em
part of speech
pronoun (informal spoken form of "them"); interjection (em = um); noun (em, a printing measure)
meaning for a pupil
1) (slang, informal) A spoken short form of "them", often written 'em. tree →
2) (UK, Ireland) A sound people make when they pause or are unsure, like "um" or "erm". tree →
3) (printing) A unit of width equal to the size of the type; an em dash is a long dash. tree →
sense in the lessons
In real speech and stories: "Give 'em here!" or "Em, I'm not sure". Shows casual talk or hesitation. In maths lessons it can appear in self-corrections: "em, no, it's 12". Phrases: get 'em, let 'em go, em dash.
examples
- Pick 'em up and put 'em away. tree →
- "What's the answer?" "Em... I think it's 24." tree →
- Let 'em play outside for a bit. tree →
- I've got two sweets left, do you want 'em? tree →
- Em, sorry, I forgot my homework. tree →
- Use an em dash — like this — to add an aside. tree →
- “Not one of 'em,” says she. tree →
note
Do not use "'em" in formal writing; write "them". "Em" as a pause sound has no meaning; ignore it when reading a maths problem. Not to be confused with "M" the letter.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «em» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.