República Bolivariana de Venezuela

Ministerio del Poder Popular para la Educación

U. E. Colegio “Arzobispo Silva”
Mérida, Estado, Mérida.

Interjections

Profesora: Aracelis Torres

 Alumno: Martín Díaz 4”C” #35
Index
Definition of Interjections 3
Uses of Interjections 3
Characteristics of Interjections 4
Types of Interjections 4
Interjections for Greeting 4
Interjections for Joy 4
Interjections for Approval and Praise 4
Interjections for Surprise 4
Interjections for Grief/Pain 5
Interjections for Bidding Farwell 5
Interjections for Expressing Doubt or Hesitation 5
Function of Interjections 5
References 8
Definition of Interjections
They are words that show emotion either being positive or negative. These words
do not carry a lot of linguistic importance and are not grammatically related to the
sentence that they are in, but are still widely used in the English language. Popular
interjections include: aw! wow! alas! ouch! ugh! phew! gee! hooray! shoot!.
These interjections do not need to carry the exclamation marks as shown, this is
completely subjective to the person using them. Normally, they will take either an
exclamation mark, comma, or question mark.

Uses of Interjections
When the interjection is right at the start, you might also want to add an
exclamation mark at the end of the sentence, to add extra emphasis, for example:

 “Hurray – we’re finally here!”

But interjections do not always have to be at the start of the sentence. While they
do not have any grammatical influence, you can still use them in different parts of
the sentence, to express different kinds of feelings and tones.
For example, using an interjection at the end of a sentence can turn it into a
question, or a rhetorical question that emphasizes different kinds of feelings. Let us
look at some examples!

 “This is a really interesting film, hmm?”

Putting the interjection at the end of the sentence makes it into a question, which
might invite someone else to share their opinion with you, or ask them if they agree
with you.

 “Hmm! This is a really interesting film!”

Placing the interjection at the start instead makes it more of a statement, which is
less likely to invite someone else to share their thoughts with you.
You could also put an interjection in the middle of a sentence, for a different kind of
expression of feeling. For example:

 “This is a really, hmm, interesting film.”

In this sentence, putting the interjection in the middle helps to convey a feeling of
uncertainty or doubt instead.
Characteristics of Interjections
Interjections are unique and have some interesting features:
1. Interjections do not have a grammatical function in
the sentence construction.
2. They usually cannot be modified or inflected.
3. They do not have to have a relation to the other parts of the sentence.
4. They are highly context-sensitive.
In spoken language, interjections are the words we instantly use to show our
reaction to something which influences our emotion. They are the initial reaction
and sometimes do not even make sense. However, for formal speech or writing,
using interjections is not appropriate.

Types of Interjections
As much as there are feelings and emotions, as much as there are interjection
in languages. Here are the basic kinds of interjection words and phrases:
1. Interjections for Greeting
These interjections are used to indicate emotion of warmth towards
the other person when they meet. These include: Hello!, Hey!, Hi!.
For example,
 Hey! Good to see you today.
 Hello! I am Jane.
 Hi! Would you like to have a cup of coffee?
2. Interjections for Joy
These interjections are used to indicate immediate emotion of
happiness on a sudden happy event that occurred. These
include: Hurrah!, Hurray!, Wow!, Yippee!. For example,
 Hurray! My team won the game.
 Wow! I passed the exam.
 Hurrah! We have got another day off.
3. Interjections for Approval and Praise
These interjections are used by the speaker when he expresses a
strong sense of approval and agreement on something that
happened. These include: Bravo!, Brilliant!, Well done!. For example,
 Well done! You got the job.
 Bravo! He made the goal.
 Brilliant! You scored 99% percent in the exams.
4. Interjections for Surprise
These interjections are used by the speaker when he expresses a
strong sense of surprise on something that happened. These
 include: Ha!, Hey!, What!, Oh!, Ah!, Eh!, Gosh, Wow, Whoa. For
example,
 What! His mother died!
 Ah! I got promoted.
 Eh! That sounds so disgusting.
5. Interjections for Grief/Pain
These interjections are used by the speaker when he expresses a
strong emotion of grief on something unfortunate that happened.
These include: Alas!, Ah!, Oh!, Ouch!. For example,
 Alas! He is dead.
 Ouch! I hurt my foot.
 Ah! The pain of injection.
6. Interjections for Bidding Farwell
These interjections are used by the speaker to bid farewell or say
good-bye. These include: Bye!, good-bye!, farewell!. For example,
 Good-bye! we are leaving.
 Bye! I have to leave for now.
7. Interjections for Expressing Doubt or Hesitation
These interjections are used by the speaker when they are unsure
and thinking of what to say next. These include: Hmm, Uh, Er. For
example,
 Hmm, I am not really sure what happened.
 Do you remember, uh, how used to play this game?
 Um, I think she has a question.

Function of Interjections
The only grammatical function that interjections perform is the interjector. An
interjector is a word or phrase that express an emotion or sentiment on the part of
the speaker. For example, the following interjections function as interjectors:

 Wow! I won the lottery!

 No, you should not have sold the old pottery.
 Arg, I forgot my laptop again.
 Sweet! I won another giveaway!
 I, um, failed to send in the bill on time.
 Will you answer the phone please?!

Unlike the other grammatical functions of the English language, interjectors are not
constituents of the subject or the predicate. Interjectors are also not grammatically-
related to any other part of the sentence. Although interjections most frequently
function as interjectors, almost any other word that conveys an emotion and is not
a constituent of the rest of the clause can function as an interjector.
References
 English Reservoir (2020, 06 de Febrero). Interjections.
https://www.englishreservoir.com/interjections/
 Eurocentres (2015, 03 de Septiembre). What are Interjections – And
How Do You Use Them?. https://www.eurocentres.com/blog/what-
are-interjections-and-how-do-you-use-them
 Johnson H. (2014, 25 de Marzo). Grammatical Function of English
Interjections. https://parentingpatch.com/grammatical-function-of-
english-interjections/
 Learn English (s.f.). Interjection: Definition & Types.
https://www.learngrammar.net/english-grammar/interjection
 Write a Writing (2018, 17 de Abril). Interjections.
https://www.englishreservoir.com/interjections/