaiful Islam's user avatar
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 ...
MJ Ada's user avatar
  • 247
5 votes
1 answer
42k 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
Gamal Thomas's user avatar
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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. ...
M.A.R.'s user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
158 views

Exclamatives or Free relatives

  "Tell us," said Mahony pertly to the man, "how many have you yourself?"   The man smiled as before and said that when he was our age he had lots of sweethearts.   ...
Listenever's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
202 views

Is 'poltroon' omitted after the word 'made'?

Here's a sample from 'Jane Eyre': I now stood in the empty hall; before me was the breakfast-room door, and I stopped, intimidated and trembling. What a miserable little poltroon had fear, ...
Listenever's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
2k 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, ...
Mayna Shafarina's user avatar
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?
user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
161 views

This seems not a question but what is it?

"And if I find you have broken your promise to me and to God, I will reveal your crime to your victims."    "And they will kill me. Good work, Father."    "As far as I can ...
Listenever's user avatar
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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 ...
mughees ilyas's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
115 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 ...
Learning Equals Success's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
166 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 "...
Altaf Jahangir's user avatar
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'?
gmotree's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
100 views

How would I want to see you!

How would I want to see you! Does this mean "Oh boy, do I want to see you!"? Is it also possible to say... How beautiful would you be in this dress! to mean "Oh, you would look so beautiful in ...
user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
3k views

Is "Was I surprised!" a question sentence or a exclamatory sentence?

I encountered the following sentences in a picture book: "Something is crying, Minneapolis Simpkin," I said to myself. "I will find out what it is." I looked in the bushes. Was I surprised! "...
user48070's user avatar
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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 ...
ogbu chika's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
841 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 ...
Virtuous Legend's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
562 views

How to express the body organs in pair with exclamation?

We often express exclamation like this - Wow, what a car! How do we express the body parts in pair in such way? Wow, what sexy legs she has! Or Wow, what a pair of sexy legs she has? This ...
Maulik V's user avatar
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1 vote
3 answers
4k 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 ...
Virtuous Legend's user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
3k 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. ...
learner's user avatar
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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 ...
kitty's user avatar
  • 5,585
1 vote
1 answer
4k views

here comes/there goes-like structures [closed]

When I read the present simple unit I came across with the Present Simple structure. There was here comes, there goes, etc. The Present Progressive tense is unacceptable in such structures (like here ...
Dmitrii Bundin's user avatar
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 (...
Michael's user avatar
  • 3,428
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?
user avatar
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!
April's user avatar
  • 3,023
1 vote
1 answer
176 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 ...
Rucheer M's user avatar
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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 ...
karlalou's user avatar
  • 1,522
1 vote
1 answer
1k 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 ...
Ritwik Bhattacharyya's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
88 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 ...
SuperAtic's user avatar
  • 131
1 vote
1 answer
188 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.
user51621's user avatar
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.
user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
427 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 ...
user110167's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
256 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, ...
Reina's user avatar
  • 11
1 vote
1 answer
105 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 ...
mondegreen dispenser's user avatar
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 (...
Loviii's user avatar
  • 4,232
0 votes
1 answer
181 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, ...
Maulik V's user avatar
  • 66.1k
0 votes
1 answer
131 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 ...
Muuu Mu's user avatar
  • 137
0 votes
1 answer
63 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
gomadeng's user avatar
  • 4,306
0 votes
2 answers
104 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 ...
navii's user avatar
  • 3
0 votes
2 answers
782 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 ...
user516076's user avatar
  • 5,012
0 votes
2 answers
234 views

Exclamation with "What or How"

How does it say correctly with exclamation? How she looks! or What she looks!
Boyep's user avatar
  • 1,408
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?
user73963's user avatar
  • 1,387
0 votes
1 answer
30 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. ...
azz's user avatar
  • 2,927
0 votes
1 answer
25 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 "...
U13-Forward's user avatar
  • 2,107
0 votes
1 answer
74 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! ...
Jones's user avatar
  • 614
0 votes
1 answer
38 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 ...
zenith3's user avatar
  • 947
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 ...
Virtuous Legend's user avatar