The Proper Use of the Interjection Alas

English grammar questions, answered by Alan

Moderator: Alan

Locked
User avatar
Curanto
Member
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Jul 12, 2022 10:10 pm
Status: Other
Location: Argentina

The Proper Use of the Interjection Alas

Post by Curanto »

First time writing on the forum. {-:
I'm trying to learn where I can insert the "alas" interjection within a phrase. I already know in which conditions it can be used, but I have been seeing in multiple phrases that its location varies, depending in what we want to emphasize. So I'll write many times the same phrase, but with different locations of "alas", and I would like someone to highlight which uses are grammatically correct and which ones are not.

The phrase I'm going to use is "Compassion is easily trampled" (without modal/auxiliary verbs) and "Compassion can be easily trampled" (with modal/auxiliary verbs).
A. Alas, compassion is easily trampled.
B. Compassion, alas, is easily trampled.
C. Compassion is, alas, easily trampled.
D. Alas, compassion can be easily trampled.
E. Compassion, alas, can be easily trampled.
F. Compassion can, alas, be easily trampled.
G. Compassion can be, alas, easily trampled.

Thank you very much!!
User avatar
Alan
Teacher/Moderator
Teacher/Moderator
Posts: 15193
Joined: Mon Dec 29, 2003 7:56 pm
Status: Teacher of English
Location: Japan

Re: The Proper Use of the Interjection Alas

Post by Alan »

There are no strict rules governing the positioning of interjections.

All of your examples are acceptable.
Locked