Interjections

Interjections are words or phrases that express strong emotion or sudden feeling. They are often standalone and punctuated with an exclamation point.

Definition / Explanation

An interjection is a word or phrase used to express emotions, reactions, or exclamations. Interjections are not grammatically connected to other parts of the sentence and often stand alone.

Common Types of Interjections

• Emotion / Surprise: express strong feelings. Example: Wow! Oh no! Hooray!
• Pain / Discomfort: indicate sudden pain or discomfort. Example: Ouch! Yikes! Ah!
• Attention / Greeting: call attention or greet someone. Example: Hey! Hello! Yo!
• Agreement / Disagreement: express approval or disapproval. Example: Yes! Nope! Uh-oh!

Rules / Guidelines

• Interjections are often followed by an exclamation point to show strong emotion. Example: Wow! That’s amazing.
• They can be used in the middle of a sentence, set off by commas. Example: Well, I didn’t expect that.
• Use interjections sparingly in formal writing; they are more common in speech or creative writing.
• Interjections do not have grammatical relationships with other words in a sentence.

Examples

Emotion / Surprise: Wow! That fireworks display is incredible.
Pain / Discomfort: Ouch! I stubbed my toe.
Attention / Greeting: Hey! Can you help me?
Agreement / Disagreement: Yes! I will join you. / Nope! That’s not correct.

Practice Exercises

1. Identify the interjection: "Ouch! That hurt."
2. Write a sentence using an interjection to express surprise.
3. Insert an appropriate interjection for attention: "(____), come here quickly!"
4. Decide if this interjection shows agreement or disagreement: "Uh-oh!"
5. Rewrite this sentence using an interjection at the beginning: "I can’t believe I won the prize."

Answers / Explanation

1. Ouch!
2. Answers will vary. Example: "Wow! That was amazing!"
3. Answer: "Hey, come here quickly!"
4. Disagreement / warning (Uh-oh!)
5. Example: "Wow! I can’t believe I won the prize."