Interjections Definition, Types, and Examples in English

Interjections are the colorful exclamation points that punctuate our words in the broad field of language. Interjections are an essential component of speech that allow one to easily express feelings, reactions, or jolts of emotion. These dynamic linguistic aspects give our talks depth and color, whether they convey delight, surprise, or irritation. Now that we have a clear knowledge of what an interjection is, let’s explore its different varieties with some examples.

Interjections Definition

In the language of grammar, interjections are words or phrases that express short or powerful thoughts or feelings. They frequently express the speaker’s instantaneous response or feeling when they are used alone, apart from the remainder of the sentence. Interjections serve as verbal cues that enhance communication by expressing subtleties that straightforward words might be unable to capture. Interjections express the core of human emotions, from agreement to disagreement, from joy to sorrow, and they liven up talks.

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Types of Interjections

Here’s a list of different kinds of interjections in English:

Joyful Interjections
Sorrowful Interjections
Surprise Interjections
Approval Interjections
Disapproval Interjections
Attention-Seeking Interjections
Greeting Interjections
Farewell Interjections

Here we will explore the above types of interjections with helpful usage, rules, and examples in English:

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1. Joyful Interjections

Joyful interjections express happiness, delight, or excitement. The below list is used to express happiness, delight, or excitement:

Yay
Hooray
Yahoo
Woohoo
Yippee
Bravo
Hip, hip, hooray
Hurrah
Cheers
Awesome
Fantastic
Wonderful
Amazing
Great
Excellent
Superb
Fabulous
Terrific
Delightful
Marvelous

Sentences using joyful interjections

“Yay, I won the game!”
“Hooray, the party was a success!”
“Woohoo, it’s finally Friday!”
“Yippee, I got the job!”
“Bravo, that was an excellent performance!”
“Hip, hip, hooray, we’re going on vacation!”
“Hurrah, the team scored a goal!”
“Cheers, to a wonderful evening!”
“Awesome, you did a fantastic job!”
“Fantastic, the news is just what I wanted!”
“Great, the sun is shining today!”
“Excellent, the food was delicious!”
“Superb, you solved the puzzle!”
“Fabulous, the dress looks amazing on you!”
“Terrific, the movie was so entertaining!”
“Delightful, this weather is perfect for a picnic!”
“Marvelous, the flowers are in full bloom!”

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2. Sorrowful Interjections

Sorrowful interjections convey sadness, grief, or disappointment. The below list is used to convey sadness, grief, or disappointment:

Alas
Oh no
Oh dear
Sigh
Oh my
Woe is me
Dear me
Ah, well
Regrettably
Unfortunately
Darn it
Rats
Bummer
Oh bother
Curses
Fiddlesticks
Oh botheration
Dang it
Drat
Good grief

Sentences using sorrowful interjections

“Alas, the opportunity was missed.”
“Oh no, I forgot to submit the report.”
“Oh dear, the cake got burned.”
“Sigh, the rain ruined our plans.”
“Oh my, I can’t believe it’s already over.”
“Woe is me, I lost my favorite pen.”
“Dear me, I made a big mistake.”
“Ah, well, better luck next time.”
“Regrettably, the event was canceled.”
“Unfortunately, the flight got delayed.”
“Darn it, I missed the bus.”
“Rats, I dropped my phone and it cracked.”
“Bummer, the concert was sold out.”
“Oh bother, I locked myself out of the house.”
“Curses, I made a wrong turn.”
“Fiddlesticks, I forgot my wallet at home.”
“Oh botheration, I spilled coffee on my shirt.”
“Dang it, I didn’t save my work.”
“Drat, I missed the last train.”
“Good grief, I can’t find my keys anywhere.”

3. Surprise Interjections

Surprise interjections reveal shock or astonishment. The below list is used to reveal shock or astonishment:

Wow
Oh my
Oh wow
Whoa
Oh dear
Goodness
My goodness
Oh goodness
Holy cow
Holy moly
Holy smokes
Oh heavens
Oh gosh
Oh boy
Oh golly
Oh my goodness
Oh my gosh
Oh my word
Well, I never
No way

Learn all about the Adverbs in English

Sentences using Surprise interjections

“Wow, that’s incredible!”
“Oh my, I can’t believe it!”
“Oh wow, that’s breathtaking!”
“Whoa, that was unexpected!”
“Oh dear, what happened here?”
“Goodness, that’s impressive!”
“My goodness, that’s astonishing!”
“Oh goodness, that’s remarkable!”
“Holy cow, that’s amazing!”
“Holy moly, that’s unbelievable!”
“Holy smokes, that’s extraordinary!”
“Oh heavens, that’s surprising!”
“Oh gosh, I didn’t see that coming!”
“Oh boy, that’s impressive!”
“Oh golly, that’s astounding!”
“Oh my goodness, that’s astonishing!”
“Oh my gosh, I’m speechless!”
“Oh my word, that’s unbelievable!”
“Well, I never, that’s unexpected!”
“No way, that’s absolutely incredible!”

4. Approval Interjections

Approval interjections indicate agreement, approval, or support. The below list is used to indicate agreement, approval, or support:

Yes
Absolutely
Exactly
Right
Of course
Definitely
Certainly
Indeed
You bet
Absolutely
Sure
Amen
Affirmative
Yea
Without a doubt
That’s right
I agree
You’re right
Precisely
That’s it

Sentences using Approval interjections

“Yes, that’s a great idea!”
“Absolutely, I agree with you.”
“Exactly, that’s what I was thinking.”
“Right, you’re absolutely correct.”
“Of course, I’ll help you with that.”
“Definitely, I support your decision.”
“Certainly, you can count on me.”
“Indeed, that’s the way to do it.”
“You bet, I’ll be there on time.”
“Absolutely, you did a fantastic job.”
“Sure, I’d love to join you.”
“Amen, I couldn’t agree more.”
“Affirmative, let’s proceed with the plan.”
“Yea, that’s the spirit!”
“Without a doubt, you are right.”
“That’s right, you deserve this success.”
“I agree, that’s a valid point.”
“You’re right, that makes sense.”
“Precisely, that’s the answer.”
“That’s it, you’ve got the right solution.”

Learn all about the Adjectives in English

5. Disapproval Interjections

Disapproval interjections show disagreement, disapproval, or frustration. Here is a list of disapproval interjections that can convey disagreement, disapproval, or frustration:

Ugh
Oh no
Oh great
Oh wonderful
Oh fantastic
Oh perfect
Oh terrific
Oh marvelous
Oh splendid
Oh lovely
Oh wonderful
Oh joy
Oh fantastic
Oh great
Oh marvelous
Oh splendid
Oh perfect
Oh wonderful
Oh terrific
Oh amazing

Sentences using Disapproval interjections

“Ugh, not this again.”
“Oh no, I made a mistake.”
“Alas, it didn’t work out as planned.”
“Oh bother, I forgot my keys.”
“Yuck, this tastes awful.”
“Blech, I can’t eat this.”
“Bah, I don’t want to go.”
“Blah, I’m not in the mood.”
“Meh, it’s not that impressive.”
“Ew, that’s disgusting.”
“Yikes, that’s a mess.”
“Darn, I missed the bus.”
“Rats, I lost my wallet.”
“Phooey, I can’t find my phone.”
“Fiddlesticks, I can’t believe this happened.”
“Oh boy, this is going to be a problem.”
“Boo, that was a terrible performance.”
“Dang, I didn’t mean to do that.”
“Drat, I forgot to call them.”
“Oh dear, I think I offended her.”

6. Attention-Seeking Interjections

Attention-Seeking interjections are used to capture someone’s attention or to initiate a conversation. Here is a list of attention-seeking interjections that can be used to capture someone’s attention or initiate a conversation:

Hey
Psst
Yo
Look
Listen
Excuse me
Ahem
Well
Say
Eh
Um
Okay
All right
Hello
Hi
Oi
Hark
Hem
Now
Well now

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Sentences using Attention-Seeking interjections

“Hey, can you help me with this?”
“Psst, look over there!”
“Yo, what’s up?”
“Look, I found the solution!”
“Listen, I have something to tell you.”
“Excuse me, may I ask a question?”
“Ahem, can I have your attention, please?”
“Well, what do you think about this?”
“Say, have you heard the news?”
“Eh, did you understand that?”
“Um, could you repeat that, please?”
“Okay, let’s get started.”
“All right, let’s do this together.”
“Hello, how are you today?”
“Hi, can we talk for a moment?”
“Oi, pay attention!”
“Hark, there’s someone at the door.”
“Hem, I have something important to discuss.”
“Now, let me explain the situation.”
“Well now, what’s going on here?”

7. Greeting Interjections

Greeting interjections are used to welcome or acknowledge someone. Here is a list of greeting interjections that can be used to welcome or acknowledge someone:

Hello
Hi
Hey
Good morning
Good afternoon
Good evening
Greetings
Salutations
Howdy
Hola
Aloha
Bonjour
Ciao
Namaste
Salaam
Shalom
Konnichiwa
Ni hao
Satsriakal
Merhaba

Sentences using Greeting interjections

“Hello, how are you?”
“Hi, it’s good to see you!”
“Hey, what’s new?”
“Good morning, have a great day!”
“Good afternoon, how’s your day going?”
“Good evening, how was your day?”
“Greetings, it’s a pleasure to meet you!”
“Salutations, how have you been?”
“Howdy, partner, long time no see!”
“Hola, cómo estás?”
“Aloha, welcome to the island!”
“Bonjour, comment ça va?”
“Ciao, nice to see you again!”
“Namaste, welcome to our home!”
“Salaam, peace be with you!”
“Shalom, how is everything?”
“Konnichiwa, good to see you today!”
“Ni hao, how have you been?”
“Satsriakal, how are you doing?”
“Merhaba, welcome to our country!”

Learn all about the Prepositions in English

8. Farewell Interjections

Farewell interjections are used to bid goodbye or farewell to someone. Here is a list of farewell interjections that can be used to bid goodbye or farewell to someone:

Goodbye
Bye
Bye-bye
Farewell
See you
Take care
So long
Adieu
Adios
Au revoir
Ciao
Hasta luego
Hasta la vista
Sayonara
Shalom
Namaste
Have a good day
Have a great day
Have a good one
Until next time

Sentences using Farewell interjections

“Goodbye, see you tomorrow!”
“Bye, take care!”
“Bye-bye, have a great day!”
“Farewell, until we meet again!”
“See you, have a good one!”
“Take care, see you soon!”
“So long, have a great weekend!”
“Adieu, until next time!”
“Adios, have a safe trip!”
“Au revoir, it was nice seeing you!”
“Ciao, have a wonderful evening!”
“Hasta luego, see you later!”
“Hasta la vista, baby!”
“Sayonara, have a safe journey!”
“Shalom, peace be with you!”
“Namaste, goodbye and take care!”
“Have a good day, farewell!”
“Have a great day, bye for now!”
“Have a good one, see you next time!”
“Until next time, take care!”

As expressive components of speech, interjections are essential for conveying a wide range of feelings and responses in human interactions. Interjections add authenticity and richness to our language, ranging from happy shouts to melancholic sighs, astonished looks, and words of approbation or condemnation.

Interjections Rules with Examples

You can use interjections as expressive devices in your writing and speaking by being aware of the regulations around their use. Here are some basic guidelines to remember, along with instances that show how to apply them:

1. Standalone Nature:

Interjections typically stand alone, separated from the rest of the sentence by punctuation marks such as commas, exclamation points, or question marks. They are not grammatically connected to other parts of the sentence.

Example:
- “Wow, that’s amazing!”
- “Oh, I didn’t expect that!”
- “Ouch! That hurt.”

2. Expressive Emotions:

Interjections are used to convey sudden or strong emotions, reactions, or sentiments. They serve as exclamations that emphasize the speaker’s immediate response to a situation.

Example:
- “Yikes, that was close!”
- “Hurray! We won the game!”
- “Phew, I finally finished the project.”

3. Punctuation Usage:

Interjections are often followed by an exclamation mark to emphasize the intensity of the emotion or reaction expressed. However, in some cases, they may be followed by a comma if the emotion is less intense.

Example:
- “Ouch! That’s hot!”
- “Wow, what a beautiful sunset!”
- “Alas, the opportunity was missed.”

4. Variability of Formality:

The use of interjections can add informality or casualness to the tone of the conversation or writing. They are commonly used in informal or spoken language to convey the speaker’s feelings in a more direct and relatable manner.

Example:
- “Hey, could you pass me the salt?”
- “Oh, I see what you mean now.”
- “Well, that’s a surprise!”

5. Context and Intensity:

The choice of interjection often depends on the specific context and the intensity of the emotion being expressed. Different interjections can convey varying degrees of emotions, from mild surprise to extreme excitement or disappointment.

Example:
- “Oh, I didn’t realize you were here.”
- “Whoa, that’s an incredible performance!”
- “Ugh, I can’t believe this is happening.”

Interjections Grammar Charts

Interjections Definition, Types, and Examples in English

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