Cambridge Grammar of English Hardback with cd-rom a comprehensive Guide

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539 Glossary for any unfamiliar terms

Clause types | 543

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In writing, they are often punctuated with an exclamation mark (!). 

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506 Appendix: Punctuation

What

is followed by a noun phrase:

What a lovely cake they bought you!

What nonsense you talk!

How

may be followed by an adjective phrase, an adverb phrase or a clause:

How happy they both seem!

How wonderfully it worked out!

How I wished I could have been there!

The exclamative clause may consist of the wh-word and a phrase alone, especially

in spoken language:

What a wonderful thing!

How sad! How terribly sad!

How awful!

✪

Simple exclamatives are not normally constructed with such followed by an 

un-premodified noun:

Wow! What a view!

(Wow! Such a view!)

However, such may occur before a premodified noun:

What a beautiful house! And 

such a wonderful garden!