Examples and uses of interjections in English

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Interjections are words or sounds that convey strong emotions, such as surprise. In English, as in Spanish, different interjections are used, mainly in everyday conversations. For example: wow ! and ooh! to show amazement or uh? to express confusion.

What are interjections

The term interjection comes from the Latin word interiectio , which is formed, in turn, by the prefix inter -, which means “between”; the verb iacere , which means “to throw” or “throw”; and the suffix –ción , which means “action and effect”. Therefore, the interjection, according to its etymology, is a word that is “thrown” within a sentence.

In English, interjections are very frequent in spoken language. An interjection or interjection can also be defined as a word, phrase, sound or onomatopoeia that is pronounced spontaneously and, generally, in an exclamatory tone.

Interjections are used, among other things, to express an emotion or mood, grab the listener’s attention, get confirmation, or reject something.

From a grammatical point of view, interjections are not related to the other parts of speech, but they are of elementary importance in speech because they express the speaker’s feelings and tone. In many cases they are also used to emphasize what is being said.

In written language they are usually written followed by a comma, an exclamation mark or a question mark. Some of the most commonly used interjections in English are hey , oops , ouch , oh , ah , ugh , aw , wow , brr , and ssh .

Types of interjections

Interjections in English can be divided in different ways. Below are their categorizations according to their origin and composition and according to their function.

Interjections according to their origin and composition

  • Primary Interjections: These are the most elementary and consist of a single sound or word. They are not derived from other words and are only used as interjections. Primary interjections are usually the first sounds children learn when they start to speak. For example: oh, ssh, wow, ooh, aw, hmm.
  • Secondary Interjections – These words are not just sounds, but phrases with more than one word and can be used to form sentences as they have other meanings depending on the context. They are generally used as exclamations and, in many cases, they are used within phrases of greetings, oaths or insults. Some examples are: Oh my God! / “My God!”; damn ! / “damn”; for God’s sake ! / “My God!”; oh well! / “Oh good!”

Interjections according to their function

  • To express surprise:
    • Wow! or woah! : They are used to express astonishment or surprise about something positive or disappointment, depending on the tone used. It is the equivalent of the Spanish “wow!”
    • Gee : indicates surprise, sympathy or enthusiasm and can be translated as “go”.
    • Oh ! : used in a large number of situations, but almost always to indicate surprise.
  • To indicate disgust:
    • yuck! oh yucky! : translates as “yuck!” and it is used when something is disgusting, mainly if it is a smell or taste.
    • Ugh – used to express disapproval or discomfort regarding something; It can also denote disgust.
    • Jeez! : to indicate disapproval or a negative surprise and can also be equivalent to “wow”.
  • To express pain when something happens suddenly. They are similar to “ouch!” in Spanish.
    • Ouch! oh !
  • To convey joy: these expressions are similar to the Spanish interjection «¡yupi!»
    • Yay!
    • Yippee!
    • Hooray!
    • Bingo!
  • To get someone’s attention:
    • Psst! / “Pst!”: It is common to use this interjection to call a person or an animal.
    • Hey! / “Hey!”: this interjection is one of the most common. It is used to call someone, get their attention, or express a complaint.
  • To express relief:
    • Phew!
  • To reject something: naw and nah are used in informal situations.
    • No!, naw , nah .
  • To admit an error:
    • Oops!
  • To express confusion: the use of these interjections requires the other person to repeat what you have said.
    • Hey? huh ?
  • To express cold:
    • brr!

Other common interjections

  • To express doubt or hesitation: they are similar to Spanish fillers, such as: “this…”; “Hey…”
    • Um , Hmm , Ahem , Er , Erm .
  • To express agreement: they are equivalent to «aha» in Spanish. It is used in an informal context.
    • Uh-huh , and up , ya , ok , okey-dokey , mhmm .
  • Onomatopoeia:
    • Tweet, chirp, cheep cheep / «tweet, tweet!»: sound of birds.
    • Haha, hehe, hoho / “ha ha!, heh, heh!, ho ho!” : laughs.
    • Knock knock / “knock knock, tun tun”, knock on the door.
    • Meow / «meow!: meow of the cat.
    • Mwah / “mua”: sound of a kiss.
    • Yum or yummy / “mmm”: when something is delicious.
    • Grr! , gh ! o ashh! : are used to express anger and imitate the sound of a growl.
  • Boo! : It is also used to boo or scare.

Examples of sentences with interjections

Some examples of sentences with interjections are:

  • Wow! I love your new car! / “Wow! I love your new car!”
  • yuck! This potato is rotten. / “Gross! This potato is rotten.”
  • Ouch! I hit my finger with the door. / “Ouch! I hit my finger on the door.
  • – The washing machine is broken, so we should get a new one. – Uh-huh. / «- The washing machine has broken, so we should buy a new one. – AHA”.
  • Boo! That team is really bad. / “Whew! That team is very bad.”
  • Oops! I forgot to do that task. / “Oops! I forgot to do that homework.”
  • Whoa! The tea is too hot. / “Ouch! The tea is too hot.”
  • Aww, you are so sweet! / “Oh, you’re so sweet!”
  • Hey! Look at me! I’m talking to you! / “Hey! Look at me! I am talking to you!”
  • Hey! What are you doing? / “Hey, what are you doing?”

Other examples of sentences with interjections

  • Oh, that puppy is cute. / “Ooh! That pup is beautiful.”
  • Brr , it’s snowing! / “Brr, it’s snowing!”
  • Oh! I didn’t notice it. / “Ooh! I did not realize”.
  • Hey, what’s your name? / “Hey what’s your name?”
  • Oops, I dialed the wrong number. / “Oops, I dialed the wrong number.”

Bibliography

Cecilia Martinez (B.S.)
Cecilia Martinez (B.S.)
Cecilia Martinez (Licenciada en Humanidades) - AUTORA. Redactora. Divulgadora cultural y científica.

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