Just don’t do it.
I have a brilliant student (like, brilliant; this kid says they’ll save the world, and they might just) but they have a punctuational Achilles heel: exclamation marks.
Every time they send an essay I return it dotted comments that just read: !
Unless you’re writing a story in which a character yells, ‘Fire!’ in a crowded theater,
pretend exclamation marks don’t exist.
Still the writing comes back, now with quasi-defensive explanatory remarks: “It sounded flat without it!”
We’ve agreed to disagree. And disagree with scattershot exclamation marks I do, and forever shall.
They signal a writer who doesn’t trust their words to do the talking; they are the clown’s honk, the explained punchline, the canned laughter of punctuation.
Use only in emergency.
Exclamation marks
Where its found: Informal writing such as emails; also sneaks into essays and even reports
How it happens: The writer wants to emphasize a point, heighten an emotion or add intensity
Why delete? If the words communicate the idea, you don’t need an exclamation mark; if the words don’t, no amount of sticks and dots will help
Examples
It’s your turn!
Edit: It’s your turn – a simple statement doesn’t need to be shouted
My all-time favorite subject!
My all-time favorite subject – all-time favorite already expresses a strong feeling
It was incredible how much I learned!
Edit: It was incredible how much I learned – incredible conveys the heightened experience
Don’t make the same mistakes I did!
Edit: Don’t make the same mistakes I did – advice of this sort is more compelling in a somber tone, not with a breathless exclamation mark
She couldn’t believe her luck!
Edit: She couldn’t believe her luck – a statement is better emphasized by adding explanatory detail, e.g., ‘it was the first time in years the light had turned green’