Breakdown of J'admire la crinière du cheval. Est-elle belle !
je
I
être
to be
elle
she
beau
beautiful / handsome
Questions & Answers about J'admire la crinière du cheval. Est-elle belle !
Why is Est-elle inverted like a question here when it ends with an exclamation mark?
Why does the second sentence use elle and belle when it comes right after cheval (masculine)?
If I changed the exclamation mark to a question mark, would the grammar change?
The grammar itself would remain the exact same, but the meaning would completely change. Written as Est-elle belle ?, it reverts to a standard yes/no question meaning "Is it beautiful?". The exclamation mark is the only punctuation cue showing that this is a statement of admiration instead of an inquiry.
Is an exclamative inversion like Est-elle belle ! common in everyday spoken French?