Interjections in Writing: 12 Examples of Interjections

Interjections are parts of speech that express emphasis, usually to better indicate the strong feeling of the speaker or writer. In English grammar, exclamation points, question marks, or commas typically follow interjections. Unlike other parts of speech, like adverbs or prepositions, interjections can both stand alone and function as parts of sentences. You can remove an interjection from a sentence without impacting the information, but the sentence will lose its emotional impact.

There are many types of interjections in English, but they are unified by their expression of strong emotion. Interjections capture a wide range of emotions and can express:

1. 1. Mistakes: The words “oops” and “whoops” convey that the speaker or writer recognizes they’ve made a mistake. For example, “Oops, I forgot to take out the trash!” or “Whoops, I dropped the glass!” Here, the interjection connects to the rest of the sentence with a comma.
2. 2. Concern or fear: You can use “yikes” as an interjection to express concern or fear. For example, “Yikes! I’m breaking out in hives!” Notice that the utterance “yikes” stands alone as a simple sentence.
3. 3. Confusion: An interjection that expresses confusion will end with a question mark. For example, “Huh? The forecast calls for snow in June.”
4. 4. Disgust or discomfort: “Eww” and “yuck” express disgust or discomfort, as in: “Eww, I touched that, and it was wet.” and “You actually ate that? Yuck!” In the second sentence, the interjection comes at the end rather than in front.
5. 5. Surprise or bewilderment: “Gee” is an exclamatory interjection that expresses emotions of surprise or bewilderment, such as: “Gee, this isn’t going the way I thought it would!” You can also place the exclamation mark after “gee” for a different impact.
6. 6. Relief: “Phew” is an interjection that denotes relief. “Phew! I was seconds away from missing my train.”
7. 7. Regret or disappointment: The word “alas” can express regret or disappointment. For example, “Alas, the project’s funding was cut off.”
8. 8. Satisfaction or celebration: Interjections like “yay,” “yippee, “ hurrah,” and “yahoo” are expressions of joyful satisfaction or celebration. For example, “Yay! We won!” “Yippee, the storm is over!” and “Hurrah, she recovered!”
9. 9. Displeasure or disappointment: You can use “boo” to express dissatisfaction or disappointment, as in “Boo, we aren’t getting the award.” You can also use “boo” to surprise or shock the person being addressed, as in “Boo! You didn’t see me hiding there, did you?”
10. 10. Approval: The word “bravo,” borrowed from the Italian language, expresses admiration for someone or something. “Bravo! A tremendous performance!”
11. 11. Emphasis: “Ahem” is an onomatopoeia or a word that sounds like the thing it is describing. “Ahem” is an approximation of the sound of someone clearing their throat to speak, which is another way to add emphasis: “Ahem! This meeting will now come to order.”
12. 12. Coldness: “Brrr” is another example of an onomatopoeia that also functions as an interjection. “Brrr” can express coldness, as in: “Brrr, it feels like it’s minus 20 degrees out here!”

Interjections can be more than one word. Examples of interjection phrases include “good grief,” and “for goodness’ sake.”

In the English language, interjections are often at the beginning of a sentence, but they can also appear in the middle or end. In any case, writers and speakers use interjections to emphasize and convey emotion. Interjections are not often used in academic writing or formal writing, as their role in expressing emotion is considered excessive in such contexts.

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