+30 Excellent Examples of Interjections in Sentences

Interjections are used to express emotions or reactions. They are one of the nine parts of speech that shows excitement, joy, anger, sadness, or surprise. They help to convey the writer’s thoughts and feelings.

Take a look at our examples of interjections to see how these small words are used:

What is an interjection?

An interjection is a word or phrase used to express strong feelings or emotions.

They are not grammatically related to the rest of the sentence and typically come at the beginning of a sentence. They often occur alone as a one-worded sentence.

Some common interjections are “wow,” “ouch,” and “yum.”

Interjections can be used to add emphasis or to show how the writer feels about what is being said. They are not always polite and can be used to express strong feelings like excitement, anger, joy, or sadness.

Examples of Interjections in Sentences

• Well, that was certainly unexpected.
• Wow, you look great today!
• Ouch, that hurts!
• Yum, this food is delicious!
• Eek! A spider!
• Duh, that’s an easy question.
• Oh no! I lost my job.
• Yikes, it’s cold in here.
• So that’s all that happened, eh?
• Boo! That football team doesn’t deserve to win!
• Shh! Be quiet in the library!
• Brr, it’s cold in here.
• Hmm, I’m not sure what I’ll eat from the menu.
• Aww! Such a cute puppy.
• Oops, I forgot my homework.
• Yippee! I won the race!
• Whew! I’m glad that’s over.
• Umm, would you like to go to dinner with me?
• Oh, dear! I forgot to do my laundry.
• Whoops, I took your keys by mistake.
• Aha! Now I know the answer!
• Hey! Watch where you’re going!
• Ugh! I hate my job.
• Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.
• Eww! I saw a cockroach!
• Yay! The game is over.
• Uh-oh. Jack spilled his drink.
• Oh boy! I got to go on a vacation.
• Phew, it’s hot today.
• Err, can I borrow your phone?
• Bravo! That was a great performance!

Interjection Words with Definitions

• Well: in a manner that expresses admiration, approval, or satisfaction
• Wow: used to convey amazement or surprise
• Ouch: used to express pain, distress, or unhappiness
• Yum: used to show pleasure or appreciation at the taste
• Eek: used to express sudden fear
• Duh: used to say that something is obvious or not surprising
• Oh no: used to express sorrow or distress
• Yikes: used to express sudden fear, alarm, or shock
• Eh: used as a sentence connector to introduce the next part of the conversation
• Boo: used to express contempt or disrespect for someone or something
• Shh: used to express a request for silence
• Brr: used to show that you are cold
• Hmm: used to express uncertainty in thinking about something
• Aww: used to show affection and care for someone or something
• Oops: used to express regret or apology
• Yippee: used to express joy or happiness
• Whew: used to express relief or exhaling
• Umm: used to show hesitation in speaking, unsure whether the response is correct
• Oh dear: used to express sympathy
• Whoops: used to say that something has gone wrong
• Aha: used to express sudden realization, understanding, or recognition
• Hey: used to attract someone’s attention
• Ugh: used to express annoyance or disgust
• Yeah: used to express agreement
• Eww: used to express disgust or repulsion
• Yay: used to express joy or happiness
• Uh-oh: used to express concern, worry, or alarm
• Oh boy: used to express regret or disappointment
• Phew: used to show relief, exhaling after a difficult experience
• Err: used to express hesitation, uncertainty, or doubt in speaking
• Bravo: used to express admiration or approval for something that has been done

Primary Interjections

The following interjections are considered primary (or basic) as they are exclusively interjections.

Primary Interjections Examples:

• Aaah
• Aha
• Boo
• Brr
• Eew
• Er
• God
• Hmm
• Huh
• Hurray
• Meh
• Ooh
• Ouch
• Phew
• Ugh
• Wow
• Yay
• Yikes
• Yuck
• Yum

Secondary Interjections

The following interjections are considered secondary interjections as they are nouns, adjectives, or other parts of speech but can be occasionally used as interjections.

Secondary Interjections Examples:

• Awesome
• Bless You
• Cheers
• Congratulations
• Cool
• Exactly
• Goodness
• Good grief
• Great
• Hey
• Hi
• Holy cow
• Indeed
• Nice
• No way
• Nope
• Oh well
• Shoot
• Super
• Sweet
• Well
• What
• Whatever

Three Types of Interjections

Interjections are divided into three categories or types based on the feelings they express.

1. Volitive Interjections

A Volitive interjection functions as an imperative expression; requesting or commanding something or wishing for something.

They replace “I want” phrases with something else. For example, instead of saying “I want you to leave,” you might say “shoo!”

Volitive Interjection examples:

• Ahem
• Enough
• Go
• Here
• Hey
• Please
• Psst
• Shh
• Shoo

Emotive Interjections

An Emotive Interjection functions as an expression of sudden feeling or emotion.

These expressions convey the speaker’s attitude or reaction to what is being said. They replace “I feel” phrases with something else.

For example, instead of saying “I feel annoyed,” you might say “good grief.”

Emotive Interjection Examples:

• Ah
• Aw
• Dang
• Eek
• Good grief
• Hey
• Hooray
• Oh
• Ouch
• Wow
• Yeah
• Yuck

Cognitive Interjections

Cognitive interjections are used to express a thought or idea that has just occurred to the speaker as a result of what they have come to know or understand.

For example, you might say “wow” when you receive good news or “oh no!” when you receive bad news.

Cognitive Interjections Examples:

• Bravo
• Crikey
• Duh
• Eh
• Gosh
• Haha
• Hmm
• Oh dear
• Oh no
• Thanks
• Shoot
• Uh-oh
• Whoa
• Well

Interjections and Punctuation

When an interjection is used in a sentence, it is typically followed by a comma or exclamation mark.

When we want to express strong emotion, we use an exclamation mark. These are known as strong interjections.

If it is a weaker expression, we can use a comma or period. These are known as mild interjections.

For example:

• Oh well, better luck next time.
• Shoot. I lost the race.
• Yuck! I hate olives!
• Congratulations! You passed the driving test!

If we want to express disbelief or uncertainty, a question mark can be used.

• Really? Did she actually call you that?
• Huh? What did you say?
• Well? Are you coming or not?

Conclusion

Interjections are words or phrases used to express strong feelings or emotions. They can be used to add emphasis or show how the writer feels about what is being said and are not always polite.

I hope these common examples of interjections helped you understand more about them so that you can apply them in your own sentences!

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