فیلر ها یا حروف ندا

Interjections or Filler Words

Hello everyone! I am Georgiana, founder of speakenglishpodcast.com. I want to help you speak English fluently. Speaking English is easier than it seems! You just have to use the right material and techniques.

In this episode…

• I’m gonna talk about interjections in English. It ‘ll be very useful for you.

• Next, a point of view story to improve grammar. I’ve also recorded a short conversation that will help you with your vocabulary.

Remember, you can get the text of the episode at speakenglishpodcast.com

Perfect! Let’s get started!

Interjection? What an ugly name. Right? But ugly or not tough, interjections exist in all languages.

Basically, an interjection is one or several words that can express some kind of emotion:

• amazement

• surprise

• sorrow

• and so on

Okay, let’s see some examples:

Aha! Oh! Huh? Stop! Ow! Good!

These are all interjections. An interjection can be used as a filler. They are very important in spoken language because the conversation becomes more natural.

Let’s start with some examples:

If you hurt yourself, you could say:

“Ouch! That hurt.”

“Darn! That hurt.”

“Gee! That hurt!”

Well, as you can see, the possibilities here are endless.

One more thing, interjections don’t always have to come at the beginning of a sentence.

For example, if you said:

“So, you don’t really like veggies too much, huh?” Here the interjection “huh” is placed at the end of the sentence.

However, interjections can be found right in the middle of a sentence.

For example:

“When I think about the number of things that I need to do today, darn, I feel like running away!”

In this case, “darn” is the interjection.

Let’s see some more interjections:

Eww or Yuck- Show disgust.

Examples:

“Eww, that’s disgusting.”

“Yuck! There’s hair in my soup!”

Geez - This word could mean you can’t believe something, or you are exasperated.

Example:

“Geez! Do we need to do it again?” “There’s no need to get angry. Geez! He was only asking you a question.”

Oops - An exclamation people use when they accidentally do something.

Example:

“Oops, I’m sorry. That was my mistake.” Phew - expresses relief or that you are glad something is over.

Example:

“Phew! We almost missed the plane!

Wow - can show surprise or amazement.

Example:

“Wow! It’s the best cake I’ve ever tasted.” Yeah - shows a very strong affirmation or approval.

Example:

“Yeah! I’d love some apple sauce!” Cool - expresses joy. It’s used a lot.

Example:

“Cool! We’re going to the concert”.

We can also use interjections to call attention with words like: “yo” or “hey”.

Examples:

“Yo, are you going to the movies?” “Hey, it’s really nice to see you again!” And sometimes we use the interjections to indicate a pause. We use words like: “hmm”, “well”.

Examples:

“Well, I don’t think she’ll accept my proposal.” “Hmm… She really needs to quit smoking.” Let’s continue now with a short conversation.

You’ll practice some words that I have mentioned in the first part. Since interjections are more natural in a conversation, you’re gonna hear one right now. I hope you like it. :)

• Damn it; I’ve lost my keys. I don’t know where they are!

• Wow, again? It’s always the same with you; someday you’ll lose your head!

• Don’t be like that! We all have our faults, don’t we?

• Do you remember where you last saw the keys?

• Well, I don’t. I don’t remember.

• Wow, your prodigious memory fascinates me. Let’s see think a bit more.

• Hmm, I think I saw them in my room.

• Uh-huh, in your room. I’m sure they’re there. Just go and see.

• Darn, they’re not in my room.

• Now I know where they are!

• Cool, where?

• In your hands.

• Yeah! I had them in my hands!

• Thank you, mom, well, I’m gonna go now! Bye!

• Bye! Remember to come back for supper!

• Oh, yes, it’s true, there’s a special dish today. Okay, see you later!

POV Story

(improve your grammar)

All right! Now I’ll use the point of view technique to help you with your English grammar. In each point of view, I’ll change a grammar aspect. So you can practice.

This is the past in the third person: Richard lost his keys. He didn’t know where they were. His mom told him that the same thing happened to him all the time and that one day he would lose his head.

Richard replied that they all have their faults. His mom offered to help him find those keys, and Richard thanked her.

His mom asked him where he last saw them, but he couldn’t remember.

After thinking a little longer, Richard assumed they would be in the room, but they weren’t there.

His mom already knew they weren’t in his room. So, she told her son that the keys were in his hands.

Richard looked in his hands, and there were the keys. So he left home promising he’d be back for supper.

Now let’s change the point of view. The story will be now in the past tense - from Richard’s point of view. You’ll see that the changes are subtle.

Yesterday I lost the keys. I didn’t know where they were. My mom told me that the same thing happened to me all the time and that one day I would lose my head.

I replied that we all have our faults. My mom offered to help me find my keys.

She asked me where I last saw them, but I didn’t remember.

After thinking a little more, I assumed they would be in my room, but they weren’t there.

My mom already knew they weren’t in my room. She told me to look in my hands. I looked and there were the keys! So I left home promising to be back for supper.

Very well! In this short story, you’ve practiced a lot of vocabulary and grammar changes. I hope it helps you to improve. Remember that it’s a good idea to listen several times. Repetition is the key.

Okay, have you seen the power of point of view technique? We have checked a lot of grammar by merely using the same story. I use this technique in my courses, which you can find at: courses.SpeakEnglishPodcast.com

All right, this episode ends right here.

Remember to share this podcast and to leave a comment!

It would mean a lot to me.

See you soon!

Bye!