Contents
Exclamatory sentences
Exclamatory sentences start with “What” and “How”
- Exclamatory sentences express strong emotions like, Surprise (What a shocking news!), Joy (How happy I am!), Anger (What a terrible mistake!), Admiration (How beautiful this painting is!).
- They often begin with “What” or “How” and end with an exclamation mark (!).
- These sentences add emphasis and intensity to language, making it more expressive and dramatic.
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Exclamatory Sentences with “What”
“What” is used to emphasize a noun (a person, place, thing, or idea).
Structure – What + (a/an) + Adjective + Noun + (Subject + Verb)!
Examples
- What a beautiful sunset!
- What an amazing performance!
- What a terrible mistake!
- What a terrible mistake!
- What a delicious cake!
- What an interesting book!
Key Rules: Exclamatory Sentences with “What”
- Use “a” before consonant sounds
Example: What a wonderful day!
That’s a fantastic car!
What a lovely garden!
He’s a great singer!
That’s a beautiful picture!
- Use “an” before vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u)
Example: What an incredible idea!
He’s an excellent doctor
What an incredible achievement!
That’s an interesting story!
What an amazing opportunity!
- For plural nouns, omit “a/an”.
Example: What beautiful flowers! (Not What a beautiful flower!)
These are great shoes!
What delicious cookies!
Those are wonderful memories!
These are amazing views!
Common Mistakes & Corrections:
- Incorrect – What a great news! (News is uncountable)
Correct – What great news! - Incorrect – What an lovely dress! (“Lovely” starts with consonant sound)
Correct – What a lovely dress!
Exclamatory Sentences with “How
“How” is used to emphasize an adjective (description) or adverb (action modifier).
Structure – How + Adjective/Adverb + Subject + Verb!
Examples
- How clever you are!
- How fast he runs!
- How delicious this cake is!
- How amazing her talent is!
- How quickly he finished the project!
Key Rules: Exclamatory Sentences with “How“
- Always includes a subject and verb (unlike “What” sentences, which sometimes drop them).
- Cannot be used with nouns directly:
- Incorrect – How a beautiful girl!
Correct – What a beautiful girl!
- Incorrect – How amazing movie!
Correct – What an amazing movie!
Common Mistakes & Corrections:
- Incorrect – How a lovely song!
Correct – What a lovely song! OR How lovely this song is! - Incorrect – How great the party was it!
Correct – How great the party was!
Comparison: “What” vs “How”
| “What” (Focus on Nouns) | “How” (Focus on Adjectives/Adverbs) |
| What a great song! | How great this song is! |
| What a stupid decision! | How stupid this decision is! |
| What an exciting match! | How exciting this match is! |
| What a delicious meal! | How delicious this meal is! |
| What a comfortable bed! | How comfortable this bed is! |
| What a terrible joke! | How terrible this joke is! |
| What an honest answer | How honest this answer is! |
| What a peaceful place! | How peaceful this place is! |
Key Differences: Exclamatory Sentences
- “What” + Noun (with a/an for singular).
- Correct – What a lovely dress!
- Correct – What lovely dresses! (plural)
- “How” + Adjective/Adverb (requires Subject + Verb).
- Correct – How lovely this dress is!
- Incorrect – How a lovely dress!
Key to remember: Exclamatory Sentences
- “What” always connects to a noun (with a/an for singular countable nouns)
- “How” always connects to an adjective/adverb and needs a subject + verb.
- Both structures express strong emotion and end with “!”
Common Mistakes & Corrections
- Incorrect – How a lovely dress!
Correct – What a lovely dress!
- Incorrect – What smart he is!
Correct – How smart he is!
- Incorrect – What delicious food is!
Correct – How delicious this food is!
Final Key Points: Exclamatory Sentences
Use “What” for nouns. (Example: What a brilliant idea!)
Use “How” for adjectives/adverbs. (Example: How brilliantly you explained!)
Always end with “!” to convey strong emotion.
Avoid mixing structures (Example: How a great movie! is wrong).
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