Hey! Have you heard of interjections? An interjection is a part of speech that demonstrates the emotion or feeling of the author or gets the audience's attention (such as "Hey!"). These words or phrases can stand alone, or they can appear before or after a sentence. When you want to make a strong point, you can place an exclamation point after your interjection. Neat!
Interjections: Showing the Author's Emotion
Interjections serve a number of purposes in a sentence. Examples of interjections and their definitions include:
- ahem - The sound of someone clearing their throat in an attempt to get your attention
- aah - Used as a call for help or when someone is scared
- boo - Used to scare someone or to voice disapproval
- eh - Used when you didn't hear or understand what someone said
- eww - Conveys dislike or disgust
- Hear, hear! - Conveys strong agreement
- hmm - Can mean you're thinking or hesitating
- jeez - Could indicate you can't believe something or you're exasperated
- ooh-la-la - A slightly comical way to refer to something as fancy or special
- oops - An exclamation people use when they do something by accident
- phew - Expressing relief or gladness something is over
- whoa - Can show surprise or amazement
- yahoo - Expresses joy or happiness
- yoo-hoo - An expression used to get someone's attention
- zing - Usually used comically to emphasize a clever statement or comeback
Interjections in a Sentence
Here are some more interjections, this time used in the context of an accompanying sentence:
- Ahh, that feels wonderful.
- Alas! I'm lost in the wilderness.
- Bless you! I couldn't have done it without you.
- It's time for me to go. Cheerio!
- Congrats! You finally got your master's degree.
- Crikey! Do you ever think before you speak?
- Gesundheit! Are you starting to get a cold?
- Good grief! Why are you wearing shorts in the winter?
- Grrr. I'm going to get back at him for that.
- Humph. He probably cheated to make such good grades.
- Oh dear! I don't know what to do about this mess.
- Shoot! I forgot my brother's birthday.
- Well, duh! That was a stupid thing to do!
- Yowza! That is a gorgeous gown.
Voilà! More Interjection Examples
Need even more ways to interject? The English language has lots of different ways for you to interrupt a sentence or express emotion!
| alleluia | bah | cripes |
| eureka | fiddlesticks | gadzooks |
| great | ha | holy cow |
| holy smokes | hot dog | hurray |
| jeepers | man | my word |
| oh | oh my | oh well |
| ooh | ow | phooey |
| pow | presto | right |
| shh | shoo | ugh |
| uh-oh | voilà | whoops |
| wow | yeah | yippee |
Interjection Introspection
Gadzooks, interjections can be helpful! Just a pop of personality and emotion — and pow! Your writing is automatically more interesting. For more ways to get your audience's attention (and hold it):