Choose the correct exclamatory sentence for the following sentence:
It is a matter of regret that your grandfather has passed away.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Alas! You have lost your grandfather!
Assertive to exclamatory with an interjection:
| Change | Assertive | Exclamatory | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interjection | It is a matter of regret that | Alas! | A statement of sorrow or regret (“It is a matter of regret that ...”) becomes exclamatory with the interjection “Alas!”, which carries the feeling of grief. The words “It is a matter of regret that” are dropped, since “Alas” now expresses the regret. |
| The fact | your grandfather has passed away | You have lost your grandfather | The fact is kept in the same tense: “you have lost your grandfather” (he has passed away). |
| End mark | (.) | (!) | An exclamatory sentence ends with an exclamation mark. |
| Full sentence | It is a matter of regret that your grandfather has passed away. | Alas! You have lost your grandfather! |
Example: It is sad that the old man is dead. → Alas, the old man is dead!
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: It is a regrettable that your grandfather has passed away! — Incorrect.
- It only adds an exclamation mark to the statement. There is no exclamatory word.
- "a regrettable" puts an article before an adjective with no noun.
Option 2: Oh! We lost your grandfather! — Incorrect. "We" changes whose loss it is, and the simple past "lost" changes the tense.
Option 3: How regretful are we to lose your grandfather! — Incorrect.
- "are we" uses question order. An exclamation with "How" keeps the normal order (how regretful we are).
- "we ... lose" again changes whose loss it is.