Pronouns are different kinds of words that replace nouns. They are words that avoid the repetition and redundancy of nouns and phrases. Well, this is the general understanding of pronouns. Pronouns can be further divided into different categories, and they all are used differently for a different context. An exclamatory pronoun is one such class of pronouns.
Exclamatory pronouns are basically words that are used to express a sudden emotion. They are similar to the words of interrogative pronouns, but they are not used in the same manner with the same purpose.
Let us get into a detailed discussion of how exclamatory pronouns are different and their uses and purpose.
What are exclamatory pronouns?
Exclamatory pronouns belong to a class of pronouns that are used to express emotions. We use exclamatory pronouns to express enthusiasm, sadness, anger, surprise, or any intense emotion.
In short, these are words that are used as exclamations in a sentence. These can be any sudden or intense emotion that one expresses in a hyped-up manner. Which means they basically replace nouns in exclamatory sentences.
Some exclamatory pronouns are how, where, who, what, etc. These are generally used with exclamatory marks (!). They are used to refer to a noun, known as its referent, and something that has been already known.
Let us look at some sentences with exclamatory pronouns;
- What are you saying!
- What! Did you tell him?
- How strange is that!
- How beautiful is he!
We see they all refer to a noun that is already known or has been mentioned before and express emotions concerning it.
Difference between exclamatory pronouns and exclamatory adjectives
Most people tend to confuse exclamatory pronouns and exclamatory adjectives. They are very close to each other, but they are different.
Exclamatory adjectives are used along with the nouns, and it tries to express strong emotion. But exclamatory pronouns are used to express a sudden emotion in an exclamatory sentence. They replace nouns in such sentences and refer to the antecedent noun.
For example;
Exclamatory adjectives:
- What a team of beautiful dancers!
- What amazing scenery!
Here, “what” is used to indicate strong emotion.
Exclamatory pronouns:
- What! Did you say that?
- What! When did she ask?
Here, “what” is used as an exclamatory pronoun that refers to an antecedent noun.
Also, exclamatory pronouns are mostly used in question-answer format.
Difference between exclamatory pronouns and interrogative pronouns
Interrogative pronouns and exclamatory pronouns make use of the same words like what, how, who, etc. And also, just like interrogative pronouns, exclamatory pronouns are usually used in question-answer format. They both have an accent for different use of words.
However, they differ because interrogative pronoun’s main aim is to interrogate or ask questions. For example;
- What is that?
Here, there will be an appropriate answer which is unknown.
But with exclamatory pronouns, although one ends up asking a question, the main focus is on the sudden emotion that one expresses. And here, the noun or the answer is already known or has been mentioned before.
For example;
- What! Did you meet him?
It is a sudden emotion with reference to the antecedent noun.
So these are the points that distinguish exclamatory pronouns from others. It is important to know where and how it is used with the correct intention.