What Is an Exclamation Mark (!)?
Period (.) goes at the end of declarative sentences; question mark (?) goes at the end of interrogative sentences; and exclamation mark (!) goes at the end of exclamatory sentences. An exclamatory sentence is one that expresses a strong or forceful emotion, such as anger, surprise, or joy. In short, exclamation mark is used to convey emotion and intent that can be expressed through the tone if spoken. However, it should not be used in formal and business writing; rather vivid vocabulary should be used to express emotions.
Examples:
- What a car you have!
- Get out of my sight!
- How rude!
- Careful! That spider is poisonous.
Put the exclamation mark inside the closing quotation marks and parenthesis, if it applies to the words enclosed by the quotation marks and parenthesis.
Examples:
- “There’s a cockroach on my leg!” cried Janet.
- Janet didn’t find out until later what kind of creepy insect it was (a big cockroach!).
- If the exclamation point applies to the sentence as a whole, then place it at the very end.
Examples:
- And then mother tried to tell Janet it was “only a cockroach”!
- His prayers answered and he won the lottery (now)!