We use the exclamation mark when we feel strong emotion like surprise, excitement, happiness, or wonder.

When to Use It

• When expressing admiration or amazement
• When showing happiness or enthusiasm
• When expressing grief or shock

Examples from the Textbook

Look at these Arabic examples:

1. مَا أَشْفَلَ سَيَّارَتَكَ! (What a fast car!)

2. يَا لَيْتَنَا مِنْ مَدْسَةٍ ضَخْمَةٍ! (Oh, how I wish for a big school!)

3. مَا أَعظَمُ سُرورَكَ اليَوم! (How great is your joy today!)

Notice how the exclamation mark comes at the end of the sentence.

We use the comma when we need to pause in a sentence or when we list multiple items.

When to Use It

• To separate items in a list
• To separate phrases in a long sentence
• When a character speaks in a dialogue

Examples from the Textbook

1. كَانَ فِي الْقَفَارِ أَشْجَارٌ كَثِيرَةٌ، مِثْلَ شَجَرَةِ الْقَفَّاصِ، وَشَجَرَةِ البُرْتُقَالِ، وَشَجَرَةِ الصَّنَوْبَرِ. (There were many trees in the desert, like the apple tree, the orange tree, and the pine tree.)

2. فِيهِ دُرُوسٌ مُفِيدَةٌ، وَقِصَصٌ مُسْلِيَّةٌ، وَصُوَرٌ جَمِيلَةٌ. (It has useful lessons, entertaining stories, and beautiful pictures.)

3. In dialogue:

   • التّلميذ: السَّلامُ عليكُم يا سيِّدي.
   • المُعلِّم: وعليكُم السَّلام يا بُنيّ.

Notice the comma separates items in a list and can separate parts of a sentence.

Write the correct punctuation mark:

1. مَا أَجْمَلَ الْمَدْرَسَةَ _____ (What a beautiful school!)
2. أَحْبَبْتُ التُّفَّاحَ، وَالْبُرْتُقَالَ، وَالْأَنْجَاصَ _____ (I liked apples, oranges, and apricots)
3. يَا لَلْعَجَبَ _____ (Oh, how surprising!)

In Tanzania, you will use these punctuation marks when writing in Arabic. For example, when you write a greeting card for your mother in Arabic, you might write: "يَا أُمِّي، أَنتِ أَجْمَلُ!" (Oh mother, you are the most beautiful!) — using the comma and exclamation mark correctly. Similarly, when making a shopping list in Arabic script at the market, you would use commas to separate items like: خُبْزٌ، سُكَّرٌ، شَايٌ (bread, sugar, tea).