What is an Interjection?
Have you ever watched a film in English and heard a character saying, “Ouch!” or “Oops!”? These are known as interjections.
Let’s break this word down: ‘inter’ originates from the Latin word meaning ‘between’ and ‘jection’ (‘jacĕre’) meaning ‘to throw’. So it literally means ‘to throw a word between a sentence’. We often use interjections as a way of vocalising a sudden feeling or expressing emotion. Interjections vary between different languages; whilst travelling I heard several interjections that were not used in Britain. Interjections in different languages are so interesting to me!
Here is a list of common interjections that we use in the U.K.
‘Hmm’ is used when pausing to think. For example, “What would you like to eat for dinner?” asked Sarah. “Hmm. Something delicious!” replied Hannah.
‘Oops’ is used after an accident. For example, “Oops!” Sarah exclaimed as she dropped her phone. Other variations of this are ‘Whoops’ and ‘Oh dear’.
‘Shh’ is used when we want people to be quiet. For example, “Shhh! You need to be quiet in the library.” hissed the angry librarian.
‘Wahoo!’ is used when we want to celebrate. For example, “Wahoo! It’s the weekend!” cheered Rosie as she woke up on Saturday morning. Other variations of this are ‘Wahey’, ‘Yay’ or ‘Yipee’.
‘Phew!’ is used when we are relieved. For example, “Phew! I thought I was going to miss the bus but I arrived just in time.”
Here are some situations and I would like you to match them with an appropriate interjection:
“_______” Reece whispered as he crept past his sleeping baby.
“_______” Liam elated as he got his exam results.
“_______” Amy mumbled as she thought about what she wanted to.
Do you know more English interjections? Comment below with more.
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Good luck with your English!
Sarah x
