Reporting exclamations

An exclamatory sentence shows strong feeling and ends with '!': 'Wah, how soulful!'

To report it:

• use exclaimed (or exclaimed with joy / wonder / admiration) instead of said;
• remove the interjection (wow, wah, bravo, oh my goodness), the exclamation mark and the quotation marks;
• turn how or what into a statement: 'How soulful!' → that it was very soulful; 'What an achievement!' → that it was an incredible achievement.

Pick a verb that carries the feeling: applauded (praise), apologised (sorry), urged (tell me!), pitied (what a pity!).

Shift tenses and words as usual: now → then, today → that day.