The word interjection in a sentence

In English grammar, there are various elements and features that help us form unique sentences conveying different thoughts and emotions. While the parts of speech and clauses make the major parts of a sentence, there is another important category known as interjections.

Interjections in a general sense can be understood as words that are grammatically independent of other words in a sentence and have a primary aim of expressing emotions. They are the principal words that one adheres to when it concerns expressing emotions and feelings in a sentence.

However, there are different types of interjections in English grammar. Depending on the way one expresses one’s feelings or emotions, interjections can be divided and understood under different classifications. So, let us have a quick discussion below to have a better and clearer idea.

By definition, we can state that an interjection is a type of word in grammar that is particularly used to express a certain emotion or feeling on the part of the speaker. They are usually used as a single or independent word in a sentence and are generally followed by a punctuation mark. Especially a comma or an exclamation mark is the commonly used punctuation that follows an interjection.

In simple words, interjections can be defined as the different types of words that have a principal aim of expressing the emotions of the speaker to the reader. That means they are the words one uses to begin a sentence and indicate their sentiment or emotions such as joy, excitement, sorrow, disgust, surprise, attention, etc.

List and Examples of Interjection

Interjections are words like; oh, wow, good, ouch, bravo, hurray, hush, shh, ahh, alas, yeah, yikes, help, hi, yes, no, hmm, er, um, etc.

So, interjections are basically used to express a sudden emotion of the speaker. And when an interjection is used in a sentence, there is no specific need for grammatical adjustments with the other words in the sentence. Interjections, in most cases, are used as independent words that are grammatically non-reliant on the other part of the sentence.

Now, let us look at some examples to have a clearer idea:

• Good! Now you can finally have your lunch and leave for college.
• Ouch! That must have hurt so badly.
• Wow! I love how the cheese is melting down the burger.
• Nah, I don’t think we can make it tonight.
• What? You never talked about it before!
• Alas! We can no longer meet him.
• Well, you can choose both if you wish to.

As we can see, the interjections are independent of the main sentence structure. Their primary aim is to express something that usually comes as a sudden or abrupt emotion. Also, it is to notice that a comma is used to refer to a mild interjection, and an exclamation mark is used to show deep or strong emotion.

Different types of interjection

Considering the examples given above, we can see that each interjection has unique meanings and usage. Depending on that, we can broadly divide interjections into different types.

So, based on the way they are expressed and used, we have the following types of interjections.

1. Interjections for greeting

This is a type of interjection that is used in a sentence to refer to the emotion of warmth to meet with some person. They are basic words such as hello, hey, hi, etc.

For example:

• Hey! It is so nice to finally meet you all.
• Hi! I’m glad you could make it.
• Hello! I’m your new mentor.

2. Interjections for joy

As the name already suggests, this is a type of interjection that is used in a sentence to express an instantaneous pleasure or a feeling of immediate joy and happiness on a happy occasion. They are words such as hurray, wow, congratulations, hurrah, good, etc.

For example:

• Hurray! We finally did it.
• Wow! That artwork is so beautiful.
• Hurray! Now we can go back to our normal practices.

3. Interjections for attention

This is a type of interjection that is used in a sentence to grab the attention of someone or a particular person towards the speaker. They are words such as behold, hush, listen, shh, look, etc.

For example:

• Look! I have been working all day. I cannot make it today.
• Shh! Can you keep your mouth shut for a minute?
• Hush! I think I saw someone near the library.

4. Interjections for approval

This is a type of interjection used in a sentence to simply express an agreement or a strong sense of approval for something that occurred. They are words such as well done, brilliant, bravo, etc.

For example;

• Well done! You have finally reached the last stage.
• Brilliant! I have never seen such neat artwork before.
• Bravo! You have won the race.

5. Interjections for surprise

This is a type of interjection that is used in a sentence to express a strong sense of surprise. That means it indicates a feeling of surprise regarding any incident that has occurred. They are words such as what, oh, ah, eh, ha, etc.

• What! You could only score 30%.
• Ah! I finally got a new intern.
• Oh! You really finished all the food.

6. Interjections for sorrow

This type of interjection is used in a sentence to express a sad emotion about something unfortunate or terrible that has happened. They are words such as ouch, oops, alas, damn, etc.

For example:

• Alas! She is no longer a member of this family.
• Ouch! It hurt so badly.
• Damn! I lost all the balance I had.

So, these are the main types of interjections that express different emotions under different circumstances. However, there are some extra or additional interjections as well. They are interjections for anger, disappointment, annoyance, dismissive, etc.

Nevertheless, the ones we have just studied are the primary ones. And as we can see, each tries to express a particular emotion that the speaker is specifically willing to convey to the reader. Also, interjections are more commonly used in informal texts in electronic messages than formal ones.

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What a miracle! Dana has come to the program. My goodness!

What is an Interjectional statement?

Interjection. In grammar, an interjection or exclamation may be a word used to express an emotion or sentiment on the part of the speaker. Filled pauses such as uh, er, um are also considered interjections. … An interjection is sometimes expressed as a single word or non-sentence phrase, followed by a punctuation mark.

What are 10 examples interjections?

Interjection

How do you use the word interjection in a sentence?

Interjections are commonly used at the beginning of the sentence. They’re also associated with a punctuation mark designed to convey emotion: the exclamation point. For example: «Yikes, I didn’t realize that there was a test on grammar today!»

What’s the meaning of illimitable?

: incapable of being limited or bounded : measureless the illimitable reaches of space and time.

28 related questions found

The interjection is a part of speech which is more commonly used in informal language than in formal writing or speech. Basically, the function of interjections is to express emotions or sudden bursts of feelings. They can express a wide variety of emotions such as: excitement, joy, surprise, or disgust.

What are the Structures and Importance of Interjections?

Interjections can come in the form of a single word, a phrase, or even a short clause. Aside from that, they are usually (but not always) placed at the beginning of a sentence. The importance of interjections lies in the fact that they can convey feelings that may sometimes be neglected in the sentence.

Take for example, the sentence “That book is about vampires.”

One person can write it as:

1. That book is about vampires.

Or

1. That book is about vampires.

But then again, another person might use an interjection to show the same feeling of disgust (as in sentence number 2):

1. Eww! That book is about vampires.

So you see from the sentence above that the word “eww” conveys the emotional response to what is said in the sentence. It can act as a replacement for emoticons and are more appropriate to use in writing, especially in character dialogues.

What are the Different Kinds of Interjections?

Below are the different kinds of interjections:

• Adjectives that are used as interjections.

Examples:

• Nice! You got a Monster Kill in your first game!
• Sweet! I got a PS4 for my birthday!
• Good! Now we can move on to the next lesson.

The italicized words in the sample sentences above are just some of the adjectives that can be used as interjections.

• Nouns or noun phrases that are used as interjections.

Examples:

• Congratulations, you won the match.
• Hello! How are you?
• Holy cow! I forgot my keys!

The italicized parts of the sentences above are just some of the nouns that can be used as interjections.

• Short clauses that are used as interjections.

Example:

• Shawie is our chemistry teacher. Oh, the horror!

The short clause that is italicized in the example above functions as an interjection.

• Some interjections are sounds.

Examples:

• Ugh! I’m never doing that again!
• Whew! That was really close!
• Uh-oh! Dude, I think we’re in serious trouble.

How do You Punctuate Interjections?

Since interjections convey different kinds of emotions, there are also different ways to punctuate them.

• Exclamation point

The exclamation point is the most commonly used punctuation mark for interjections. Obviously, it is used to communicate strong emotions such as surprise, excitement, or anger.

Examples:

• I just replaced your sugar with salt. Bazinga!
• Hooray! I got the job!
• Hey! Stop messing with me!
• Ouch! That must’ve hurt really bad!
• Oh! They’re here!
• Boo-yah! This is the bomb!
• Are you still going to eat that? Yuck!
• Yahoo! I got my Christmas bonus!
• Eek! There’s a flying cockroach!

• Period or comma

For weaker emotions, a period or a comma will suffice.

Examples:

• What’s the answer to number 24?
• Meh, who cares?
• Ah, that feels great!
• Oh well, what’s done is done.
• Well, what did your mom say?
• Um… I don’t think so.
• Hmm, your house always smells like freshly brewed coffee.

• Question mark

If you intend to use interjections to express uncertainty or disbelief, it is more appropriate to use a question mark.

Examples:

• Huh? What did you just say?
• What? You still haven’t submitted your project?
• Oh, really? I never thought he’s that kind of guy.

What are Other Examples of Interjections?

• Duh
• Oh
• Oops
• Ha
• Yikes
• Whoa
• Geez
• Yum
• Oy
• Eh
• Wow
• Yo
• Yippee
• Alas
• Dear
• Oh
• Uh-huh
• Phew
• Indeed
• Cool
• Wicked

Final Thoughts

Although interjections may seem trivial, the reality is that this part of speech is very important because it can sometimes be difficult to express emotions in written language. Emoticons may not be appropriate or possible under certain circumstances, so using interjections proves to be a more viable option. Just remember all the substantial information provided in this article, especially when it comes to using the proper punctuation marks to convey intensity, and you will surely be able to use this part of speech effectively in your own written text.

There’s one part of speech that is radically different from a verb, noun, pronoun, adjective, and the rest. They don’t help you understand relationships between words, nor do they have much of a grammatical purpose. Curious to learn more about this interesting group of words? This article answers the questions, “what is an interjection and why are they so special?”

Quick tip: Is your next writing assignment due soon? Make sure you’re formatting your work correctly by learning the guidelines for MLA format and APA format.

What is an Interjection?

Looking for an interjection definition? An interjection is a word, phrase, or sentence that expresses emotion, meaning, or feeling. These emotion words proceed punctuation marks, which are most often but not always exclamation points. For example:

Rats! My research paper is late!

This emotion word doesn’t mean that there are rodents running around. Instead, it expresses frustration and disappointment at missing a due date.

Whoa, this city view is amazing!

In this example, you aren’t saying “whoa” to calm down your horse. Instead, it expresses surprise at how wonderful the view is.

There are many great resources available on interjections. Check out this recommended reading and find more tips here for help once you’re done with this article.

Common Interjection Use

As you can tell from the above examples, you can place an interjection at the beginning of a sentence. However, it’s not a set rule. In fact, you can place emotion words throughout a sentence at the beginning, middle, or end. Interjections can also come after any part of speech, such as a verb, adjective, or noun. Here’s an example of emotion words in the middle of a sentence:

I tried my birthday cake and yuck, it wasn’t any good.

That example explains disgust for how the cake tastes. And here’s another with the emotion word at the end of the sentence:

I dropped my phone again, ugh.

This example tells you that the speaker is frustrated that their phone fell.

Quick tip: Does your teacher use a formatting structure other than MLA or APA? Learn how to cite work using more styles in this helpful guide from BibMe.

Interjection Examples

Here are some great words that can help you express your emotions. They include: ahh, alas, alrighty, blah, dang, gee, nah, oops, phew, shucks, woops, and yikes. Of course, there are many more fun words to learn that express emotion! Which ones are your favorite?

Appropriate Times to Use Interjections

As you can tell, the previous examples are informal. Therefore, you should only use emotion words in speech or while writing informally. If you’re curious as to whether you’re using emotion words correctly in your writing, look at the BibMe Plus grammar and plagiarism check. It’ll help you correct common English grammar mistakes.

Looking for additional BibMe Plus pages on other parts of speech? Check out adverb, preposition, determiner, and conjunction!