INTERJECTIONS
+372.+ +An interjection is a cry or other exclamatory sound expressing
surprise, anger, pleasure, or some other emotion or feeling.+
EXAMPLES: O (_or_ oh), ah, hullo (holloa, halloo), bah, pshaw, fie,
whew, tut-tut, st (_often spelled_ hist), ha, aha, ha ha, ho, hey,
hum, hem, heigh-ho (heigh-o), alas, bravo, lo.
When written, interjections are often followed by an exclamation point
(!).
+373.+ Among interjections are properly included calls to animals (like
“whoa!”) and imitations of sounds such as “mew!” “cock-a-doodle-do!”
“ding dong!” “swish!” “tu-whit-tu-who!”
+374.+ +Interjections usually have no grammatical connection with the
phrases or sentences in which they stand.+
Hence they are counted among the “independent elements” of a sentence
(§ 501).
Sometimes, however, a substantive is connected with an interjection by
means of a preposition. Thus,--
_O for_ a camera!
_Alas for_ my hopes!
Adjectives and adverbs are also found in this use: as,--“Good for you!”
“Up with it!”
NOTE. All such expressions are often regarded as elliptical
sentences, as if “O for a camera!” stood for “O, I wish for a
camera!” and “Good for you!” for “That is good for you!” But it is
better to treat them as +exclamatory phrases+.[42] Other exclamatory
phrases are “Dear me!” “Goodness gracious!” “O my!” and the like.
+375.+ Almost any part of speech may be used as an exclamation.
_Nonsense!_ I do not believe it.
Fire!
Halt!
_Good!_ I like that!
Forward!
On!
Away!
_Back_, villains!
_I!_ not a bit of it!
But----!
Such words are often called interjections, but it is better to describe
them as nouns, adjectives, etc., used in exclamation, and to confine
the term +interjection+ to words which belong to no other part of
speech.
NOTE. Thus _nonsense!_ and _fire!_ are nouns in the exclamatory
nominative; _I!_ is a pronoun in the same construction; _halt!_ is a
verb in the imperative (compare _hark!_ _hush!_ _behold!_ _look!_);
_good!_ is an adjective; _forward!_ _on!_ _away!_ and _back!_ are
adverbs; _but!_ is a conjunction.
The following examples illustrate various +exclamatory
expressions+,--words, phrases, and sentences:--
1. How late I shuddered on the brink!--YOUNG.
2. “Right! right!” a thousand tongues exclaimed.--SOUTHEY.
3. The pale stars are gone!--SHELLEY.
4. Poor widowed wretch! ’twas there she wept in vain.--CAMPBELL.
5. O heartfelt raptures! Bliss beyond compare!--BURNS.
6. ’Tis done! dread Winter spreads his latest glooms.--THOMSON.
7. Heigh-ho! sing heigh-ho! unto the green holly.--SHAKSPERE.
8. I had--ah! have I now?--a friend.--BYRON.
9. “To arms!” cried Mortimer, and couched his quivering lance.--GRAY.
10. O for the gentleness of old Romance!--KEATS.
11. “Run!” exclaims she, with a toss of indignant
astonishment.--CARLYLE.
12. Can he keep himself still if he would! Oh, not he!--WORDSWORTH.