Ah-Ha! Interjections Show Emotion and Excitement!

byDianeK59

4.5K followers

5 years ago

Seriously? A single word or phrase to show emotion and excitement?

Awesome!

What is an Interjection?

.....And do we even need them?

By definition, an interjection is a part of speech that shows the emotions of the speaker. We use either a single word or a phrase for the interjection.

Typically, we use an exclamation point to punctuate the interjection. This punctuation serves to emphasize it further.

In fact, one of the most emotion-packed School House Rock episodes was titled, "Interjections." I've linked to the YouTube video in case you'd like to experience it for yourself.

What is an Interjection in Grammar?

Writers and speakers may use any word or word phrase as an interjection. However, some are more common than others. And while we often use a single word, phrases are quite common, too.

Common Examples of Interjections:

• Oh!
• Wait!
• Good grief!
• No!
• Ah-ha!

How to Punctuate Interjections

Mild interjections use commas for punctuation. These include such words as um, well, uh, er.

• I, well, don’t quite know what you mean.

Forceful interjections usually use exclamation points for emphasis. However, the writer might choose to use a comma, depending on the intended emotion.

Forceful interjections include words such as: duh, wow, shoot.

• Wow! That jump was impressive.
• Shoot! How could you possibly have mistaken that dog for yours?

Sometimes interjections use question marks to make the point.

This list includes words such as: huh; oh, really; seriously.

• Oh, really? How could you possibly think that?
• Seriously? Did you splash paint on the wall on purpose?

Point to Remember

We use interjections to interrupt the flow of speaking or writing. They also express emotion. When used, their punctuation depends on tone and context.

When to Use, When to Avoid Interjections

When are interjections appropriate?

Writers usually use interjections in informal or everyday writing or speech. When used in literature, they typically appear in dialogue or narration to represent typical conversation.

By their very nature, interjections are informal. As a result, avoid using them in formal writing or speech. Of course, this means that they should not appear in professional or scholarly speech or writing.

What about using them in blog posts?

That will depend on your website and your audience. You need to determine if your post imparts an informal tone, such as speaking to a friend, or a more formal style, such as presenting a speech to an audience.

Most websites use them, although quite judiciously, to make the point to the reader.

Different Kinds of Interjections

We use many words as interjections, and this list is by no means exhaustive. However, I've included the most common.

Adjectives

Generally, interjections represent the speaker’s reaction to a situation. Use adjectives when the speaker responds to a situation. Like other adjectives, the interjection shows the speaker's response to describe a noun.

Examples include:

• Nice!
• Great!
• Awesome!
• Fabulous!
• Terrific!

Nouns and noun phrases

These also may be used as interjections to react to a situation

Examples include:

• Congratulations!
• Score!
• Holy cow!
• Hello!
• Goodbye!

Short clauses

A short clause usually makes an emphatic emotional interjection.

• How awful!
• Way to go!
• Oh, the humanity!
• That’s terrible!
• You bet!

Sounds

While not proper words, sounds make useful interjections.

• Phew!
• Ugh!
• Shoot!
• Eek!
• Whoa!

List of Interjections with Interjection Examples

To provide more help on the meaning and use of interjections, I've included the following list.

Interjection Sentences:

• Ah Used to express pleasure, realization, or surprise.
  • Ah, you remembered my birthday!
• Alas Expresses grief, pity, or concern.
  • Alas, my friend has moved out of the country.
• Dear Used to show surprise, dismay, or sympathy.
  • Oh, dear! That doesn't sound very good.
• Eh Used to ask for something to be repeated or explained to elicit agreement.
  • Eh? What did you say? That doesn’t sound right.
• Er Often used when expressing hesitation.
  • Er, I’m not sure you have that fact correct.
• Hello We usually use this as a greeting.
  • Hello, Steve! How are you today?

In Summary: What are Interjections?

An interjection is a single word or short phrase used as an exclamation with no literal meaning. It has no grammatical connection with anything. The sole purpose is to evoke emotion.

To sum up, an interjection is a part of speech:

• that interrupts or interjects the flow of language
• is often punctuated with an exclamation point
• can be any word or phrase, though some are more common than others

Special note: You might also find use for these helpful little emotion evokers when leaving comments on other's posts. I know I use them at times when I leave comments. When reading through a post, I often find myself thinking, "Wow! I never knew that!" or "Really? How could they do that?"

Wow! I certainly hope you find this post useful!

(See what I did with the wow? 😂)

You can find my other posts including writing hints at my profile page:

https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/dianek59

Wishing everyone a successful week ahead!