There are many different parts of speech in the English language – you’re familiar with nouns and verbs, participles and prepositions, we’re sure – and these words are combined into sentences to express meaning and convey information. There’s another part of speech called an interjection. This category contains things that often aren’t words in and of themselves, and rather than conveying information, they express emotion. The word interjection comes from the Latin root word jactare (“to throw”) and prefix inter- (“between”). An interjection, therefore, is a vocalization (words, sounds, or a combination of the two) that you “throw” into the conversation to provide emphasis and which often give an emotional underlining to the words you’re saying. Here are some examples of English interjections, and how you might use them.

Alas! expressing sorrow or regret
Henry ran home expecting a party, but alas! His parents forgot his birthday.

Bingo! meaning “that’s it!” or “got it!”
Alan: So what you’re saying is that I can’t withdraw money until the check clears?
Bank Teller: Bingo!

Drat! expressing displeasure
Drat! I dropped the stack of student papers and now I have to sort them all over again.

Eureka! literally “I have found it!”
Eureka! I’ve figured out how to schedule my trip so there are no layovers!

Far out! used to show enthusiasm for something
You get to spend your summer on an archeological dig in Greece? Far out!

Geronimo! said right before you do something irrevocable
Are you ready to parachute out of the plane with me? One … Two … Geronimo!

Hear, hear! expressing support for what someone else has said
Colleen: I think that we should provide free lunches for all children at this school.
Herb: Hear, hear! There’s more than enough money in the budget.

I’ll say! like ‘hear, hear’ only more emphatic
Timothy: That was the scariest movie I’ve seen in years.
Zoey: I’ll say! I’m going to have nightmares for weeks.

No way! showing disbelief
She got promoted to manager? No way! She doesn’t know anything about this department!

Touché! acknowledging that someone has made a valid point
Lisa: I’m a vegetarian because I don’t believe in killing animals for any reason.
Rebecca: But you wear leather shoes, don’t you?
Lisa: Touché! I suppose I’ll have to change that, if I want to be consistent.