EXCLAMATION MARK

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EXCLAMATION MARK, also AmE exclamation point. The PUNCTUATION MARK (!). Its primary use is to show that a preceding word, phrase, or sentence is an EXCLAMATION or strong assertion: Of course!; No!; I won't do it!; Yes, you are! It indicates various emotions conveyed in the substance of the statement, such as surprise, disbelief, or dismay (You're joking!; What a silly way to behave!), wonder or admiration (What a good idea!; Aren't they beautiful!), personal feeling (I love you!; I hate them!); and pain or suffering (Ouch!; I'm so miserable!). It also indicates an instruction or command (Go away!; Left turn!). It is sometimes repeated in informal usage to express a specially strong exclamation (What nonsense!!) or added to a question mark to indicate a mixture of questioning and surprise, anger, etc. (Did you say the house was tidy?!). It is also used in round brackets/parentheses, as a kind of aside, to denote surprise or reserve about, or dissent from, what is stated: They told us about the beauty(!) of the place.

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