Interjections
An interjection
is a word that expresses some kind of emotion. It can be used as filler.
Interjections do not have a grammatical function in the sentence and are not
related to the other parts of the sentence. If an interjection is omitted, the
sentence still makes sense. It can stand alone.
- Ouch! That
hurts.
- Well, I need a
break.
- Wow! What a
beautiful dress!
When you are
expressing a strong emotion, use an exclamation mark (!). A comma (,) can be
used for a weaker emotion.
Interjections do the following:
1. Express a feeling—wow, gee, oops, darn, geez, oh:
- Oops, I’m sorry. That was my
mistake.
- Geez! Do I need to do it again?
- Oh, I didn’t know that.
2. Say yes or
no—yes, no, nope:
- Yes! I will do it!
- No, I am not going to go there.
- Nope. That’s not what I want.
3. Call
attention—yo, hey:
- Yo, will you throw the ball back?
- Hey, I just wanted to talk to you
about the previous incident.
4. Indicate a
pause—well, um, hmm:
- Well, what I meant was nothing like
that.
- Um, here is our proposal.
- Hmm. You really need to be on a
diet.
[Quiz
29.1]
What should be B’s expression?
A: I got a perfect score on the math exam.
B:
(Well. Wow! or Um.)
[Quiz 29.2]
What should be C’s expression?
C: !
(Nope, Hey, or Geez) My computer just broke.
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