Exclamations

Exclamations (= expression of surprise, anger or excitement) virtually always have a fall. We call this tone exclamatory fall. It can be seen as a sub-type of the definitive fall.

Some exclamations have a special grammatical function form. In English these begin with what or how, and in writing usually have an exclamation mark:

Other exclamations may be interjections, statements, or yes-no interrogatives. But they are all said with an exclamatory fall:

Exclamations are thus simplest kind of utterance for the student of EFL. The rule is: if it's an exclamation, say it with a fall. Exclamatory falls are excellent drill material for anyone who wants to practice producing falling tones. (It is not true that every sentence written with an exclamation mark necessarily takes a fall. In particular, commands (see

) may be written with an exclamation mark and pronounced with a fall-rise.)