I. Grammar 3.

2: The Interjection and

Punctuation
THE INTERJECTION and PUNCTUATION

Suppose a noise wakes you up in the middle of the night. You get out of bed and
walk over to the bedroom window. There, under the light of the moon, you see a man
trying to steal your car (or your bicycle). What would you say to him in an effort to
scare him away?

In America, some people would rush to the telephone and call the police. Others
would open the window and yell, "Hey! What are you doing out there?"

The word "Hey!" is an interjection. The interjection is the eighth and final part of
speech that we will study. But before we study interjections, let us learn some new
words.

WORDS TO REMEMBER

1. "anoint" (verb) ---- To put oil on someone in a religious ceremony as a sign that God
has appointed that person as king.
Example: Jesus said, "God anointed me to tell good news to people who have
nothing."
2. "apostle" (noun) ---- A person who is sent out on a mission.
Example: "The words of Jesus and his apostles are the words of God."
3. "baptize" (verb) ---- To dip or immerse in water.
Example: "John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River."
4. "Christ" (proper noun) ---- A title taken from a Greek word meaning "the anointed
one."
Example: "I did not know who the Christ was."
5. "confirm" (verb) ---- To establish, to prove true, to verify.
Example: "The events of the life of Christ have been confirmed by the testimony of
good and honest men."
6. "crippled" (adjective) ---- Lame; disabled in such a way that the limbs of the body
cannot move normally.
Example: "Which is easier: to tell this crippled man, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to tell
him, 'Stand up. Take your bed and walk!'"?
7. "demonstrate" (verb) ---- To explain or make clear by using examples.
Sentence: "Jesus demonstrated his power over nature, disease, evil, and death."
8. "divine" (adjective) ---- The quality or state of being God.
Example: "By using God's name, Jesus claimed to be divine."
9. "fairy tale" (noun) ---- A make-believe story that is untrue and unbelievable.
Example: "The Bible is not a book of fairy tales. It is a book of truth."
10. "immerse" (verb) ---- To dip or plunge under the water.
Example: "John the Baptizer immersed Jesus in the Jordan River."
11. "Messiah" (proper noun) ---- A Hebrew word meaning "the anointed one."
Example: "Andrew said to Simon, 'We have found the Messiah.'"
12. "miracle" (noun) ---- An event that seems to go against natural law and cannot be
explained except as an act of God.
Example: "No person can do these miracles that you do without God's help."
13. "scroll" (noun) ---- A book written on leather or paper and rolled up on two carved
sticks.
Example: Jesus closed the book and gave it back to the keeper, the man who took
care of the scrolls."
14. "synagogue" (noun) ---- A house of worship where Jews gathered to read and study
the Scriptures.
Example: "On the Sabbath day, Jesus went into the synagogue and stood up to read
the Scriptures."
15. "paralyzed" (adjective) ---- Powerless and unable to move.
Example: "Four men brought a paralyzed man to Jesus."

WHAT IS AN INTERJECTION?

An interjection is a word or group of words used to express strong feeling and

sudden emotion. It is a sudden outcry or exclamation introduced into a discussion,
usually without grammatical connection with the sentences surrounding it. The word
"interjection" means "inserting" or "putting between."

SOME OF THE MOST COMMONLY USED INTERJECTIONS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

ah, aha, alas, aw, awesome, boo, good grief, great, ha, hey, ho-hum, hmmm, man,
never, no way, Ooh, oh boy, ouch, right, super, terrific, ugh, well-well, whee, whoa,
wow, yuck

Interjections often serve no purpose except to express emotion or to get the

attention of other people. They are used in private conversation, personal letters,
advertising, fiction, and other types of informal writing. They are usually not used in
business letters and formal writing.

PUNCTUATION FOR INTERJECTIONS

Strong interjections such as "Good," "Hey," "Hooray," "Ouch," and "Wow" are
punctuated with an exclamation point (!). The first word following the exclamation
point is capitalized because it is the first word of the next sentence.
Example: "Hey! What are you doing out there?" "Hey" is a strong interjection and is
followed by an exclamation point.

Do you remember the story of Isaiah's vision in the temple? When Isaiah saw God, he
said, "Oh no! I will be destroyed. I am not good enough to speak to God." "Oh no!" is
an interjection.
Weaker interjections such as "Ah," "Alas," "Oh," and "Well" are followed by a comma
and become part of the following sentence. The word after the comma is not
capitalized (unless it is the pronoun "I" or a proper noun) because it is a continuation
of the sentence.
Examples: "Oh, what a beautiful morning."
"Well, I am not surprised."

PUNCTUATION MARKS

Punctuation marks are used to make writing clear and easy to understand.
Punctuation marks let the reader know when to pause, when to stop, and what to
expect next. They show where one thought ends and another thought begins.
Without punctuation marks, words would go on and on, and we would have a hard
time understanding them. Punctuation marks help us read sentences with deeper
feeling and meaning. Let us review some of the things we have learned about basic
punctuation marks.

THE PERIOD (.)

The period is used at the end of a declarative or imperative sentence, that is, a
statement, a request, or a command. The period tells us that one thought has ended
and that another thought is about to begin.
Examples: (Declarative): "This is my Son and I love him."
(Imperative): "Look, the Lamb of God."

Sometimes, in informal writing, a period may follow a single word.

Example: "Look." "You" is understood as the subject of this one-word sentence.

Periods are also used in abbreviations and initials.

(Abbreviations): Ave. = Avenue; Mt .= Mount; St .= Saint or Street; Y.M.C.A. = Young
Men's Christian Association; and U.S.A.=United States of America.
(Initials): "Mr. Robert R. Marshall left Los Angeles at 10:00 a.m. on a trip to
Washington, D.C."

THE QUESTION MARK (?)

The question mark is used at the end of an interrogative sentence, that is, a direct
question. It is not used at the end of an indirect question.
(Direct Question): "If a man is old, how can he be born again?"
(Indirect Question): "Nicodemus asked Jesus how a person can be born again."

Sometimes, in informal writing, a question mark may follow a single word.

Examples: "How?" "When?" "Why?" "What?" "Who?"

THE EXCLAMATION POINT (!)

Exclamation points are used after words, phrases, or exclamatory sentences to
show surprise, strong feeling, and emotion.
Examples: "He takes away the sins of the world!"
"This is the most amazing thing we have ever seen!"
"The things he says are greater than the words of any man!"

Exclamation points are often used in personal letters, advertising, promotional

materials, and informal writing in order to add emphasis and express excitement.
They are not used much in formal writing.

Sometimes, an exclamation point is used after a single word.

Example: "Greetings!"

THE COMMA (,)

When you speak to someone in a normal conversation, you often pause in the middle
of a sentence. That is how you let others know when there is a break in your
thinking. You group your words together, and you pause between each thought.

The same thing happens when you write. You use a comma as the sign of a pause.
By using commas, you can group your words together so that other people can
understand them more easily.

Punctuation marks are tools that a writer uses to help express his or her thoughts
clearly. The comma and other punctuation marks will be discussed in greater detail
Lesson Seventeen.

Your Assignment:

Now, take the test on this lesson. Then, read Reading Assignment 16 and answer its
questions. Afterwards, your teacher will send Lessons 17.

I. Grammar 3.2: The Interjection and

Punctuation
1. The word that means "to dip or immerse in water"
is . . . .

baptize
 Christ

apostle

divine

confirm

2. The word that means "to establish, to prove true" is . .

..

Christ

confirm

baptize

divine

apostle

3. The word that means "a person sent out on a mission"

is . . . .

baptize

apostle

confirm

divine

Christ

4. The word that means "the anointed" is . . . .

 confirm

divine

baptize

apostle

Christ

5. The word that means "the quality or state of being

God" is . . . .

apostle

engaged

divine

baptize

Christ

6. What is the interjection in the following sentence?

"Hey! What are you doing?"

what

are

hey

doing

7. What is the interjection in the following sentence?

"Oh no! I will be destroyed."
 oh

oh no

will be

destroyed

8. What is the interjection in the following sentence?

"Oh, I wish I had wings like a dove."

wish

like a

had wings

oh

9. What is the interjection in the following sentence?

"Oh, I love the teachings of the Lord."

love

teachings

Lord

oh

10. What is the interjection in the following sentence?

"Well, it's about time!"

well

it's
 about

time

11. "John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River." This is a (

. . . ) sentence.

Interrogative

Exclamatory

Imperative.

Declarative

12. "Take up your bed and walk." This is an ( . . . )

sentence

Exclamatory

Imperative

Interrogative

Declarative

13. "If a man is already old, how can he be born again?"

This is an ( . . . ) sentence.

Imperative

Declarative

Interrogative

Exclamatory
14. "The kingdom of God is near!" This is an ( . . . )
sentence.

Interrogative

Exclamatory

Imperative

Declarative

15. "Jesus claimed to be the Son of God." This is a ( . . . )

sentence.

Exclamatory

Imperative

Declarative

Interrogative

16. What punctuation mark should be used at the end of

the following sentence. "Jesus asked John to baptize
him"

17. What punctuation mark should be used at the end of

the following sentence. "How can all this be possible"
 !

18. What punctuation mark should be used at the end of

the following sentence. "Why are you thinking these
things"

19. What punctuation mark should be used at the end of

the following sentence. "Get up"

20. What punctuation mark should be used at the end of

the following sentence. "John baptized Jesus in the
Jordan River"

?
 .

21. Choose the sentence with the correct punctuation.

Jesus, asked John to baptize him, so John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River.

Jesus asked John to baptize him so, John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River.

Jesus asked John to baptize him, so John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River.

Jesus asked John to baptize him so John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River.

22. Choose the sentence with the correct punctuation.

Satan tempted Jesus through the desires of the body, the desire for beautiful
things, and the desire to be important.

Satan tempted Jesus through the desires of the body, the desire for beautiful
things and, the desire to be important.

Satan tempted Jesus, through the desires of the body, the desire for beautiful
things, and the desire to be important.

Satan tempted Jesus through the desires of the body the desire for beautiful
things and the desire to be important.

23. Choose the sentence with the correct punctuation.

There, at the Pool of Bethzatha, Jesus healed a man.

There at the Pool of Bethzatha, Jesus healed a man.

There, at the Pool of Bethzatha Jesus, healed a man.

Explanation:
When you speak to someone in a normal conversation, you often pause in the middle
of a sentence. That is how you let others know when there is a break in your
thinking. You group your words together, and you pause between each thought. The
same thing happens when you write. You use a comma as the sign of a pause. By
using commas, you can group your words together so that other people can
understand them more easily. Punctuation marks are tools that a writer uses to help
express his or her thoughts clearly. The comma and other punctuation marks will be
discussed in greater detail in Lesson 3.3.