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Use of exclamation mark

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Use of exclamation mark Empty Use of exclamation mark

Post by Kangas Tue Nov 13, 2012 10:37 am

Considering the pair of languages I work with (English and Portuguese), I must say that this is a very important issue for those who deal with these two languages. In Portuguese the exclamation mark is used often, while in English is discouraged and not used at all in a formal speech. So as you can easily imagine, this fact may lead to difficulties using the exclamation mark correctly.

Once again, I will used University of Essex, by Larry Trask as reference for this study.

  • Exclamation mark

    In English, the exclamation mark is used:

    1. at the end of a sentece that expresses a very strong feeling. It's also unformally called as bang or shriek.
      Example: That's horrible!
    2. in sentences starting with what or how, but only when these are exclamations not statements.
      Example: How well behaved his daughter is! (His daughter is very well behaved. - statement)
    3. to draw attention to an interruption.
      Example: He's a very good professional, but sometimes (rarely!) he makes mistakes.


    NOTE: Avoid using exlamation mark in formal writing and generally, only use it when you really need to do so. NEVER use two or three exclamation marks in a row.


Kangas

Source: University of Essex
Kangas
Kangas

Posts : 281
Join date : 2008-10-23
Age : 47
Location : Sydney - Australia

http://www.updatedwords.com

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