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Q&A How to make a statement formulated like an exclamation, but even-toned?

are there cases where it would be frowned upon using something like that? Not that I'm aware of. If you are talking directly to your reader, there is a big chance you are already using a co...

posted 7y ago by Liquid‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Answer
#4: Attribution notice removed by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-13T11:56:46Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/31302
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T07:18:32Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/31302
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by (deleted user) · 2019-12-08T07:18:32Z (almost 5 years ago)
> are there cases where it would be frowned upon using something like that?

Not that I'm aware of. If you are talking directly to your reader, there is a big chance you are already using a colloquial tone. "Boy, was I wrong!" isn't much more informal than "Boy, was I wrong."; there is barely a difference.

> Should I prefer using an exclamation point in every case, or try to reformulate the statement?

It's up to you to decide the style. I wouldn't use them in a formal or scientific article, but otherwise they are fine. If you feel that exclamations are a good fit to get your point across, you probably should use them.

**Personally** I'd rather avoid them, but it's a matter of taste. There may be cases where you may want your reader to read the sentence with an higher tone, but on a more general basis I'd use italics to emphasize the test. So, "_Boy, was I wrong._" works for me more than "Boy, was I wrong!" and doesn't risk seeming too childish while staying colloquial.

But then again, this is just me.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2017-11-07T10:36:02Z (about 7 years ago)
Original score: 1