|
Mmm, That's Good! Using
Interjections |
Oops! I spilled some coffee.
Hmm… Let me think about it.
Woohoo! That’s great news. Let’s celebrate.
To the untrained ear, sounds like “oops” “hmm” and “woohoo”
may seem like nonsense. But in English, these sounds
carry a lot of meaning. We call them “interjections.”
And the English language has hundreds of them.
Interjections are informal sounds, words or phrases that
express the reactions or emotions of the speaker. There
are interjections for nearly any feeling or response,
such as excitement, happiness, surprise or
disappointment.
Because there are so many English interjections, the
best way to learn them is to hear how they’re used.
For example, if I accidentally spilled coffee, my
reaction would probably be one of regret. So, I might
say, “Oops!” Listen to how it is used:
Oops! I spilled some coffee. But don’t worry—I’ll clean
it up.
We use “oops” to show regret for having done or said
something wrong. It’s like saying, “I made a mistake.”
When do we use them?
Native English speakers use interjections every day. And
that includes everyone from babies to older adults. In
fact, a baby’s first word might be an interjection. A
baby might say “ow” or “ouch!” when they touch something
too hot or “yum!” when their food tastes delicious.
But an adult might, too.
Interjections are used in spoken English, informal
writing and creative writing, including in books, films
and songs. You may remember American singer Britney
Spears’ most famous song, “Oops! ...I Did It Again” in
which she shows regret for breaking someone’s heart.
We do not use interjections in formal writing, such as
essays or research papers. And, we usually avoid them in
professional messages, such as business letters or
emails.
Yet, their informal status does not make them any less
useful of a communication tool. Even respected
dictionaries now include their meanings.
Primary vs. secondary
There are two types of interjections: primary and
secondary.
Primary interjections are individual words and sounds
that are used only as interjections. They have no other
meanings or uses, such as the words from earlier in our
program: “oops,” “hmm,” “woohoo,” “ow,” “ouch,” and
“yum.”
Secondary interjections are words or phrases that
already belong to other parts of speech, such as “boy,”
“awesome,” and “oh my God.” These words all have
separate meanings as interjections.
For example, the original meaning of the word “boy” is
male child. But as an interjection, its meaning is
completely different. It is used to express a strong
reaction, such as interest or surprise. Here's an
example:
My cat destroyed my roommate’s favorite plant. Boy, was
he mad! But I promised to replace it by Sunday.
Using the interjection “boy” brings attention to the
extent of the roommate’s anger.
Parts of speech
Even though interjections are informal, they are parts
of speech. They can be nouns, verbs or adverbs.
Here is an interjection as a noun:
Baloney! That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.
Using the word “baloney” is a direct – and somewhat
confrontational – way of saying, “I don’t agree with
that.”
…as a verb:
Get out! The tickets sold out in 15 minutes. That’s
impossible.
“Get out” means “I don’t believe it” and is usually used
in a friendly way.
…and as an adverb:
Uh-uh. I can’t make it today. I have a meeting at 5pm.
“Uh-uh” simply means “no” but is usually used to
emphasize a negative answer to a question, request or
offer.
But be careful not to mistake “uh-uh” with an
interjection that sounds and looks similar but has the
opposite meaning: “Uh-huh.” It means yes. It can also be
used to show that you agree or understand. Here’s an
example:
Do you know what I mean?
Uh-huh. I feel the same way.
Punctuation
Interjections do not follow usual English rules of
punctuation. They mostly have no relationship to other
parts of a sentence. So, they are usually written
separately and followed by an exclamation point or a
period. This is because their meanings alone can often
express a complete thought.
Earlier in the program, for example, we told you that
“oops” means “I made a mistake.” That is a complete
thought, so it does not need to be part of a sentence.
Still, we can follow them with a comma. You could, for
example, write, “Oops, I spilled some coffee” with a
comma following “oops” instead of a period or
exclamation point.
The punctuation usually depends on the emotion you are
expressing. To show excitement, we usually use an
exclamation point after an interjection, which keeps it
separate from sentences.
Common interjections
OK, now let’s learn a few more common interjections:
If something is generally unpleasant, whether in
appearance, taste or smell, you can say “yuck,” “eww,” “ick,”
or “blech.”
If you want to say something tastes or smells good, you
can use “mmm” or “yum.”
If you are frustrated or upset about something, you
might say “ugh” or “argh.”
One thing to note: Different parts of the United States
may use different interjections. Listen again to the
example with “baloney.”
Baloney! That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.
The word “baloney” is most common in the northeastern
United States.
And, other forms of English, such as British English,
share only some interjections with American English.
Listen for American English interjections the next time
you are watching a movie or television show or listening
to music. And let us know what you find.
I’m Alice Bryant.
Alice Bryant wrote this story for Learning English.
Ashley Thompson was the editor.
Now, you try it!
Try using a few of the interjections from today’s
program. Write your answers in the Facebook Comments
section below. |
|
