Interjections are often found at the beginning of the sentence; however, they can technically be anywhere in the sentence, including the middle and the end.
Interjections can either be followed by a comma or an exclamation point depending on the strength of the emotion that the writer would like to convey. Today, it is not uncommon to find writers that use multiple exclamation points, possibly expecting more energy to be read into their words with each additional exclamation point. However, in writing, only one exclamation point is necessary to convey the emotion.
Here are some examples of sentences with interjections:
- Ouch! I was just stung by a bee. (Ouch is the interjection.)
- Hey, bring that back here. (Hey is the interjection.)
- What do you mean that you can’t visit, huh? (Huh is the interjection.)
- I’m just a kid, gee whiz, not a professional athlete. (Gee whiz is the interjection.)
Because interjections have no connection with the rest of the sentence, their only real use is in quotations, such as can be found in dialogue between characters in a book, or informal writing, such as texting, blogging, or writing to friends and family. Interjections are rarely, if ever, used in academic writing where the tone of an essay should be formal.
Another fact about interjections is that they will be onomatopoeic. An onomatopoeia is a word that imitates a sound, such as oink, quack, or moo. These words are found in all languages; however, the same sound in different languages will follow the linguistic patterns of that language. Similarly, interjections will be culturally and linguistically dependent as well.
Directions for the interjection worksheet: In the following sentences, identify the interjection and underline it.
- Hi, I’m glad that you could make it to my party.
- Wow! You look great tonight.
- That was the best performance that I have ever seen, bravo!
- I can’t believe you broke my favorite toy, bah.
- Hmm, I wonder where I put my keys and wallet?
- Miners used to shout, eureka, when they struck gold.
- “Shoo!” shouted the woman when she saw the cat licking milk from her cereal bowl.
- I guess that’s the end of the movie, darn.
- Stop! You should always wear a helmet when riding a bike.
- Yippee, I made this picture all by myself.
Answers:
- Hi is the interjection and is used as a greeting.
- Wow is the interjection and shows surprise.
- Bravo is the interjection and is also used as a way to congratulate the participants.
- Bah is the interjection and shows disappointment.
- Hmm is the interjection and a verbalization of a mental process.
- Eureka is the interjection and shows excitement.
- Shoo is the interjection and is being used to verbally startle the cat.
- Darn is the interjection and shows disappointment.
- Stop is the interjection and ceases the forthcoming action.
- Yippee is the interjection and shows excitement.
Directions for the interjection worksheet: In the following sentences, write an appropriate interjection in the space provided.
- ______________, why didn’t you hold the door for me?
- ______________, I’m so happy that you decided to visit this summer.
- ______________, it’s not every day that you see a dog riding a skateboard.
- ______________! How can you possibly agree with that point of view?
- He just cost us the game with that error, ______________!
- ______________! You just gave me a great idea.
- ______________, that’s a very large dog at the end of that leash.
- I can’t believe that I finally got an A on a project, ____________!
- ______________, my favorite author is doing a reading at the local library.
- This is my first new car,_______________.
The answers to the fill-in section may vary. Here is a list of interjections to help get started. However, more than one word can fit in each space above.
