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!

Er, um, uh

Er, um, and uh are "hesitation devices" and they are extremely common in English.

People use them when they don't know what to say, or to indicate that they are thinking about what to say. You should learn to recognize them when you hear them and realize that they have no real meaning.

Example: I was wondering, ummm, if you would be interested in, uh, maybe, uh, going to the movies with me on Saturday.

Interjections

Wow, here is something easy: interjections.

Hi

Hey

Oh

Ouch



Some interjections are sounds:

Ah

Mmmmm

Ugh


There are interjections used as introductory expressions:

Yes

No

Indeed

Well

Interjections are words used to express a strong feeling or sudden emotion. They are usually included at the beginning of a sentence to express a feeling such as surprise, disgust, joy, excitement or enthusiasm. We use interjections quite often, generally more in speaking than in writing.

Wow, this is a great post!