7 Interjections

Have you ever stubbed your toe, or dropped something valuable down a sewer grate? If so, you’ve probably uttered an interjection or two in that moment.

Interjections are words that express some kind of strong emotion or emphasis. Words like shoot, fudge, darn, and jeepers are safe-for-work interjections, as well as words like yes, no, good, and ouch.

Interjections are placed at the beginning of a sentence, followed by a comma. Or they can stand alone, followed by an exclamation mark.

Yes, I’ve examined your progress report.

No, I had not heard the news about Randy.

Shoot! I forgot to lock my front door!

If you use interjections, just remember to use ones that are appropriate for the scenario. Curse words can be useful interjections (especially for reducing pain — it’s true!) in private, but they’re probably best left out of most academic writing.