grammatical categories

1.8. interjections

INTERJECTIONS

• INTERJECTIONS ARE Words expressing strong feelings or emotion. If they are standing alone, tey are followed by exclamation marks. When woven into a sentence, they are usually followed by commas. An interjection usually comes at the beginning of the sentence.

Wow! Did you see what she wrote in her e-mail message?

Oops! I forgot to send the attachment.

• Do not overuse interjections. Include one when you want to make your point. If you use too many interjections, your writing loses its power and effectiveness.
• Here are some common interjections:

Aw Bravo Darn Dear me

Eek Eh Gee Golly

Goodness gracious Gosh Hallelujah Hey

Horrors Hurrah Hurray Mmm

Oh Oh no Oops Ouch

Phew Rats Really Ugh

Well Whoa Whoops Wow

Yea Yeh Yes Yippee

WRITING TIP Interjections express emotion. Do not overuse this part of speech, which generally is found in dialogues and face-to-face conversations.