Choose the correct option to express the following sentence as an Exclamatory sentence.
'I wish I were young again'.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → If only I were young again !
Wish: assertive to exclamatory:
"I wish I were young again" expresses a wish that cannot come true.
| Change | Assertive | Exclamatory | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening words | I wish | If only | The words “I wish” are dropped. The sentence begins with If only (or O that / Oh, that). |
| End mark | (.) | (!) | The full stop becomes an exclamation mark. |
| Full sentence | I wish I were young again. | If only I were young again ! |
The subjunctive were is kept.
Example: I wish I had wings. → If only I had wings!
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: I am young again! — Incorrect. It states a fact in the present tense. The wish is lost.
Option 3: What a wish ? to be young again! — Incorrect.
- It comments on the wish as someone else's instead of expressing it.
- The question mark in the middle makes the sentence ungrammatical.
Option 4: Young again, what a wish! — Incorrect. Like Option 3, it remarks on the wish rather than expressing the speaker's own longing.