Interjections are words or phrases that are expressed as utterances, such as “aha,” “wow,” “yikes,” or “drat.” They’re grammatically independent of other sentences and can convey different levels of emotion.
Though mostly used in speech, you’ll often come across interjections in dialogue and informal communication.
Interjections come in different forms and overlap with different parts of speech. Many interjections can also be considered hesitation markers (words that signify a speaker isn’t finished speaking), discourse markers (words that affect the flow and direction of a sentence), responses, greetings, onomatopoeia, and many more.
3 Types of Interjections
Interjections are typically divided into these three types:
- Emotive: used to express the speaker’s emotions like anger, happiness, disgust, and astonishment (“Drat!” or “Ha!” or “Yuck!” or “Gah!”, respectively)
- Volitive: used as a direct speech meant to instruct or command (“Shh!” or “Listen!”)
- Cognitive: used to express understanding or a reaction to information (“Oh!” or “Aha!” or “I see.”)
The punctuation you use will depend on your intended tone. Though most interjections are exclamations (thus requiring an exclamation mark), there are times when you can use them as questions (which require a question mark) or statements (which require a period).
4 Roles of an Interjection
Though interjections are versatile words, there are four primary reasons why you might use them.
1. Expressing sudden emotions
The most common reason for using interjections is to express and emphasize a sudden mood or emotion. This signals to the person we’re conversing with or writing to what emotion we’re using, or our sudden shift of emotion.
Examples:
- Wow! That is a gorgeous dress!
- Oh no! Are you ok?
- Aw, I hate it when that happens.
2. Saying Yes or No
English is a colorful language. We have tons of ways to say yes or no, and interjections are just one of them.
Examples:
- Nah, I’m not going to sign until I’ve had my dad look at the document.
- Yeah! I’d love to go out with you!
- Nuh-uh, you didn’t!
3. Getting Someone’s Attention
We use a lot of interjections solely to catch or hold someone’s attention. These interjections are usually used in the most casual of settings and are usually reserved for speech rather than writing.
Examples:
- Hey! Could you pass me the soy sauce?
- Yo, Sean! Did you watch the match yesterday?
- Yoo-hoo! Is anyone inside?
4. Interrupters
Interrupters are little thoughts or sounds that occur within a larger thought or sentence. Most of them aren’t considered words at all, as they don’t really have meaning.
Examples:
- Your, uh, dog is diving into the lake.
- Uhmm, are you the guy in charge of this building?
- I think she’s, hmm, Will’s sister, maybe?
When interjections are used this way, they should always be emphasized by commas or em dashes. This makes sure that the flow of the sentence isn’t awkward or confusing.
Where to Place Interjections
There’s no strict rule as to where you should place an interjection, but these are two of the most common placements:
1. Standalone (beginning or end)
Usually, an interjection is treated as a free-standing word or phrase. You can either put them at the front or end of a sentence or use them alone. You do this to either emphasize an emotion or point.
Examples:
- Our school won the championship! Yay!
- Shh! Keep quiet or they’ll notice us!
2. Middle of a Sentence
There are times when interjections are inserted in the middle of a sentence and mostly serve as interrupters. When you do this, treat the interjections like you treat parenthetical content. Your sentence should remain coherent and technically sound even when you remove the interjection.
Examples:
- I might be the weakest but, hey, I still made it.
- I’m the only one, ahem, who can possibly finish this today.
- He’s, oh, the fourth or fifth replacement this season?
When to Use Interjections
Since interjections are entirely independent, there’s little chance of using them incorrectly. What you should be more concerned about is when to use them.
Interjections are virtually non-existent in formal writing, but they can make your fictional dialogue sound more realistic, or add some personality to your less formal nonfiction (like blog posts).
Do you often use interjections? How do you use them? Share your methods in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- The Most Important Basic Grammar Rules to Know
- The 10 Most Common Grammar Mistakes and How To Avoid Them
- Its or It’s: Grammar Explained by an Expert
- i.e. vs. e.g. Grammar Rules Explained
Cole is a blog writer and aspiring novelist. He has a degree in Communications and is an advocate of media and information literacy and responsible media practices. Aside from his interest in technology, crafts, and food, he’s also your typical science fiction and fantasy junkie, spending most of his free time reading through an ever-growing to-be-read list. It’s either that or procrastinating over actually writing his book. Wish him luck!
