er

«er» in Mova's school dictionary: a sound people make when they are not sure what to say or… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

interjection (er — a hesitation sound); also abbreviation (ER, E.R.)

meaning for a pupil

1) «Er» is a sound people make when they are not sure what to say or are thinking, like «um»: «It's, er, somewhere here.» tree →

2) (US, abbreviation) ER stands for «emergency room», the part of a hospital that treats urgent injuries and illness (UK: A&E). tree →

3) (UK, abbreviation) ER stands for «Elizabeth Regina», Latin for Queen Elizabeth, seen on postboxes. tree →

4) «-er» is also a suffix that makes a person who does something (teacher) or a comparative (bigger). tree →

5) In old or country speech, 'er' is written for 'are', as in 'you er mine'. tree →

sense in the lessons

In stories and play scripts «er» shows a character is nervous, shy, unsure or lying: «Did you eat the cake?» «Er… no.» In speaking lessons pupils learn to use fewer «ers» and «ums» when presenting. In grammar lessons the suffix -er makes comparatives (taller) and nouns (singer). Phrases: er… um…, er, well.

examples

• «Er, I think I forgot my homework,» said Sam. tree →
• He said «er» a lot because he was nervous. tree →
• «Where's my phone?» «Er… I haven't seen it.» tree →
• Try not to say «er» between every sentence in your talk. tree →
• The doctor in the ER fixed his broken arm. tree →
• The old postbox had «ER» on it. tree →
• The suffix -er turns «fast» into «faster». tree →
• Add -er to «paint» to make «painter». tree →
• Sho ez you er settin' dar. tree →

note

«Er» is not a real word with a meaning; it is a filler sound and has no plural or forms. In British English it is pronounced like «uh» (the r is silent); Americans may write it as «uh». ER and E.R. in capitals are abbreviations. Do not confuse with «err», a formal verb meaning to make a mistake («to err is human»).

In the corpora

• «Grammar» ends in -ar, not -er.
• «Grammar» ends in -ar, not -er.
• Mum asked, «What time does it close?» «Er… 6?» It closes at 5.
• A&E, Accident and Emergency, is for serious injuries and illnesses, and in the USA it is called the ER.
• And she conceived, and bore a son; and he called his name Er.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «er» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.