Modern English part II—Sentence & Complex Structures

Exercises for Non-native Speakers

1-2 EXCLAMATORY SENTENCES

pp. 4~5

Exclamations may begin what or how.

What—a noun ends the exclamatory phrase
What delicious fruit this is!1
What delicious pineapples these are!
What a delicious pineapple this is!
How—an adjective or adverb ends the exclamatory phrase
How graceful she is!
How gracefully she dances!
The subject and the verb in an exclamatory sentence retain normal word order
except in poetic or literary—How green was my valley!

Change the following statements to exclamations. Begin with what， what a

or how. Be sure to put the subject before the verb.
EXAMPLE: a. You must cook the meat very slowly.
Cook the meat very slowly.
b. You shouldn’t do your homework when you’re tired.
Don’t do your homework when you’re tired.
c. We should take a break soon.
Let’s take a break soon.

1. He has just made a stupid remark.

What a stupid remark he has just made!
2. The store was crowded yesterday.
How crowded the store was yesterday!
3. The fire was put out quickly.
How quickly the fire was put out!
4. She wears old-fashioned clothes.
What old-fashioned clothes she wears!
5. The children are behaving well today.
How well the children are behaving today!

1
An exclamatory sentence may also end with a period—What delicious food
this is. The period lessons the impact of the exclamation.
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 Modern English part II—Sentence & Complex Structures
Exercises for Non-native Speakers
1-2 EXCLAMATORY SENTENCES

6. He has told an amusing story.

What an amusing story he has told!
7. The plane is going fast.
How fast the plane is going!
8. A terrible mistake has been made.
What a terrible mistake has been made!
9. He is an extraordinary man.
What an extraordinary man he is!
10. This author has written many books.2
How many books this author has written!
11. He has spent much money for those flowers.
How much money he has spent for those flowers!
12. He has behaved badly toward you.
How badly he has behaved toward you!
13. This lesson is difficult.
How difficult this lesson is!
14. Much work was done for nothing.
How much work was done for nothing!
15. He is riding in an old car.3
What an old car he is riding in!
16. She lives in a large city.
What a large city she lives in!

2
Use how with much, many.
3
A preposition that is part of the exclamatory phrase usually appears in final
position—What terrible trouble he is in!
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