INTERJECTIONS
Interjections are words
used to express strong feeling or sudden emotion. They are included in a
sentence (usually at the start) to express a sentiment such as surprise,
disgust, joy, excitement, or enthusiasm.
An interjection is not grammatically related to any other part of the sentence.
Examples
of Interjections
·
Hey! Get off that floor!
·
Oh, that is a surprise.
·
Good! Now we can move on.
·
Jeepers, that was close.
Expressions such as
"yes," "no," "indeed," and "well" are
often used as interjections.
For example:
·
Indeed, this is not the first time the stand has collapsed.
·
Yes, I do intend to cover the bet.
Some interjections are sounds.
For example:
·
Phew! I am not trying that again.
·
Humph! I knew that last week.
·
Mm mm, my compliments to the chef.
Some interjections are more
than one word.
For example:
·
Oh, really? I doubt that.
·
Holy moly! She won!
They're not always at the
start of a sentence.
For example:
·
It is cold, indeed.
While using the interjections;
we have two questions in our mind.
Why Should I Care about Interjections?
What punctuation follows an interjection?
Recognizing an interjection
will help you to choose the punctuation that follows it. If your interjection
is not a question (and most aren't), you have a choice. You can use a comma, a
period (full stop) or an exclamation mark. Commas and periods are used for mild
interjections, while exclamation marks are used for stronger expressions of
emotion. Often, an interjection followed by an exclamation mark will be followed by an exclamatory sentence (i.e., one with an exclamation mark).
·
Jeepers! You scared the life out of me!
·
Crikey! Do you think before you speak?
(You can't use an exclamation mark at the end of
your sentence if it's a question.)
The choice between a comma and
a period depends on your desired flow of text. In other words, choose what
looks good to you. If your interjection is a question, you must use a question
mark.
(When an interjection is in the middle of the
sentence, you must offset it with commas. It doesn't happen often.)
As a general rule, you should
avoid using interjections in business writing, but, used very infrequently,
they can be impactful and insert some pep into a document. Too much
interjection-invoked pep, however, could make you look a little scatty.
Key Point
·
Use a comma or a period (full stop) after a mild
interjection as you think looks best. For a stronger blurt of emotion, use an
exclamation mark.
Here is a list of interjections
from A to Z
A: aah, aha, ahem, ahh, ahoy,
alas, aw
B: bam, bingo, blah, boo, bravo,
C: cheers, congratulations
D: dang, drat, darn, duh
E: eek, eh, encore, eureka
F: fie, fiddlesticks
G: gadzooks, gee, gee whiz,
golly, goodbye, goodness, good grief, gosh
H: ha-ha, hallelujah, hello, hey,
hmm, holy buckets, holy cow, holy smokes, hot dog, huh?, humph, hurray
O: oh, oh dear, oh my, oh well,
oops, ouch, ow
P: phew, phooey, pooh, pow
R: rats
S: shh, shoo
T: thanks, there, tut-tut
U: uh-huh, uh-oh, ugh
W: wahoo, well, whew, whoa,
whoops, wow
Y: yay, yeah, yes, yikes, yippee,
yo, yuck
INTERJECTION EXAMPLE WITH
SENTENCES:
Ah, there you are!
Oh dear! You must take care of
yourself.
Whew, that was close.
Shh! It's a library.
Bingo! That's exactly what we
were looking for!
Oops! Sorry I didn't see those
skates there.