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Learn to join sentences together and express strong emotions using special words.
Imagine you have a giant box of LEGO bricks, but no way to snap them together. Your sentences are the same way! Without 'glue' words, your ideas just fall apart. Ready to learn the secret snaps of English?
Let's join two short sentences into one: 1. Start with two ideas: 'I like cats.' 'I like dogs.' 2. Choose the 'adding' glue: and. 3. New sentence: 'I like cats and dogs.' 4. Now try a choice: 'Do you want cake?' 'Do you want pie?' 5. New sentence: 'Do you want cake or pie?'
Quick Check
Which conjunction would you use if you wanted to show a choice between two things?
Answer
The word 'or' is used to show a choice.
Sometimes, a sentence needs a burst of energy! Interjections are short words that show strong feelings like surprise, joy, or even pain. They usually sit at the very beginning of a sentence and are followed by an exclamation mark (!). Common interjections include Wow!, Ouch!, Yay!, and Oops!. These words don't add facts to the sentence; instead, they add tone. They tell the reader exactly how the speaker is feeling before the rest of the sentence even starts.
See how the feeling changes just by swapping the interjection: 1. 'Yay! We are having pizza for dinner!' (This sounds happy and excited). 2. 'Ugh. We are having pizza for dinner.' (This sounds bored or disappointed). 3. 'Phew! We are having pizza for dinner.' (This sounds like the speaker was worried they wouldn't get food!)
Quick Check
What punctuation mark usually follows an interjection to show strong feeling?
Answer
An exclamation mark (!).
Now that you have the 'glue' and the 'feeling,' you can build complex, exciting sentences. A great writer uses an interjection to set the mood and a conjunction to keep the story moving. For example: 'Wow! The sun is out and the birds are singing.' This sentence uses 'Wow' to show surprise and 'and' to add two happy details together. By using these tools, your writing stops sounding like a list of facts and starts sounding like a real person talking!
Let's build a sentence with a feeling, a change, and a choice: 1. Add a feeling: 'Oh no!' 2. Add the first idea: 'I lost my map.' 3. Add a 'change' glue: 'but'. 4. Add the second idea: 'I can use my phone.' 5. Final Result: 'Oh no! I lost my map, but I can use my phone.'
Which word is the conjunction in this sentence: 'I wanted to go swimming, but the water was too cold.'
Which interjection best fits a situation where you just won a game?
The word 'and' is used when you have to choose between two different things.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow morning, try to remember the three 'glue words' (conjunctions) we learned today. Can you name them all?
Practice Activity
While reading your favorite book tonight, try to find three exclamation marks. Look at the word right before them—is it an interjection?