Choose the correct option to change the following sentence from Assertive to Exclamatory:
They are excited about the picnic.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → How excited they are about the picnic!
Assertive to exclamatory with "How":
| Change | Assertive | Exclamatory | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening words | excited | How excited | When the strong feeling is about an adjective standing alone (excited), the exclamation begins with How + adjective. |
| Word order | They are excited | How excited they are | Then subject + verb: they are. |
| End mark | (.) | (!) | The full stop becomes an exclamation mark. |
| Full sentence | They are excited about the picnic. | How excited they are about the picnic! |
The rest of the sentence stays the same: about the picnic.
Example: The view is lovely. → How lovely the view is!
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: What excitement they are for the picnic! — Incorrect.
- "What excitement" needs a verb such as feel or have. "They are excitement" makes no sense.
- It also changes "about" to "for".
Option 3: O excited they are for the picnic! — Incorrect. O is used when calling on or addressing someone (O Lord), not before an adjective. "For the picnic" also changes the preposition.
Option 4: They are very excited! — Incorrect. It is still a statement with an exclamation mark, and it drops "about the picnic".
Contrast: "How" goes before an adjective alone (How excited they are). "What" goes before a noun (What excitement they feel).