Alas! Cheers! Hooray! Phew!
If you’ve ever said any of the words above, you’ve used an interjection, whether you knew it at the time or not. An interjection is a word or phrase that is used to express a feeling or to request or demand something. They are common in everyday speech and informal writing. Thus, in this blog, we will briefly discuss the what are interjections, types, examples, and why to use them in sentences. So let’s dive into it.
Table of Contents
What are interjections in grammar? An interjection is a part of speech that is used to express the feeling, feelings of emotions, feelings of sadness, feelings of joy, feelings of surprise, feelings of relief, etc. However, these words are grammatically independent from the rest of the sentence and generally function to convey an emotion rather than meaning within the sentence itself. In a nutshell, interjections are one of the parts of speech that can be used to express urgency, draw attention, or emphasize a point. Furthermore, there are no specific rules as to where interjections should be placed in a sentence, but majorly, they appear at the beginning of a sentence with the exclamation mark. Now let’s move to the next section and understand the types of interjections in detail.
Also Read: Action Words
As we have already discussed above what are interjections, now we should look over the different interjections types for a better understanding. Thus, in this section, we have mentioned the types of interjections along with their examples. Through this, you will gain proper knowledge of how you should use these interjections in your daily routine.
Primary interjections are those words that cannot be classified as any other part of speech and are only used as interjections in the sentence. These interjections are generally just sounds without a clear derivation. However, they cannot play the role of nouns, verbs, and adjectives in a sentence.
Examples of Primary Interjections
A secondary interjection is a word that primarily functions as a different part of speech, such as a noun, verb, or adjective that can also be used as an interjection.
Examples of Secondary Interjections
Volitive interjections are used to give orders, command, or make a request. They are often said with the expectation of fast action from the listener/receiver.
Examples of Volitive Interjections
Cognitive interjections in English is a word or phrases that expresses or tells what a person is thinking about a particular thing. These type of interjections needs a response from the listener in the conversation.
Examples of Cognitive Interjections
The words or phrases that convey the speaker’s instant emotional reaction to a situation, event, or statement are called emotive interjections. It can be used to express various feelings like surprise, excitement, disgust, approval, sadness, and disappointment.
Examples of Emotive Interjections
Greeting and parting interjections are words or phrases that are used to acknowledge or welcome someone or to express good wishes at the end of the conversation.
Examples of Greeting and Parting Interjections
Overall, these are some of the common types of interjections that one must know to use in their daily life.
An interjection can have different meanings depending on how it is used. Thus, below we have mentioned the commonly used list of interjections along with their function or purpose. Grab a look below to gain proper knowledge.
Suggested Read: New English Words
| Interjections | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Alas | Used to express sadness or pity |
| Ah | Used to express realization or surprise |
| Aww | Used to express sympathy or affection |
| Phew | Used to express relief or completion of a task |
| Bravo | Used to express joy or admiration for an achievement |
| Ew | Used to express disgust or strong dislike |
| Yay | Used to express excitement or success |
| Uh | Used to express hesitation |
| Well | To introduce a remark |
| Huh | Used to express confusion or a request for clarification |
| Ouch | Used to express pain |
| Hurray | Used to express joy |
| Hmm | Used to express thoughtfulness or doubt |
| Oops | Used to acknowledge a mistake |
| Uh-oh | Expecting trouble or problem or mistake |
| Gosh | Used to express surprise or amazement |
| Boo | Used to show disapproval or disappointment |
| Eh | To enquire or ask for something to be repeated |
| Ahem | Getting someone’s attention or clearing one’s throat |
| Wow | To express your admiration for something. |
This is the list of interjections that can be beneficial for students in their daily conversation.
Using interjections correctly in sentences is essential as it defines your understanding of them and the knowledge you have gained. However, interjections are sometimes used in paragraph writing, article writing, essay writing, and summary writing. Thus, below you will find out the rules or important points that you must know while using interjections in English grammar.
1. When using interjection at the beginning of a sentence, follow it with a comma if the sentence continues.
For example: Oh, I completely forgot about the meeting.
2. When using interjections in the middle of a sentence, use the commas on both sides of the interjection.
For example: The new restaurant was, oh my gosh, absolutely delicious.
3. When using an interjection at the end of a sentence, you must place a comma before the interjection if it is a mild or moderate expression. This can be one of the scenarios where an exclamation mark is not used.
For example: The weather is perfect today, indeed.
4. If the interjection expresses a strong emotion or excitement, then use an exclamation mark instead of a comma.
For example: We won the match, woohoo!
Overall, these are the points to remember while using interjections in English sentences.
Note: You cannot use interjections in formal writing such as academic papers and business documents.
Till now we have understood that interjections play an important role in understanding English grammar. However, to master these interjections, one must solve the exercise or practice test. Thus, below we have mentioned the interjections worksheet with answers for a better understanding.
Fill in the blanks with a suitable interjection in the following sentences.
(Ouch, yippee, bravo, alas, my God, well, uh, ah, wow, oh no)
Questions
1. ______ That is new!
2. ______ That hurt me more than I thought it would.
3. ______ He got the tickets to the movie premier night.
4. ______ I do not want to do it this way.
5. ______ You did a really big job with that piece of furniture.
6. ______ Now I understand what he was trying to say.
7. ______ That should have upset you.
8. ______ He has not cleared the internal assessment.
9. ______ That was a really brave thing to do.
10. _______The waiting list for the reserved seats is too long; I do not think he would get a seat
Answers
1. Well
2. Ouch
3. Yippee
4. Uh
5. Wow
6. Ah
7. Oh no
8. Alas
9. Bravo
10. My god
This is the interjections worksheet with answers for a proper understanding.
To use interjections effectively or efficiently we have mentioned down below the tips and tricks so that you can properly use them. Thus, grab a look below and read each tip wisely.
To sum up, we discussed the interjections in detail. Further, we also had a brief look at the types of interjections with examples, lists, usage, worksheets, and tips to follow while using interjections. Thus, this blog has helped you to understand about the interjections and its importance in English grammar. Now if you want more such exposure or understanding of adverbs, tenses, adjectives, and nouns then visit our website and read about it in detail.
1. What Are the 10 Examples of Interjections?
The 10 examples of interjections are as follows:
2. What Are the Types of Interjections?
There are majorly six types of interjections that are mentioned below.
1. Primary Interjections
2. Secondary Interjections
3. Volitive Interjections
4. Cognitive Interjections
5. Emotive Interjections
6. Greetings and Parting Interjections
3. Is Cool an Interjection?
Yes, cool can be considered as an interjection, as it is majorly used to express approval, acceptance, or a positive reaction.
4. What Are Strong Interjections?
Strong interjections use exclamation points. It is a word or phrase that expresses a sudden, intense, emotion, typically conveying a strong feeling of surprise.
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