Interjections

Hey, umm, ah, wow!

Believe it or not, these are words. More specifically, they are interjections, which are short exclamations. Phew, hello, yay!

- Oops! I made a mistake.
- Hurry! We’re going to be late.
- Brr, it’s cold outside.

Interjections have no grammatical value but they are used quite often. Why? To express a sudden emotion or strong feeling such as surprise, disgust, joy, excitement, or enthusiasm. Are there any situations that make you want to say boo, aww, or oops?

Last week’s post discussed the interjections “er”, “um”, and “ah” as hesitation devices. Check out this list of interjections and their meanings. Most sound like nonsense words but they do have a translation.

Ooh!