• Ack communicates disgust or dismissal.
• Ah can denote positive emotions like relief or delight (generally, pronounced with a long a).
• Aha signals triumph or surprise, or perhaps derision.
• Ahem is employed to gain attention.
• Argh, often drawn out with additional h’s, is all about frustration.
• Aw can be dismissive or indicative of disappointment, or, when drawn out, expressive of sympathy or adoration.
• Aye denotes agreement.
• Bah is dismissive.
• Blah communicates boredom or disappointment.
• Blech (or bleah or bleh) implies nausea.
• Boo is an exclamation to provoke fright.
• Boo-hoo is imitative of crying and is derisive.
• Boo-ya (with several spelling variants) is a cry of triumph.
• Bwah-hah-hah (variously spelled, including mwah-hah-hah) facetiously mimics the stereotypical archvillain’s triumphant laugh.
• D’oh is the spelling for the muttering accompanying Homer Simpson’s trademark head-slapping self-abuse.
• Duh derides someone who seems dense.
• Eek indicates an unpleasant surprise.
• Eh, with a question mark, is a request for repetition or confirmation of what was just said; without, it is dismissive.
• Er (sometimes erm) plays for time.
• Ew denotes disgust, intensified by the addition of one or more e’s and/or w’s.
• Feh (and its cousin meh) is an indication of feeling underwhelmed or disappointed.
• Gak is an expression of disgust or distaste.
• Ha expresses joy or surprise, or perhaps triumph.
• Ha-ha (with possible redoubling) communicates laughter or derision.
• Hamana-hamana, variously spelled, and duplicated as needed, implies speechless embarrassment.
• Hardy-har-har, or har-har repeated as needed, communicates mock amusement.
• Hee-hee is a mischievous laugh, while its variants heh and heh-heh (and so on) can have a more derisive connotation.
• Hey can express surprise or exultation, or can be used to request repetition or call for attention.
• Hist signals the desire for silence.
• Hm, extended as needed, suggests curiosity, confusion, consternation, or skepticism.
• Hmph (also hrmph or humph) indicates displeasure or indignation.
• Ho-ho is expressive of mirth, or (along with its variant oh-ho) can indicate triumph of discovery.
• Ho-hum signals indifference or boredom.
• Hubba-hubba is the vocal equivalent of a leer.
• Huh (or hunh) is a sign of disbelief, confusion, or surprise, or, with a question mark, is a request for repetition.
• Hup, from the sound-off a military cadence chant, signals beginning an exerting task.
• Hurrah (also hoorah, hooray, and hurray, and even huzzah) is an exclamation of triumph or happiness.
• Ick signals disgust.
• Lah-de-dah denotes nonchalance or dismissal, or derision about pretension.
• Mm-hmm, variously spelled, is an affirmative or corroborating response.
• Mmm, extended as needed, conveys palatable or palpable pleasure.
• Mwah is suggestive of a kiss, often implying unctuous or exaggerated affection.
• Neener-neener, often uttered in a series of three repetitions, is a taunt.
• Now (often repeated “Now, now”) is uttered as an admonition.
• Oh is among the most versatile of interjections. Use it to indicate comprehension or acknowledgment (or, with a question mark, a request for verification), to preface direct address (“Oh, sir!”), as a sign of approximation or example (“Oh, about three days”), or to express emotion or serves as a response to a pain or pleasure. (Ooh is a variant useful for the last two purposes.)
• Oh-oh (or alternatives in which oh is followed by various words) is a warning response to something that will have negative repercussions.
• Olé, with an accent mark over the e, is borrowed from Spanish and is a vocal flourish to celebrate a deft or adroit maneuver.
• Ooh, with o’s repeated as needed, conveys interest or admiration, or, alternatively, disdain.
• Ooh-la-la is a response to an attempt to impress or gently mocks pretension or finery.
• Oops (and the jocular diminutive variation oopsie or oopsy and the variant whoops) calls attention to an error or fault.
• Ouch (or ow, extended as needed) signals pain or is a response to a harsh word or action.
• Oy, part of Yiddish expressions such as oy gevalt (equivalent to “Uh-oh”), is a lament of frustration, concern, or self-pity.
• Pff, extended as needed, expresses disappointment, disdain, or annoyance.
• Pfft, or phfft, communicates abrupt ending or departure or is a sardonic dismissal akin to pff.
• Phew, or pew, communicates disgust, fatigue, or relief. (Phooey, also spelled pfui, is a signal for disgust, too, and can denote dismissal as well. PU and P.U. are also variants.)
• Poof is imitative of a sudden disappearance, as if by magic.
• Pooh is a contemptuous exclamation.
• Pshaw denotes disbelief, disapproval, or irritation or, alternatively, communicates facetious self-consciousness.
• Psst calls for quiet.
• Rah, perhaps repeated, signals triumph.
• Shh (extended as necessary) is an imperative for silence.
• Sis boom bah is an outdated encouraging cry, most likely to be used mockingly now.
• Tchah communicates annoyance.
• Tsk-tsk and its even snootier variant tut-tut are condemnations or scoldings; the related sound tch is the teeth-and-tongue click of disapproval.
• Ugh is an exclamation of disgust.
• Uh is an expression of skepticism or a delaying tactic.
• Uh-huh indicates affirmation or agreement.
• Uh-oh signals concern or dismay.
• Uh-uh is the sound of negation or refusal.
• Um is a placeholder for a pause but also denotes skepticism.
• Va-va-voom is an old-fashioned exclamation denoting admiration of physical attractiveness.
• Whee is an exclamation of excitement or delight.
• Whew is a variant of phew but can also express amazement.
• Whoa is a call to halt or an exclamation of surprise or relief.
• Whoop-de-doo and its many variants convey mocking reaction to something meant to impress.
• Woo and woo-hoo (and variations like yahoo, yee-haw, and yippee) indicate excitement. (Woot, also spelled w00t among an online in-crowd, is a probably ephemeral variant.)
• Wow expresses surprise.
• Yay is a congratulatory exclamation. (Not to be confused with yeah, a variant of yes.)
• Yikes is an expression of fear or concern, often used facetiously.
• Yo-ho-ho is the traditional pirates’ refrain.
• Yoo-hoo attracts attention.
• Yow, or yowza, is an exclamation of surprise or conveys being impressed.
• Yuck (also spelled yech or yecch) signals disgust. (Not to be confused with yuk, a laugh.)
• Yum, or yummy, is a response to the taste of something delicious and, by extension, the sight of an attractive person.
• Zoinks is an expression of surprise or amazement popularized by the cartoon character Shaggy, of Scooby Doo fame.
• Zowie, often in combination following wowie, a variant of wow, expresses admiration or astonishment.
Source: www.dailywritingtips.com
Monday, October 28, 2013
100 Interjections that you can use for instantaneous expressions
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