Hello you writer-types, I got a question...
I find myself using the word "well" to start far too many times in a story and I want to see if I can find another word to switch it up once in awhile. Some examples are:
"Well, I've been here for a couple years now. "
"Well, Maria where would you like to go?"
"Well, hopefully, you won't fall asleep this time!"
"Well, I don't know what to say,"
So what part of speech is well so I can look up alternatives?
in your examples, well is being used as an interjection. an interjection is a part of speech that shows the emotion or feeling of the author. these words or phrases can stand alone or be placed before or after a sentence. many times an interjection is followed by a punctuation mark, often an exclamation point.
You can’t truly call yourself peaceful unless you are capable of violence. If you’re not capable of violence, you’re not peaceful. You’re harmless.
This may not be the advice you seek, but perhaps use interjections in a more sparing fashion in your stories? Problem solved.
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