Same words, different mark
Read these two out loud. Really out loud.
“It is snowing.”
“It is snowing!”
Every word is the same. Your voice was not. The first one came out flat and even. The second one got louder or faster or higher.
The mark did that. It is the writer telling you how to say the sentence.
The mark carries the feeling
| With a period | With an exclamation point |
|---|---|
| The dog got out. | The dog got out! |
| You are early. | You are early! |
| I found my hat. | I found my hat! |
Read down each column. The left one sounds like somebody reporting the news. The right one sounds like somebody who cares.
Choosing which one you mean
The words cannot tell you which mark to use. Only you know how you meant it.
If a child walks in and says the dog is outside, that is a fact. Period.
If the dog is loose and running toward the road, that is not just a fact anymore. Exclamation point.
Ask yourself: do I feel something strong about this, or am I just saying it?
A mistake to watch for
An exclamation point does not make a sentence louder to read silently. It tells the reader how the writer felt.
Writing “The library opens at nine!” is odd unless something surprising is going on with the library. There is nothing to feel about it, so it takes a period.
Your turn
Say whether a period or an exclamation point fits better.
- “My shoe is untied”
- “A snake is under my chair”
- “We have art on Tuesday”
- “I got the last cookie”
Check your answers
- Period. Nothing much is happening.
- Exclamation point. That is worth some feeling.
- Period. It is a plain fact.
- Either one, depending on how much you wanted that cookie.
Remember
- The same words can take either mark.
- The mark tells the reader how you meant it.
- Read it out loud and listen to what your voice wants to do.