Use an exclamation point to end a sentence that expresses surprise, strong emotion, a command, or emphasis. It replaces the period, so it never stands next to another mark at the end of a sentence, and you should use it sparingly: in formal and business writing, hardly at all.
The exclamation point (also called the exclamation mark) may not be used as often in daily writing as its "siblings", the period and the question mark. Yet it is just as present in our daily lives. As an international symbol of attention or danger, it appears on all kinds of signs, including traffic signs. If that is not a reason to take a closer look at this punctuation mark, what is?
What the exclamation point is used for
In casual writing and in fiction, the exclamation point expresses different things:
- surprise
- emotion
- commands
- emphasis
Sentences of the first two kinds are called exclamations, which is where the punctuation mark gets its name.
It does not matter whether you are writing dialogue in a story or an email to a friend: an exclamation point always conveys a strong emotion, such as anger or joy, or surprise. Here are some examples:
Ah! There you are!
You can't be serious!
An exclamation point after a command quickly sets up a certain hierarchy. When you end a command with an exclamation point, you make its importance clear. On the other hand, it can also make you sound rude and condescending:
Close the window!
Websites and advertising often use exclamation points for sentences that should stick with the reader or the potential customer. That way, headlines, opening or closing sentences, and other key sentences are marked as carrying special emphasis. Here is an example:
New and innovative! This product will exceed all your expectations!
Where the exclamation point goes
An exclamation point marks the end of a sentence. It therefore replaces the period, and in formal writing it does not appear together with another punctuation mark at the end of a sentence. (In informal writing, you will sometimes see it combined with a question mark, as in "You did what?!", but keep that out of formal texts.)
Compare the same sentence with a period and with an exclamation point. The first one simply states a fact; the second one shows excitement:
I can't believe he's coming over.
I can't believe he's coming over!
In the right context, an exclamation point can also replace the comma after an interjection at the start of a sentence. The interjection then becomes a short sentence of its own:
Wow, that was fast.
Wow! That was fast.
When an exclamation point meets a closing quotation mark, it goes inside the quotation marks if it belongs to the quoted words. Do punctuation marks go inside or outside quotation marks? explains the details.
Do not overuse the exclamation point
As with many good things, if you use it too often, it becomes a bad thing.
Too many exclamation points make you look overexcited or undisciplined at best. At worst, they make it seem as if the writer has no idea what they want to say. An exclamation point in every sentence puts emphasis on too many things, and that takes the emphasis away from what really matters.
This is why you should avoid exclamation points in formal and business writing. Even in casual writing, use them sparingly and only when there is a good reason.
The inverted exclamation point
Spanish has an inverted version of the exclamation point (¡). It goes at the beginning of an exclamation, so the reader knows right away how to read the sentence. In a mixed sentence that contains both a statement and an exclamation, the inverted mark goes at the beginning of the exclamation, not at the beginning of the whole sentence:
¡Estás loco! (You're crazy!)
Hay un concierto cerca, ¡será increíble! (There's a concert nearby. It will be amazing!)
To type the inverted exclamation point without a Spanish keyboard on Windows, hold down the Alt key and type 0161 on the number pad. On a Mac, press Option and 1. The question mark has an inverted twin as well, which the guide to the question mark explains.