Narration of Exclamatory Sentences

Rules, Examples and Practice Exercises

1. What Is an Exclamatory Sentence?

An exclamatory sentence expresses a strong feeling or emotion, such as joy, sorrow, surprise, admiration, regret, or disgust. It usually ends with an exclamation mark (!).

Examples:

• “Hurrah! We have won the match!”

• “Alas! I have lost my purse!”

• “What a beautiful flower!”

• “How clever she is!”

• “Oh! I made a mistake!”

In Direct Speech, we report the exact words of the speaker. In Indirect Speech, we report the meaning and emotion without repeating the exact words.

Direct Speech: He said, “Hurrah! I have won the prize!”

Indirect Speech: He exclaimed with joy that he had won the prize.

2. General Rules for Changing Exclamatory Sentences into Indirect Speech

Follow these rules when converting an exclamatory sentence into indirect speech.

1. Remove the quotation marks and the exclamation mark used in the direct speech.

2. Change the reporting verb “said” or “said to” into a suitable reporting verb, such as exclaimed, exclaimed with joy, exclaimed with sorrow, or exclaimed with surprise.

3. Use “that” to introduce the reported statement when appropriate.

4. Change pronouns according to the speaker and the context.

5. Change the tense when required, especially when the reporting verb is in the past.

6. Change time and place expressions when necessary.

7. Change the exclamatory sentence into a statement with normal word order.

8. Use a full stop at the end of the indirect sentence.

Important: Choose the reporting verb according to the emotion expressed in the original sentence.

3. Common Reporting Verbs for Exclamatory Sentences

Emotion	Reporting verb or expression
Joy or happiness	Exclaimed with joy
Sorrow or grief	Exclaimed with sorrow
Surprise	Exclaimed with surprise
Admiration	Exclaimed with admiration
Regret	Exclaimed with regret
Disgust	Exclaimed with disgust
General strong feeling	Exclaimed

Examples:

Direct: He said, “Hurrah! We have won!”

Indirect: He exclaimed with joy that they had won.

Direct: She said, “Alas! I have failed.”

Indirect: She exclaimed with sorrow that she had failed.

Direct: He said, “What a wonderful painting!”

Indirect: He exclaimed with admiration that it was a wonderful painting.

4. Rules for Different Types of Exclamatory Sentences

Rule 1: Sentences Expressing Joy

When a sentence expresses happiness, pleasure, or victory, use “exclaimed with joy.”

Structure:

Subject + exclaimed with joy + that + reported statement.

Examples:

1. Direct: The boys said, “Hurrah! We have won the match!”

   Indirect: The boys exclaimed with joy that they had won the match.

2. Direct: She said, “Hurrah! I have passed the examination!”

   Indirect: She exclaimed with joy that she had passed the examination.

3. Direct: They said, “Hurrah! Our team is the champion!”

   Indirect: They exclaimed with joy that their team was the champion.

4. Direct: He said, “What a wonderful day!”

   Indirect: He exclaimed with joy that it was a wonderful day.

Rule 2: Sentences Expressing Sorrow

When a sentence expresses grief, sadness, or disappointment, use “exclaimed with sorrow.”

Structure:

Subject + exclaimed with sorrow + that + reported statement.

Examples:

1. Direct: He said, “Alas! I have lost my wallet!”

   Indirect: He exclaimed with sorrow that he had lost his wallet.

2. Direct: She said, “Alas! My friend has left the city!”

   Indirect: She exclaimed with sorrow that her friend had left the city.

Rule 3: Sentences Expressing Surprise

When the speaker expresses surprise or astonishment, use “exclaimed with surprise.”

Examples:

1. Direct: He said, “What a beautiful house!”

   Indirect: He exclaimed with surprise that it was a very beautiful house.st.

2. Direct: They said, “What a huge building!”

   Indirect: They exclaimed with surprise that it was a very huge building.

3. Direct: He said, “Oh! You are here!”

   Indirect: He exclaimed with surprise that I was there.

Note: Depending on the context, admiration may be more suitable than surprise. The reporting verb should reflect the intended emotion.

Rule 4: Sentences Expressing Admiration

When the speaker praises someone or something, use “exclaimed with admiration.”

Examples:

1. Direct: She said, “What a beautiful flower!”

   Indirect: She exclaimed with admiration that it was a beautiful flower.

2. Direct: He said, “How intelligent the boy is!”

   Indirect: He exclaimed with admiration that the boy was very intelligent.

3. Direct: The teacher said, “What a brilliant answer!”

   Indirect: The teacher exclaimed with admiration that it was a brilliant answer.

4. Direct: She said, “How beautifully she sings!”

   Indirect: She exclaimed with admiration that she sang very beautifully.

Rule 5: Sentences Beginning with “What”

In exclamatory sentences, “what” is often used to express admiration, surprise, or another strong emotion.

Examples:

1. Direct: He said, “What a lovely garden!”

   Indirect: He exclaimed with admiration that it was a lovely garden.

2. Direct: She said, “What an interesting story!”

   Indirect: She exclaimed with admiration that it was an interesting story.

3. Direct: They said, “What a difficult question!”

   Indirect: They exclaimed with surprise that it was a very difficult question.

4. Direct: He said, “What a foolish mistake I have made!”

   Indirect: He exclaimed with regret that he had made a very foolish mistake.

Rule: Remove the exclamatory structure beginning with “What” and report the meaning as a statement.

Rule 6: Sentences Beginning with “How”

“How” is commonly used in exclamatory sentences to express a quality or manner.

Examples:

1. Direct: He said, “How beautiful the moon is!”

   Indirect: He exclaimed with admiration that the moon was very beautiful.

2. Direct: She said, “How clever the girl is!”

   Indirect: She exclaimed with admiration that the girl was very clever.

3. Direct: They said, “How quickly the time passes!”

   Indirect: They exclaimed with surprise that time passed very quickly.

4. Direct: He said, “How carelessly I have acted!”

   Indirect: He exclaimed with regret that he had acted very carelessly.

Rule: Change the exclamatory structure into a statement. The word “how” is often replaced by an appropriate expression such as “very” or “extremely,” depending on the meaning.

Rule 7: Sentences Beginning with “Alas”

“Alas” expresses sorrow, grief, or regret. It is generally replaced by a reporting expression such as “exclaimed with sorrow.”

Examples:

1. Direct: He said, “Alas! I have lost my job!”

   Indirect: He exclaimed with sorrow that he had lost his job.

2. Direct: She said, “Alas! My pet is