Choose the correct option to change the given Assertive sentence to an exclamatory sentence:
It was extremely mean of him to desert you in your time of need.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Fie! How mean of him to have deserted you in your time of need!
Assertive to exclamatory (interjection + How):
| Change | Assertive | Exclamatory | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening words | It was extremely mean of him | How mean of him | “Extremely mean” is a strong feeling about an adjective, so the exclamatory form uses How + adjective: “How mean of him”. |
| Interjection | – | Fie! | An interjection can open the sentence: “Fie!” expresses disgust or shame. |
| Verb | to desert | to have deserted | The past act becomes the perfect infinitive “to have deserted”. |
| End mark | (.) | (!) | The sentence ends with an exclamation mark. |
| Full sentence | It was extremely mean of him to desert you in your time of need. | Fie! How mean of him to have deserted you in your time of need! |
The meaning stays the same.
Example: It is very kind of you to help me. → How kind of you to help me!
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: If only, he were not mean in your time of need! — Incorrect. "If only" expresses a wish, and the desertion is left out, so the meaning changes.
Option 3: Oh! He meanly deserted you in your time of need. — Incorrect. It ends with a full stop, so after the interjection it is still a statement, and "extremely mean of him" is weakened to "meanly".
Option 4: See he deserted you at a wrong time! — Incorrect. "At a wrong time" changes the meaning, and the judgement that it was mean is lost.