exclamativeadverb

Exclamative adverb is a term used to describe an adverb that expresses the speaker’s attitude toward a proposition and functions to modify an entire clause rather than a single word. In many grammars these are also called sentence adverbs or discourse adverbs.

Function and meaning: Exclamative adverbs convey the speaker’s evaluation, stance, or epistemic attitude, such as relief, surprise, certainty, or judgment. They can foreground or colour the entire statement, signaling how the speaker views the content rather than describing a particular action. Common English examples include fortunately, unfortunately, clearly, apparently, frankly, and honestly. Relative meanings include positive evaluation (Fortunately, we arrived on time) and negative appraisal (Unfortunately, the event was canceled).

Placement and punctuation: These adverbs typically appear at the beginning of a sentence or clause and are often set off with a comma: "Fortunately, the plan succeeded." They can also occur mid-clause, with the whole sentence’s tone affected, but they generally do not modify a specific verb or noun directly.

Distinctions: Exclamative adverbs differ from interjections in that they are grammatical adverbs and can be integrated into normal sentence structure, whereas interjections are exclamatory words that stand alone or interrupt the flow (e.g., Alas! or Wow!). They also differ from other adverbs of manner by targeting the speaker’s evaluative stance toward the proposition rather than simply describing an action.

Cross-linguistic notes: Many languages have equivalent sentence-level adverbs expressing attitude or assessment, though the exact forms and syntactic behavior vary.

See also: sentence adverb, discourse marker, adjunct.