Grammar in focus
Form
| Structure | Example |
|---|---|
| What a / an + (adjective) + singular noun | What a beautiful day! · What an idea! |
| What + (adjective) + plural / uncountable noun | What lovely flowers! · What terrible weather! |
| How + adjective (+ subject + verb) | How cold it is! · How kind of you! |
| How + adverb (+ subject + verb) | How fast he runs! · How well she sings! |
Use
- To show surprise, admiration or strong feeling: What a surprise! How amazing!
- In writing, end with an exclamation mark (!).
A or an?
Choose by sound: a useful tool, an hour, an old man.
Watch out
- No a with plural or uncountable nouns:
What a lovely flowers→ What lovely flowers.What a good news→ What good news. - After how there is no a + noun:
How a big house→ What a big house / How big the house is. - Not
What fast he runs→ How fast he runs.
En español
What (a/an) + sustantivo = ¡Qué ...! (What a day! ¡Qué día!). How + adjetivo o adverbio = ¡Qué ...! (How beautiful!). Con sustantivos plurales o incontables no se usa a.
US vs UK
This book teaches American English. These are the differences you will notice with British English on this topic.
🇺🇸 USAwesome! / That's awesome!
🇬🇧 UKBrilliant! / That's brilliant!
Same exclamation pattern; different favorite adjectives.
Mismo patrón; distintos adjetivos favoritos.
🇺🇸 USWhat a great game!
🇬🇧 UKWhat a great match!
Game (US) vs match (UK) in sports.
Game (EE. UU.) vs match (Reino Unido).
🇺🇸 USOh my gosh! / Wow!
🇬🇧 UKBlimey! / Crikey! (UK, informal)
Interjections differ: Blimey is British only.
Las interjecciones cambian: Blimey es solo británico.
Exam practice
- Five parts, like a certification exam: multiple choice, open cloze, error identification, sentence transformation and US vs UK.
- Typed answers accept American spelling and contractions (don't = do not).
- Every item has feedback in English and Spanish. Items and options change order on every attempt.
- Only Exam mode saves your score to your progress. You pass with 70%.
Practice mode
No timer. Check each part as you go and read the feedback.
Exam mode
25 minutes. Feedback at the end. Your best score is saved.