(For CLASSIC LINGUISHTIK only)
Any sentence that has an “!” at the end is considered exclamatory.
Interjections* are punctuated in one of two ways: there must be an “!” either (1) behind the interjection or (2) at the end of the sentence.
! after the interjection: Ouch! The boys threw the ball at me.
! at the end of the sentence: Ouch, the boys threw the ball at me!
If an interjection has the “!” behind it, then the sentence following it can be a question, a declarative sentence (any pattern or structure), an imperative sentence, or an exclamatory sentence. Here are some examples of each type of following sentence:
Exclamatory following sentence: Ouch! The boys threw the ball at me!
Interrogative following sentence: Ouch! Why did the boys throw that ball at me?
Declarative following sentence: Ouch! I’m not going to let those boys throw that ball at me.
Imperative following sentence: Ouch! Don’t throw that ball at me again.
Note: An imperative sentence may end in either a period or an exclamation point. The key is that it has an understood subject (you) and is a command or request.
*In LINGUISHTIK, a word is an interjection only if it is listed as one in the official dictionary. The dictionary may also say the word may be “used interjectionally” – that is acceptable, as well.