English Grammar

Types of Interjections | English Grammar

Types of Interjections
Written by grammrary.com

Let’s explore Types of Interjections and their use in English Grammar. Have you ever wondered if there is any part of speech which is not grammatically connected to the other parts of speech? It is an interjection and is very common in everyday life. 

The interjection is a part of speech that is not grammatically linked to other parts of speech.

Interjections:

Interjections express emotions, sentiments or reactions. They can be used separately or can be used with an exclamatory mark. Interjections convey emotional responses including joy, surprise, frustration, or approval. 

Interjections and other parts of speech can be differentiated, interjections aren’t linked to Grammatical Rules.

Examples of interjections:

  • Wow!
  • Oops!
  • Yikes!
  • Alas!
  • Ah!
  • Phew!
  • Hmm.
  • Bravo!
  • Oh!
  • Hurray!
  • Huh?
  • Eureka!
  • Shh!
  • Ouch!
  • Aha!
  • Yay!
  • Gosh!
  • Boo!
  • Ugh!
  • Hooray!

Use of Interjections in sentences:

  • Wow! This dish is very delicious.
  • Yikes! The exam is tomorrow and I haven’t prepared for it yet.
  • Bravo! She delivered a perfect presentation in the meeting.
  • Ah! This cup of coffee with cake is exactly what I wanted today.
  • Hurray! We finally won the competition.
  • Oh no! I forgot to prepare my quiz.
  • Alas! We missed the class.
  • Phew! She missed her flight.
  • Well! You did it in perfect way ever.

Types of Interjections:

Following are Types of interjections on Emotional Basis:

Surprised Interjections:

It express amazement or disbelief. For example: Oh my goodness! or  Wow!

Joyful Interjections

Express excitement or happiness, e.g.,”Hooray!” or  “Yay!”

Here are Types of interjections on basis of Function:

Conversational Interjections: 

It is used in informal communication. For example: Well or  Anyway etc.

Exclamatory Interjections: 

These express emotions or reactions. For example: Bravo!

Interjections, A Source of Emotion:

Positive Interjections: 

It convey positive emotions. For example: Yippee! or Fantastic!

Negative Interjections: 

These convey negative emotions. For example: Ouch! or Ugh!

Here are Types of Interjections on basis of Context:

Formal Interjections: 

These are used formally. For example: Alas or Indeed

Casual Interjections: 

It is used casually. For example: Uh-huh or Hmm!

Types of Interjections on basis of Intensity:

Strong Interjections: 

These express intense emotions. For example: Yikes! or Wow!

Mild Interjections: 

It express moderate emotions. For example: Hmm or Well

Classification on basis of Purpose:

Expressive Interjections: 

Adding emotion to statements, e.g., “Ah!” or “Oh!”

Attention-Grabbing Interjections: 

Capturing someone’s focus, e.g., “Hey!” or “Listen!”

Use of interjections in Dialogue:

Interruptive Interjections: 

Used to interrupt a conversation, e.g., “Stop!” or “Wait!”

Responsive Interjections: 

Used while responding to something e.g., “Oh, I see.” or  “Really?”

Interjections can also be classified as:

  • Primary interjections
  • Secondary interjections
  • Volitive interjections
  • Emotive interjections
  • Cognitive interjections
  • Greetings and parting words

Let’s classify some interjections:

Joyful Interjections:

  • Hooray!
  • Yay!
  • Woo-hoo!
  • Yahoo!
  • Yippee!

Surprised Interjections:

  • Wow!
  • Ah!
  • Oh!
  • Ooh!
  • Aha!

Pain/Displeasure Interjections:

  • Ouch!
  • Ugh!
  • Ow!
  • Ew!
  • Yikes!

Approval Interjections:

  • Bravo!
  • Excellent!
  • Fantastic!
  • Well done!
  • Awesome!

Frustration Interjections:

  • Argh!
  • Ugh!
  • Oh no!
  • Darn!
  • Oh no!
  • Drat!

Greeting Interjections:

  • Hello!
  • Howdy!
  • Hey!
  • Hi!
  • Greetings!

Farewell Interjections:

  • Adieu!
  • Goodbye!
  • See you!
  • Farewell!
  • Bye-bye!

Agreement Interjections:

  • Yes!
  • Affirmative!
  • Indeed!
  • Absolutely!
  • Sure!

Disapproval Interjections:

  • Boo!
  • Nonsense!
  • Hiss!
  • Bleh!
  • Bah!

Inquiry Interjections:

  • Huh?
  • Hmm?
  • Really?
  • What?
  • Why?

Expressive Interjections:

  • Good gracious!
  • Oh my!
  • Oh dear!
  • My goodness!
  • Mercy!

Conversational Interjections:

Examples of Conversational Types of Interjections are written below:

  • Anyway
  • Well
  • So
  • Uh-huh
  • Like

Let’s explore some more examples of interjections:

Here are Examples of some Types of Interjections:

  • Oh dear!
  • All right!
  • Here we go!
  • Come on!
  • Well done!
  • Oh no!
  • What’s up?
  • No way!
  • Good grief!
  • I don’t know!
  • I guess so.
  • I don’t care!
  • It depends!
  • Let’s go!
  • That’s enough!
  • What the heck!
  • As if!
  • So what!
  • By the way.

Tabular Representation of Types of Interjections:

Type of InterjectionDefinitionExample
Joyful InterjectionsExpress excitement or happiness.Hooray!

Yay!

Surprised InterjectionsExpress disbelief or amazementOh my goodness!

Wow!

Exclamatory InterjectionsExpress reactions or emotionsBravo!
Conversational InterjectionsUsed in informal communicationWell

Anyway

Positive InterjectionsConvey positive emotionsYippee!

Fantastic!

Negative InterjectionsConvey negative emotions.Ouch!

Ugh!

Casual InterjectionsUsed casuallyUh-huh

Hmm

Formal InterjectionsUsed formallyAlas!

Indeed!

Mild InterjectionsExpress moderate emotionsHmm

Well

Strong InterjectionsExpress intense emotionsYikes!

Wow!

Expressive InterjectionsAdding emotion to statementsAh!

Oh!”

Attention-Grabbing InterjectionsCapturing someone’s focusHey!

Listen!”

Interruptive InterjectionsUsed to interrupt a conversationStop!

Wait!”

Responsive Interjections: Used while responding to somethingOh, I see!

Really!

Interjections and its Types

Types of Interjections with Definition and Examples

About the author

grammrary.com

The author of Grammrary.com is a Certified TEFL Trainer from Arizona State University with over 7 years of experience teaching English to students from different cultures around the world. Teaching English is both his profession and passion, and he is dedicated to helping learners improve their language skills.

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