Punctuation (Exclamation Marks) 01

Exclamation marks are used for: interjections (Ouch!), commands (Sit down!) and to exclaim or show surprise/anger (That's your second warning!). Try to use a range of punctuation in your writing, including exclamation marks. But, be careful! Overuse of exclamation marks makes them lose their effect!

I love writing! It's my favourite thing! When I wake up in the morning, I grab my notebook from the desk, SLAP! it down and just begin writing! If I'm feeling inspired, I can keep writing for half an hour! And all that before I even think of having breakfast!

Are you exhausted yet from reading that? Besides using exclamation marks for commands and interjections, you can use them sparingly to emphasise the suddenness of an event, the strength of an emotional reaction or the loudness of a sound. It's fine, of course, to use more exclamation marks when writing informally, such as in messages to friends, but they become less effective in more formal writing. Spending more time using words to express your meaning will help you be less reliant on exclamation marks.

Nevertheless, it is important to know how to use them correctly, so try this quiz for practice.