Section 1 The Exclamation Point Pages 13-14

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Section 1The Exclamation PointPages 13-14
OST164 Text Editing Applications
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The Exclamation Point - 119

• The exclamation point is an emotional mark of
  punctuation that is most often found in sales and
  advertising copy. Avoid using it wherever
  possible.

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The Exclamation Point - 119 a

• Use an exclamation point at the end of a sentence
  to indicate enthusiasm, surprise, disbelief,
  urgency, or strong feelings. Leave only 1 space
  between it and the next sentence.
• Yes! Were selling our entire inventory below
  costs!
• Doors open at 9 a.m.! Lets roll!
• No! I dont believe that!
• When I told Sid what had happened, all he said
  was, Youve got to be kidding!

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The Exclamation Point - 119 b-c

• An exclamation point may be used in place of a
  question mark to express strong feeling.
• How could you do that!
• What made you think Id welcome a call at 230
  a.m.!
• What did I tell you!

The exclamation point may be enclosed in
parentheses and place directly after a word that
the writer wants to emphasize. We won
exclusive(!) distribution rights in the Western
Hemisphere.
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The Exclamation Point - 120

• (a) A single word may be followed by an
  exclamation point to express intense feelings.
  The sentence that follows it is capitalized and
  punctuated as usual. Wow! What a great job.
• (b) When a word is repeated for emphasis, an
  exclamation point should follow each repetition.
  Going! Going! Our bargains are gone!
• (c) When exclamations are mild, a comma or a
  period is sufficient. Well, well, things
  could be worse.
• No. I wont accept those conditions.