Interjections are short, spontaneous sentences or utterances that express strong emotions, conversational cues, pauses, or onomatopoeia. They are characterized by brevity, punctuation, and often consist of only one word. Examples in English include “Ow!”, “Hello”, “Umm”, and “Ah!”. Literary devices like onomatopoeia can also function as interjections.
Interjections are a common component of the English language, although they can be found in other languages as well. These parts of speech usually consist of short, often spontaneous sentences or utterances. In English, interjection types typically occur in the following classifications: strong emotional expressions, onomatopoeia, conversational additives, and expressions indicating a pause. Emotion-based types of interjections can range from expressions of pain to expressions of surprise.
An interjection is usually characterized by its brevity and use of punctuation. Many interjections can consist of only one word. Strong punctuation marks such as the exclamation point also often accompany an interjection. If a word or phrase comes across as confusing when given a lack of context, it’s likely an interjection. Since interjections tend to be more common in English, all subsequent types of interjection examples will come from the English language.
Linguistic expressions of emotion are perhaps the most common of the interjection types. When an individual experiences a strong emotion, a sudden verbal exclamation often accompanies and symbolizes this feeling. For example, if an individual cuts off a body part, he might say “Ow!” or “Ouch!” Similarly, if a person receives good news, the joy might be expressed with a simple exclamation such as “Yes!” or “Hooray!” Other common emotional expressions using interjections include surprise and disgust: “Wow!” and “Ugh,” respectively.
Some types of interjections are a matter of common conversation cues and behavioral responses. Two people could, for example, greet each other with a “Hello”. Individuals might similarly respond to the statements of others with simple additions of words or phrases such as “Okay” or “Yes” or “No” in response to a question. If an offensive comment or action occurs, the offender may say “I’m sorry” or “Sorry.” The hope of getting some kind of favor, on the other hand, could be strengthened with a well-placed interjection of “Please.”
Sounds or letter combinations that do not express an actual word or that break traditional English grammatical rules also constitute types of interjections. Usually, these interjections are used in speech to fill gaps in conversation or formal speech. Examples in English range from “Umm” to “Ahem”. Interjections can also sometimes be used to encourage another person’s speech, such as when an individual mumbles “Mm-hmm” when a dialogue partner is silent.
In addition to spoken interjections, literary devices can also function as interjection types. In particular, some words or phrases may serve the explicit purpose of vocalizing a sound. For example, the sound of laughter could be expressed verbatim as “Ah!” One sneeze could lead to the nickname “Achoo!” Growls, meanwhile, could be expressed with a “Grr!” These expressions are often called onomatopoeia.
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