Examples of Interjection: All You Need To Know

Do you ever find it hard to use interjections in a sentence correctly? Are you looking for examples of interjection? You’re at the right place!

An interjection is a word or a phrase that is used to express emotions, feelings and any kind of request to someone. As you might guess now, interjection is a part of speech, but you’ll be surprised to know that it’s not grammatically connected to any other part of a sentence or speech. Do you want to explore interjection more? Keep on reading, and by the end of this guide, you’ll be able to use it perfectly. 

How To Use Interjections In Your Sentence?

Interjections are common words that we often hear in informal and formal speech. You might have heard people using phrases like “Indeed” and “Well,” which are actually known as interjections that are used in formal conversations. (However, it is best to avoid the use of interjections in academic writing or formal speech.)

 The basic thing that interjection does to any sentence is add meaning or value to it by expressing a feeling, making a request or demand and emphasizing a thought. It can either be a single word or a phrase. You can use it on its own or as a part of speech. Here are some examples of interjection usage in sentences.

• Oh really? I didn’t know that. 
• Shoot, I’ve broken the mirror.
• Phew! 

In the above examples, you can see how smoothly interjections can be used in any sentence or can be kept alone. Additionally, interjections are grammatically independent parts of speech that can be easily excluded from a sentence without causing any disturbance in the meaning of the sentence. Confusing, isn’t it? Well, here’s an example that will help you understand how you can remove interjection from a sentence without impacting its meaning. 

Example Sentence 1: Oh boy, I’m tired. 

Without interjection: I’m tired. 

Here’s another example.

Example Sentence 2: Ouch, that hurts. 

Without Interjection: That hurts. 

Now you read carefully, you’ll understand that removing the interjection doesn’t affect the sentence. Yet, the interjection was adding an emotion or feeling to the sentence. 

Types of Interjection

Interjections have five further types according to their meaning. Here, we have enlisted and explained all five types of interjection with examples. 

• Primary Interjection
• Secondary Interjection
• Volitive Interjection
• Emotive Interjection
• Cognitive Interjection

Let’s see the examples of interjections according to their types and how each one of them is used in a sentence. 

1. Primary Interjection

A primary interjection is a word or phrase that can be used primarily as an interjection. Basically, a primary interjection doesn’t have any alternative meaning. Furthermore, it can’t function as another part of speech, such as nouns, verbs, or adjectives. 

Typically, primary interjection sounds do not have a clear etymology, and they sometimes have standard spellings. However, you will be amazed to know that a single interjection can be written in multiple ways, such as um-hmm or mm-hmm. Did you find a similarity? Here are some primary examples of interjection. 

• Ugh! That’s nasty
• Um-hum. I think that could work.
• We won the game. Yippee!

2. Secondary Interjection

The second type of interjection is a secondary interjection. It’s a part of speech, such as a noun, verb, or adjective, which can be used as an exclamation or a part of speech. You must be wondering how this is possible. Here’s a perfect example of secondary interjection. 

• Goodness! That was a close one.
• Shoot! My flight has been cancelled.
• Awesome! Do that trick again. 

3. Volitive Interjection

Volitive interjection is used to give an order or demand and a request. As an example, shh or shush is used to demand to stay quiet to someone; this is known as volitive interjection. Here’s an example of volitive interjection. 

• Shh! I can’t focus when you’re singing.
• Psst. Pass me an eraser.
• Ahem. Please pay attention.

4. Emotive Interjection

An emotive interjection is used to show emotion or to indicate any reaction to something. For instance, expressive interjection, such as “new”, is used to express nasty feelings or disgust. Moreover, curse words, also known as expletives, are commonly used in informal contexts to express frustration or anger. Here are some of the dynamic examples of injection. 

• Ew. I’m not eating that.
• Yay! I’m so excited to see you.
• Yum! This apple pie is delicious.
• I guess this is as good as it gets, huh?
• Mom said we have to, ugh, clean our rooms!

5. Cognitive Interjection

A cognitive interjection is commonly used to express a thought or show a thought process. Here’s an example that helps you understand cognitive interjection better, such as “um“, which can express confusion or indicate that a speaker is talking. We have given a few examples of cognitive interjection in sentences. 

• Um, can you explain it once more?
• Wow! I wasn’t expecting that.
• Eureka! I’ve solved the puzzle.
• Whoops, I dropped the toys!
• Yikes, look at the size of that spider!

Examples of Interjections

If you are looking for some examples of interjections or phrases and how we can use them in writing. Here’s the following list that shows some common examples of interjections:

• Hey!
• Hi!
• Oh!
• Ow!
• Ugh!
• Huh!
• Uh-oh!
• Whoops!
• Yikes!
• Meh!
• Yuck!
• Wow!
• Phew!

While in writing, you can convert anything into an interjection by using an exclamation point. Here’s a perfect example:

• Yes!
• You!
• Unbelievable!
• No way!
• Never!
• Dad!
• Outrageous!
• Interesting!
• Faster!
• Thank you!
• More cowbell!

Rules To Use Interjections

Generally, we don’t use interjections in any formal sentence of speech or writing. Yet, it is very common in casual and formal writing to use in any kind of speech. There are several examples of interjections, but you have to follow some rules to use them in your speech. Let’s see each one of them. 

Rule#1: Use them Naturally

Sometimes, you don’t even have any clue, but you’re using interjections in informal speech or regular speech. For instance, if a person is thrilled, overjoyed, or accidentally stubs their toe, they start using interjections. Furthermore, if a person is strongly surprised with the emotions, they sometimes forget to remember grammar and use interjections to show their feelings. 

You might hear them shouting, “Oh really”, which shows the level of their surprise. Sometimes, when a person wants to explain in a brief or in a hurry, they usually choose interjection. It’s the perfect way if you want to say a short like Nope or Yeah! 

Rule#2: Realistic Dialogues

Dialogue writing usually includes interjections because if you want to make it sound original, then you have to use a sound to give a feeling to your words. Interjections are mostly used in casual speech, and that’s why you’ll often see how many people sprinkle interjections in dialogues. If you want to express grunts, sighs, mumbles, yells, gasps, and other noises that people usually make, then interjections are your best mate. 

Rule#3: Show Intensity

In casual writing, to catch someone’s attention, people often use interjections to alert someone to exciting, dangerous,  and important thoughts. For instance, here is an example to help you understand this rule. 

Example no 1:

• You just won a million dollars.
• Wow! You just won a million dollars! Congratulations!

Example no 2:

• I need you to get me a clean towel now.
• Ack! I need you to get me a clean towel! Now!

If you read it carefully, you will notice that pair two shows a lot more expression and feelings because of the use of interjection. Even if you see someone reading these lines, he will try to replicate the feelings in the sentence to make it feel real. This is the power of interjection in a speech. 

Texting With The Use of Interjection

Texting has evolved through the years, and it has its own rules and grammar with punctuation. However, rules may vary, usually depending upon the age of the person and how they text. But do you know that interjection is mostly used in texting after informal dialogue writing? Yes, that’s right! texting and emojis are exceptional examples of interjection use. 

CNN reported on a rebellious act in Gen-Z that involved the use of emojis to show their expressions. The report shows how emojis have taken the place of interjections and decreased the role of interjections in texting language. 

Subtle differences that are present in emojis do similar work as they do in interjections with commas, exclamations, or question marks. In short, it adds a nuance to writing an interjection. Here are examples of interjection and how Gen-Zers are switching it with emojis. 

• If you wish to say “Yuck,” then you will choose a vomiting emoji to show how nasty you feel about something. 
• If you wish to say “Gorgeous”, then you will use a heart-shaped emoji that expresses your lovely feelings for your special mate. 
• You can even replace “Hahaha” with a laughing emoji or a laughing crying emoji to show the intensity of the emoji. In short, you’re the boss here! 
• Now, what will you use if you wish to say “Hooray” or “Bingo”? You’ll use the wink-faced emoji. 

Interjection And Onomatopoeia

Do you often try to interrelate these two? You do, right? However, interjection and onomatopoeia are two entirely different sides of a pole. Due to the energy of words, people usually get confused about using interjections and onomatopoeia. Onomatopoeia means using a word that’s used to describe a sound. For example, animal sounds are a perfect example of onomatopoeia. 

On the other hand, interjections are much different than onomatopoeia; they are like expressing your emotions. However, Onomatopoeia words imitate sounds. Interjections are words that express reactions and feelings but don’t imitate sounds except in a few scenarios when they function as both. 

Using “Bleach” is one of the examples of interjection, but its sound imitates the expression of retching, which is associated with disgust. “Ahem” is another one of the examples of interjection. It sounds like a person trying to clear his throat, which someone has done to draw someone’s attention. If a person is interjecting using “Ahem”, he’s responding to a rowdy crowd or inattentive audience with a “listen up” phrase. 

In sum, there are no big intersections between onomatopoeia and interjection because they have their distinct functions. It’s rare when both functions are done within the same word. So, next time you’re confused about onomatopoeia and interjection, remember that they are not the same thing. 

Trouble Using Interjections

Are you facing issues while using an interjection? Are you trying to learn the English language as a beginner but don’t know how to get started? What if we give you a personal mate? Recently, we came across a new AI tool, “Arvin”, which is a remarkable tool to do tasks. You can even search for examples of interjections. Here’s how you can make besties with Arvin. 

• Go to your browser and write arvin.chat
• You’ll see a new interface that is quite similar to ChatGPT but better at providing information. 
• You’ll see a box where you can chat and write about your queries. 
• Write “examples of interjections” In the box and click on the next button to give a command. 
• You’ll get what you asked for! 

Final Verdict

Learning the English language and its parts of speech can be challenging for beginners. However, with time and practice, you can sharpen your skills and develop a strong command of words. Interjections are a great way to start. If you want to create a conversational tone or express emotion, simply add an interjection. However, don’t overuse them, as too many can make your writing feel noisy and distracting. Use interjections intentionally, so they sound natural and meaningful.