Year 1 English: Exclamation marks: surprise and strong feeling
Part of the Year 1 English questions and exclamations chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page · Download worksheet (PDF) · Answers (PDF)
Exclamation marks: surprise and strong feeling
An exclamation mark (!) shows a strong feeling. We use one when we are surprised, excited, happy or hurt, or when we say something loudly.
Some exclamations are one word: Wow! Yippee! Oh no! Others are whole sentences: I won the race!
Use an exclamation mark only when the feeling is strong. Most sentences end with a full stop.
Key ideas
- An exclamation mark (!) shows a strong feeling.
- Words such as wow, yippee and oh no often end with an exclamation mark.
- Surprise, excitement, joy and hurt are strong feelings.
- Use ! only for strong feelings. Most sentences end with a full stop.
Key words. An exclamation mark (!) ends a sentence that shows a strong feeling.
Method. Decide what the sentence does, then choose its end mark.
- Read the sentence aloud. Listen to what it is saying.Wow
- Decide what it does. It shows a strong feeling, so it ends with an exclamation mark.It is showing a strong feeling.
- Add the end mark. The exclamation mark goes straight after the last word.Wow!
Check. Read it aloud. It sounds excited or strong. ✓
Watch out. Use an exclamation mark only for a strong feeling. Most sentences do not need one.
Key words. An exclamation mark (!) ends a sentence that shows a strong feeling.
Method. Decide what the sentence does, then choose its end mark.
- Read the sentence aloud. Listen to what it is saying.I won the race
- Decide what it does. It shows a strong feeling, so it ends with an exclamation mark.It is showing a strong feeling.
- Add the end mark. The exclamation mark goes straight after the last word.I won the race!
Check. Read it aloud. It sounds excited or strong. ✓
Watch out. Use an exclamation mark only for a strong feeling. Most sentences do not need one.
Key words. An exclamation mark (!) ends a sentence that shows a strong feeling.
Method. Look at the end of each sentence. Ask what each one does.
- Read both sentences. Look at the end of each one.A: The bus is red. B: Yippee, the bus is here!
- Decide what the right one does. It shows a strong feeling, so it ends with an exclamation mark.It is showing a strong feeling.
- Pick the sentence with the right end mark. The other one has the wrong end mark for what it does.B: Yippee, the bus is here!
Check. Read both out loud. It sounds excited or strong. ✓
Watch out. Look at the end of the sentence, and ask what it does.
Watch out
Watch out: do not put an exclamation mark after every sentence. The cat sat on the mat. only tells us something, so it needs a full stop. Use one exclamation mark, not several.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Act out a feeling together, such as surprise, a big smile or a happy cheer. Ask: “What mark shows that feeling?” Then write the word with its exclamation mark, such as Hooray!
Exercise 7C Surprise and strong feelings
Key words. An exclamation mark (!) ends a sentence that shows a strong feeling.
Method. Read the sentence first, then decide what it does.
- Read the sentence, leaving out its end mark. Look at what the words say.Yippee ___
- Decide what it does. It shows a strong feeling, so it ends with an exclamation mark.It is showing a strong feeling.
- Name the mark. Each end mark has its own name.exclamation mark (!)
Check. Add the mark to the end and read it aloud. It sounds excited or strong. ✓
Watch out. Use an exclamation mark only for a strong feeling. Most sentences do not need one.
Key words. An exclamation mark (!) ends a sentence that shows a strong feeling.
Method. Decide what the sentence does, then choose its end mark.
- Read the sentence aloud. Listen to what it is saying.Hooray, we won
- Decide what it does. It shows a strong feeling, so it ends with an exclamation mark.It is showing a strong feeling.
- Add the end mark. The exclamation mark goes straight after the last word.Hooray, we won!
Check. Read it aloud. It sounds excited or strong. ✓
Watch out. Use an exclamation mark only for a strong feeling. Most sentences do not need one.
Key words. An exclamation mark (!) ends a sentence that shows a strong feeling.
Method. Decide what the sentence does, then choose its end mark.
- Read the sentence aloud. Listen to what it is saying.Ouch
- Decide what it does. It shows a strong feeling, so it ends with an exclamation mark.It is showing a strong feeling.
- Add the end mark. The exclamation mark goes straight after the last word.Ouch!
Check. Read it aloud. It sounds excited or strong. ✓
Watch out. Use an exclamation mark only for a strong feeling. Most sentences do not need one.
Key words. A full stop (.) ends a sentence that tells something.
Method. Decide what the sentence does, then choose its end mark.
- Read the sentence aloud. Listen to what it is saying.The cat is sleeping
- Decide what it does. It tells us something, so it ends with a full stop.It is telling something.
- Add the end mark. The full stop goes straight after the last word.The cat is sleeping.
Check. Read it aloud. It sounds finished. ✓
Watch out. Most sentences end with a full stop. Do not use a question mark or exclamation mark just because the sentence is short.
Key words. An exclamation mark (!) ends a sentence that shows a strong feeling.
Method. Decide what the sentence does, then choose its end mark.
- Read the sentence aloud. Listen to what it is saying.Oh no
- Decide what it does. It shows a strong feeling, so it ends with an exclamation mark.It is showing a strong feeling.
- Add the end mark. The exclamation mark goes straight after the last word.Oh no!
Check. Read it aloud. It sounds excited or strong. ✓
Watch out. Use an exclamation mark only for a strong feeling. Most sentences do not need one.
Key words. An exclamation mark (!) ends a sentence that shows a strong feeling.
Method. Decide what the sentence does, then choose its end mark.
- Read the sentence aloud. Listen to what it is saying.Ouch, that hurt
- Decide what it does. It shows a strong feeling, so it ends with an exclamation mark.It is showing a strong feeling.
- Add the end mark. The exclamation mark goes straight after the last word.Ouch, that hurt!
Check. Read it aloud. It sounds excited or strong. ✓
Watch out. Use an exclamation mark only for a strong feeling. Most sentences do not need one.
Key words. A full stop (.) ends a sentence that tells something.
Method. Decide what the sentence does, then choose its end mark.
- Read the sentence aloud. Listen to what it is saying.The fish is red
- Decide what it does. It tells us something, so it ends with a full stop.It is telling something.
- Add the end mark. The full stop goes straight after the last word.The fish is red.
Check. Read it aloud. It sounds finished. ✓
Watch out. Most sentences end with a full stop. Do not use a question mark or exclamation mark just because the sentence is short.
Key words. An exclamation mark (!) ends a sentence that shows a strong feeling.
Method. Decide what the sentence does, then choose its end mark.
- Read the sentence aloud. Listen to what it is saying.Yippee
- Decide what it does. It shows a strong feeling, so it ends with an exclamation mark.It is showing a strong feeling.
- Add the end mark. The exclamation mark goes straight after the last word.Yippee!
Check. Read it aloud. It sounds excited or strong. ✓
Watch out. Use an exclamation mark only for a strong feeling. Most sentences do not need one.
Key words. An exclamation mark (!) ends a sentence that shows a strong feeling.
Method. Look at the end of each sentence. Ask what each one does.
- Read both sentences. Look at the end of each one.A: Dogs can run. B: I got a puppy!
- Decide what the right one does. It shows a strong feeling, so it ends with an exclamation mark.It is showing a strong feeling.
- Pick the sentence with the right end mark. The other one has the wrong end mark for what it does.B: I got a puppy!
Check. Read both out loud. It sounds excited or strong. ✓
Watch out. Look at the end of the sentence, and ask what it does.
Method. Think about how Ruby feels when she says it.
- Read what Ruby says. She is talking about her new bike.My new bike is here!
- Think about her feeling. She is happy and excited, which is a strong feeling.She is excited.
- Write the answer. She is excited, so she shows a strong feeling.
Check. Read it aloud with a big smile. It sounds excited. ✓
Watch out. A sentence can be short and still show a strong feeling.
Method. Think about whether the feeling is strong.
- Read what Tom says. Oh no is said when something goes wrong.Oh no
- Think about the feeling. Saying oh no shows a strong feeling, not a calm one.strong feeling
- Write the answer. Yes. Oh no shows a strong feeling.
Check. Say it loudly and then calmly. Only the loud way shows a strong feeling. ✓
Watch out. Oh no is an exclamation, so it needs an exclamation mark.
Method. Choose a word that shows a happy feeling.
- Think of a happy feeling. Happy feelings can be shown with a cheer.happy
- Choose a word that cheers. Words such as yippee, hooray and wow show a cheer.Yippee, Hooray, Wow
- Add the exclamation mark. Put the ! straight after the word.Yippee!
Check. Read it aloud with a big smile. It sounds happy. ✓
Watch out. Use only one exclamation mark after the word.
Method. Think about what the sentence tells us.
- Read the sentence. It tells us about a bus.The bus is red
- Think about the feeling. Telling us the colour of a bus is not a strong feeling.no strong feeling
- Write the answer. It tells something, so it needs a full stop.
Check. Read it aloud calmly. It sounds finished. ✓
Watch out. Do not use an exclamation mark just because the sentence is about something you like.
Key words. An exclamation mark (!) ends a sentence that shows a strong feeling.
Method. Decide what the sentence does, then choose its end mark.
- Read the sentence aloud. Listen to what it is saying.We won the match
- Decide what it does. It shows a strong feeling, so it ends with an exclamation mark.It is showing a strong feeling.
- Add the end mark. The exclamation mark goes straight after the last word.We won the match!
Check. Read it aloud. It sounds excited or strong. ✓
Watch out. Use an exclamation mark only for a strong feeling. Most sentences do not need one.