Like ellipses, exclamation marks are often over-used by enthusiastic writers. When we want to add a sense of urgency or excitement to our writing, like spices in a recipe, a little goes a long way.
Exclamation marks are most commonly used to close an emphatic declaration. For example: My home town is so small it isn't even on a Google map!
They're also used with interjections, like "Great!" and imperatives or commands, like "Slow down! Stop!" Note that a period is not required if an exclamation mark closes a sentence.
Generally, exclamation points should be reserved for informal writing.
My position on exclaiming is best illustrated by the story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Remember that? The first time he cried out to warn the town about a lurking wolf, he was just kidding around. The second time, ditto. But when a real wolf appeared, his cries for help went unheeded. Everyone was accustomed to his false alarms, and paid no attention.
Well the same can be said for over-using the exclamation mark. Use one, and your reader understands that your words are meant to express excitement! Use another one, and the excitement continues! By the time the third one appears, the sense of urgency you hoped to convey is starting to wane!
Using any more than three--unless you're crafting a pretty intense thriller--is usually just silly!
If you must, you can use more than one exclamation mark at a time to end to express an intense
degree of emotion!!! But, again, not in formal writing, please!
You can also use exclamation marks (!) within sentences. In this example, the exclamation mark inside parentheses is meant to emphasize the words "exclamation marks."
And if you want a single word or a phrase to express emotion, you can use parentheses or dashes to set them off from the rest of the sentence, and insert an exclamation mark.
Here are some examples:
The air teemed with rain--buckets of it!--and we were soaked through instantly.
You should watch your speed (it's only 30 mph!) on that stretch of road.
Sometimes you'll see an exclamation mark used together with a question mark. Do you really think this is a good idea?! Maybe, again, in some types of informal writing.
Lastly, exclamation marks are useful in expressing sarcasm. I hope you found this posting exceptionally (!) illuminating!
Serena Janes
serenajanes.com
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