Exclamatory Sentence

An exclamatory sentence is a sentence that expresses strong emotions or feelings and ends with an exclamation mark: 

Examples: 

"Oh, no!"

"What a large dog!"

"I don't want to go to the beach!" "You're really funny!"

"The novel was so boring!" 

"I am so excited to go on vacation!"

"That was a close call!"

"What a strange place to live!" "How beautiful the scenery is here!" 

"There's a moose in the backyard!" "That football game was so exciting!" 

"I can't believe that you just said that!"

"That mime shouldn't be talking!"

Exclamatory sentences are often used to express joy, a command given with emotion, or some other phrase. 

They can make your voice get a little louder and your pitch a little higher with excitement, fear, or even disbelief.

What a fantastic performance!

How amazing that was!

I can’t believe we won the game!

That was such a thrilling ride!

What a beautiful dress you’re wearing!

How exciting to see you here!

I’m so proud of you!

What an incredible achievement!

How wonderful to hear that news!

That’s the best birthday gift ever!

What a relief to finally finish the project!

 Exclamatory Sentences Starting with "What" and "How"

"What" and "how" can be used to form exclamatory sentences.

·        What a goal that was!

·        How wonderful she is!

The most commonly cited examples are from Little Red Riding Hood:

·        What big eyes you have!

·        How sharp your teeth are, grandma!

Notice that, in all four examples above, the word order is still subject-verb

("that was," "she is," "you have," "your teeth are").

The front part of each sentence (i.e., the part starting with "what" or "how" seems out of place).

This is deliberate. It is called anastrophe, which is the deliberate changing of normal word order for emphasis.
Of course, the words "what" and "how" are most commonly used to ask questions (i.e., in interrogative sentences).

For example:

·        What is the dog doing?

(In this example, "what" is an interrogative pronoun.)

·        How are you?

(In this example, "how" is an interrogative adverb.)

Real-Life Examples of Exclamatory Sentences

·        You make the beds, you do the dishes and six months later you have to start all over again. I hate housework! (Comedian Joan Rivers)

·        It's alive! It's alive! (Dr Frankenstein)

An exclamatory sentence is often preceded by an interjection (shown in bold):

·        Jeepers, you're actually up before lunch!

(Interjections can be followed by a comma for a mild effect.)

·        Wow! That's amazing!

(Interjections can be followed by an exclamation mark for a strong effect.)

·        Oh! Most miserable wretch that I am! Why have I not learnt how to swim? (Alexander the Great, aka Alexander III of Macedon)

Be aware that not every sentence that ends with an exclamation mark is an exclamatory sentence.

·        Shut the front door!

(This is an imperative sentence (i.e., an order). An imperative sentence often ends with an exclamation mark to make the order more forceful. Of interest, "Shut the front door!" could be an exclamatory sentence because nowadays it is often used as a synonym for "No way!".)

·        Where's the dog!

(This is an interrogative sentence (i.e., a question), but there is no question mark because the need to express emotion trumps the need to highlight it as a question. Unless you're texting your mates, don't use "?!" or "!?".)