Interjections

What is an interjection?

An interjection (감탄사), also known as an exclamation, is a word, phrase, or sound used to convey an emotion such as surprise, excitement, happiness, or anger. Interjections are very common in spoken English, but they appear in written English as well. Capable of standing alone, they are grammatically unrelated to any other part of a sentence.
(놀라움, 흥분, 행복 또는 분노와 같은 감정을 전달하기 위해 사용되는 단어, 구 또는 소리이다. 문법적으론 관련되지 않지만 독립적으로 문장에 흔이 사용된다)

Primary Interjections

Primary interjections are interjections that are single words derived not from any other word class, but from sounds. Nonetheless, primary interjections are individual words and sounds that are used only as interjections and do have widely recognized meaning. Some common primary interjections are:

Primary Interjection	Emotion
aah	fear
ouch	pain
aha	triumph, sudden understanding
argh	frustration
brr	being cold
eww	disgust
grr	anger
hmm	thinking
ooh	amazement, being impressed
phew	relief
yay	approval, happiness

Secondary Interjections

Secondary interjections are interjections derived from words that do belong to other word classes—they may be adjectives, nouns, or entire clauses. Again, they have nothing to do with the grammar of the sentences that come before or after them. Some common secondary interjections are:

• wow
• bless you
• goodness gracious
• congratulations
• good grief
• hell
• hey
• hi
• oh my
• oh my God
• oh well
• shoot
• well
• what

Curse words (vulgar or offensive words; also called swear words) are also considered interjections when they are not linked grammatically with another part of a sentence.

Sentence Placement

Interjections are more commonly used in speech; however, we sometimes do need to express them through writing, especially if we are trying to capture dialogue. Usually, the interjection is placed before the sentence that explains the cause of the emotion. For example:

• “Ooh, that’s a beautiful dress.”
• “Brr, it’s freezing in here!”
• “Oh my God! We’ve won!”
• “Wow! What a great achievement!”

Punctuation

As mentioned, interjections can stand alone. Therefore, they can be punctuated with a period, an exclamation point, or a question mark. The punctuation we choose depends on the emotion that we want to convey. However, since interjections are not complete sentences, some writers prefer to attach them to a complete sentence with a comma. Ultimately, it is up to preference.

Exclamation point

We use an exclamation point when the emotion we want to convey is very strong and is not a question. For example:

• “Hooray! I got accepted to my top choice university!”
• “Yuck! I hate coconuts!”
• “Congratulations! That was an impressive victory.”

Period or comma

When the expression is weaker, we can use a period or a comma. For example:

• “Well, isn’t that nice?”
• “Oh well, I’m sure we’ll have better luck next time.”
• “Shoot. I really thought we were going to win.”

Question mark

If the interjection expresses disbelief, uncertainty, or is interrogative, we should use a question mark. For example:

• “Huh? You’re not coming?”
• “Well? Are we going to watch a movie?”
• “What? You don’t like coconuts?”