Interjections in English Grammar

What Do Interjections Mean?

Speech patterns, known as interjections, are used to express or communicate unexpected feelings and emotions. Interjections can occur anywhere in a sentence, but they are typically observed at the beginning of sentences. However, this is not a set rule. Exclamatory sentences are constructed using them.

Definition of an Interjection

"A short sound, word, or phrase spoken suddenly to express an emotion" is the definition of an interjection from the Oxford Learner's Dictionary. Interjections are described as "words that are used to show a short sudden expression of emotion" by the Cambridge Dictionary. An interjection is "a word or expression which you use to express a strong feeling such as surprise, pain, or horror," according to the Collins Dictionary.

Usage

You can use interjections to convey sentiments or strong emotions, such as shock ("My goodness!"), disgust ("Yuck, that tastes awful"), or surprise ("Wow! I had no idea"). Happiness ("Yay! I can't believe we won") or fear ("That was frightening.") They can be used to express disagreement and disapproval ("No way!") or agreement and recognition ("Yes! That's a great idea." I'm unable to support that." Demands and requests can be made using interjections ("Shh! In the library, kindly keep quiet." "I'm, uh, not sure what I should do next." is another way to utilise them to highlight or break up an idea. Interjections can also be used to draw attention to oneself ("Hey, Jenny! Either as a goodbye or welcoming phrase ("Bye! We're over here.") Tomorrow, I'll see you.

In writing or conversation, interjections are rarely utilised, but in creative writing or informal speaking, they may be a useful tool for emphasis and colour. Exclamation marks are appended to interjections in writing when they convey intense feelings, such as "Hey! "What's going on here?") or separated by commas if they convey feelings that are not as strong ("Oh, I must have missed that.").

Types of Interjection

There are six types of Interjections-

1. Primary Interjection: A sound or phrase that may only be employed as an interjection is called a main interjection. Primary interjections are incapable of having another meaning or functioning as a noun, verb, or adjective.

Most primary interjections are only sounds with no discernible origin. As a result, an interjection might be written in a variety of ways, such as "um-hum" or "mm-hmm," even if they occasionally have regular spellings.

Primary interjections in sentences are one example.

• Ugh! It is repulsive.
• Huh. That seems like it could work.
• We prevailed in the match. Hooray!

2. Secondary interjections: A word that is normally employed as another component of speech (a noun, verb, or adjective) but may also be used as an interjection is called a secondary interjection.

Examples: When a phrase contains Secondary Interjections

• Oh, my goodness! It was a close call.
• Whoa! They've cancelled my flight.
• Amazing! Repeat the trick.

3. Volitive Interjections: To offer an order or make a request, utilise a volitive interjection. To order someone to be quiet, for instance, employ the volitive interjection "shh" or "shush."

Examples: When an interjection is volatile in a statement

• Haha! When you sing, I can't concentrate.
• I promise. Please give me a rubber.
• Oh, excuse me. Kindly focus your attention.

4. Emotive Interjection: To convey a feeling or to show a response to something, one uses an expressive interjection. For instance, distaste is expressed with the expressive exclamation "ew."

Curse words, also known as expletives, are frequently employed as expressive interjections to convey annoyance or fury (in informal settings).

Examples: Sentence-based emotional interjections

• Ouch. That is not going to be in my mouth.
• Haha! It's very nice to see you.
• Tastes great! This is a very tasty apple pie.

5. Cognitive Interjection: An idea can be expressed or a mental process can be indicated with a cognitive interjection. The cognitive interjection "um," for instance, might convey uncertainty or show that the speaker is pondering.

Examples: Sentence-level cognitive interjections

• Um, would you mind repeating your explanation?
• Whoa! That was not what I had anticipated.
• Bravo! The puzzle has been solved by me.

6. Greetings and Parting Words: At the conclusion of a conversation, interjections such as "hello" and "good-bye" are used to greet and welcome people.

Examples: Salutations and sentence-ending words or phrases.

• Hello!
• Greetings! It's nice to meet you.
• Farewell!
• I'll see you shortly! Travel carefully.

Examples of Interjections

Here are a few instances of interjections that demonstrate their effective usage in sentences.

• Bravo- To praise- Bravo! We prevailed in the game.
• Ouch- Express Pain- Ouch! It ached so much.
• Dear God, oh dear! That wasn't what I anticipated.
• Alas- To express sadness or pity- Alas! That was so unexpected; we lost her
• Ah- To express realisation or surprise- Ah, the comedy show at the end was excellent!
• Eh- To enquire or ask for something to be repeated- Eh! I didn't understand. Can you please come again?
• Oh Dear- To express pity or surprise- Oh dear! I feel really bad for what happened to your dog.
• Hey- To express surprise or call for attention - Hey! Look out for the child's father; he might be here.
• Hurray- To express joy- Hurray! We finally cleared out the final semester.
• Oh- To express pain or surprise- Oh! I had a really horrible day at my nephew's place.
• Ouch- To express pain- Ouch! You made me fall on the floor.
• Phew- To express relief, exhaustion, disgust- Phew! It was an extremely hot day outside.
• Uh- To express hesitation- Uh! I don't think this dress would fit me in.
• Well- To introduce a remark- Well, you should understand what you're doing.
• Wow- To express your admiration for something- Wow! Your dress is too pretty.
• Yippee- To express joy- Yippee! Finally, we're going on a holiday.

When and How to Use Interjections?

Certain extremely significant punctuation rules should be kept in mind while utilising interjections. The important things to keep in mind are listed below-

• If an interjection is used briefly to start a phrase, a comma should come after it.
• A full stop, a question mark, or an exclamation mark might come after an interjection that stands alone as a sentence.
• A comma needs to come before and after an interjection if it is used in the middle of a sentence.
• Occasionally, interjections are permitted to stand alone in a discourse.
• In a formal setting, it is best to avoid using any or all interjections.

FAQs

Q1. What do interjections mean?

A. To communicate or express unexpected feelings and emotions, one uses interjections. Interjections are generally observed at the start of sentences, although there are no set guidelines for where they should be inserted. Excitatory sentences are formed using them.

Q2. What is an interjection defined as?

A. A brief sound, word, or phrase said abruptly to indicate an emotion is called an interjection, according to the Oxford Learner's Dictionary. "Word that is used to show a short sudden expression of emotion" is how the Cambridge Dictionary defines an interjection. "A word or phrase used in" is how the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines an interjection. The Macmillan Dictionary defines an interjection as "a word or phrase used for expressing a strong emotion such as surprise or anger," while the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as "a word or phrase used in exclamation." According to the Collins Dictionary, an interjection is "a word or expression used to express strong feelings, such as surprise, pain, or horror."

Q3. List some examples of Interjection.

A. Some instances of interjections include uh, alas, oh, hurray, yippee, bravo, well, oh dear, wow, ah, uh, etc.

Q4. In grammar, what is an interjection?

A. A word or phrase used to request or demand something or to communicate a sentiment is called an interjection. Although they are a component of speech, interjections do not follow a sentence's grammar rules.

Q5. Which interjection is most often used?

A. It is thus difficult to compile a list of all English interjections. But a list of frequently used interjections is possible. The Corpus of Global Web-Based English (GloWbE) has identified the following terms as interjections the most frequently: yes, no, oh, yeah, hi, hey, wow, hello, ah, ha, blah, eh, yup, o, alas, ha-ha, cheers, huh, and hmm.

Conclusion

Essential language tool, interjections bring passion, emphasis, or response into discourse. Whether it's surprise, sadness, love, or any other emotion, they help to quickly and effectively convey the speaker's sentiments. Interjections give speech a natural flow and genuineness by joining or leaving gaps between phrases. They differ greatly between languages and civilisations, reflecting distinct social norms and values. In the end, interjections are essential for enhancing language since they give naturalness and complexity to ordinary conversations.