interjections

An interjection is a short exclamation like “Ooooh!” or “Wow!” or “Huh?” You use it when you want to express emotion or attract attention:

• Hey! Watch where you’re walking!
• No! I won’t go!
• Ouch! That hurt!

Sometimes, the interjection is a single word like “Hooray!” Other times, it consists of two or more words like “Good heavens!” or “For crying out loud!”

Interjections can express a variety of feelings from anger to joy and everything in between—disappointment, surprise, shock. 

• Yippee! It’s the weekend!
• Boo! Ha ha! I scared you!

Interjections can be found at the beginning or end of a sentence:

• Darn! I missed the O-train by a minute.
• We missed the children’s choir, alas.

Often, you need an exclamation point after an interjection, especially if you’re expressing the interjection with strong emotion:

• No way! She said that!
• Egad! How did you get that bruise?
• Hi!

But you can also use a dash:

• Hey—watch it!

If you’re expressing mild emotion, use a period or a comma:

• Hello, David.
• Okay. I’ll do that.
• Oh, that’s where you are.