Unit 2: Interjections

INTERJECTIONS

Interjections, the last part of speech, express surprise, emotion, or demand attention.

• Amen!
• Wow!
• Hey!
• Absolutely!
• Bless you!
• Ouch!
• Damn!

You should avoid using interjections in formal academic prose. Insert interjections in more informal writing or when you are writing dialogue.

PARTS OF SPEECH AT WORK

Before you begin reading this section, take a few moments to copy down or print this list of symbols that will be used to identify parts of speech in sentences we will be working with throughout this unit.

Part of Speech/SentenceSymbolSubjectSVerbVNounNPronounPAdjective/determinerADJAdverbADVPrepositional PhrasePrep PConjunctionCInterjectionINT

The sentences that you will learn to write in this course will contain many words from the eight parts of speech (nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives/determiners, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections). What is even more important is that the words categorized as the eight parts of speech can do many different “jobs” in the sentences you create. The box below illustrates some of the work these elements can do for you.

Parts of SpeechJobs They Perform in SentencesNouns, pronounsSubjects (the actor/who/what) and Objects (receive the action of the actor)VerbsVerbs (describe the action of the actor)Adjectives, adverbs, prepositionsModifiers (add details and description)ConjunctionsConjunctions (link sentences, words)InterjectionsInterjections (exclamations)

Each part of speech, as you can see, corresponds to one or more of the writing jobs it can do. They are all really hard workers when it comes to creating sentences.

There is one more significant idea to remember about the relationship between the eight parts of speech and sentences. Just as the parts of speech can do various jobs in sentences, words that make up the eight parts of speech can also multitask. In fact, many of the words in the English language can be more than one part of speech, as you already know, and can do a variety of jobs in sentences. Look at the following examples.

WordPart of SpeechSentencesbubblesNounThe bubbles floated up and away.verbWater bubbles when it begins to boil.up(s)adverbHe climbed up to the top of the ladder.prepositionThey went up the stairs.adjectiveThe up elevator is on the left.nounShe has had more ups than downs lately.wellinterjectionWell! I don’t believe it!adverbThe teacher spoke well of the student.adjectiveMy friend is well.dailynounThe daily arrives at 3:00 pm.adjectiveDaily attendance is a requirement.adverbHe called her cell phone daily.

And these examples are just four of tens of thousands of words that multitask in this way. Learning the parts of speech and how they function will help you be a better writer and editor.

But, rest assured, once you have a firm grasp of English based on the descriptions of it you find here, you will better understand that this ability words have to do so many things helps to make the English language very rich and very flexible and very descriptive.

Now that you can see all of the roles English words can play in sentence structures, creating sentences for writing will become much easier for you.

For example, the noun and verb Seals performed create a complete sentence.

Now add the adjective the:

Thesealsperformed.ADJNV

Add another adjective that describes the color of the seals:

Theblacksealsperformed.ADJADJNV

The verb, performed, doesn’t really describe the actions of the seals. Try a verb that better describes the seals’ actions:

Theblacksealsleaped.ADJADJNV

Leaped better describes the seals' action. Writing and reading would be rather dull if there weren’t verbs that described action. In fact, sentences sometimes contain multiple descriptive verbs. Look at the following sentence.

Theblacksealsleaped,slid,andbarked.ADJADJNVVCV

Look at how this sentence gains energy and vitality when action verbs are added. (Do note that adding additional verbs also means adding commas and the conjunction and.)

There is one more way you can make this sentence even more dynamic: add adverbs and prepositional phrases to give additional details about the verbs.

Theblacksealsleapedeagerlyoutof the water,slidquicklyupon the deck,andbarkednoisilyat the spectators.ADJADJNVADVADVPrep PVADVPrep PCVADVPrep P

By adding adverbs (words and phrases that modify verbs) to the sentence, you create a sentence that is even more specific and visual.

Now, add several adjectives. Remember adjectives are words used to add descriptive details to nouns; adjectives can also be inserted in prepositional phrases.

Thesleekblacksealsin the poolleapedeagerlyoutof the shimmeringwater,slidquicklyupon the wooden deck around the pool,andbarkednoisilyat the stunnedspectatorsin the half-empty bleachers.ADJADJADJNPrep PVADVADVPrep PVADVPrep PCVADVPrep PPrep P

Remember, this sentence began as Seals performed.

A sprinkling of action verbs and their attending adverbs, as well as a few adjectives and prepositional phrases turned this sentence into an event. As you begin to experiment with expanding sentences in this way, your writing will become word pictures that readers will be able to visualize.