Interjections are words used to express emotion or to catch the reader’s attention. Interjections are rarely used in formal or business writing but do appear in advertising and promotional material, fiction, informal writing, and personal letters.
Common Interjections
These are some of the most commonly used interjections:
ah
alas
congratulations
good grief
great
help
hey
hooray
hurry
my goodness
never
no
no way
oh
ouch
outstanding
ugh
wow
Punctuation
Strong interjections are punctuated with an exclamation point (wow! ouch! hooray!). The first word following the exclamation point is capitalized because it is the first word in a new sentence.
Milder interjections are set off by commas and often introduce a sentence (indeed, yes, well). The word following the comma is not capitalized because it is a continuation of the same sentence.
Strong interjections:
- Excellent! That was a perfect dive.
- You may be saying, “Hey! Why is the coffee cold?”
Mild interjections:
- No, we can’t visit you this summer.
- Well, I just thought I’d ask.
