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# 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 →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/er/#m1)

2) (US, abbreviation) ER stands for «emergency room», the part of a hospital that treats urgent injuries and illness (UK: A&E). [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/er/#m2)

3) (UK, abbreviation) ER stands for «Elizabeth Regina», Latin for Queen Elizabeth, seen on postboxes. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/er/#m3)

4) «-er» is also a suffix that makes a person who does something (teacher) or a comparative (bigger). [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/er/#m4)

5) In old or country speech, 'er' is written for 'are', as in 'you er mine'. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/er/#m5)

### 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 →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/er/#x1)
- He said «er» a lot because he was nervous. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/er/#x2)
- «Where's my phone?» «Er… I haven't seen it.» [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/er/#x3)
- Try not to say «er» between every sentence in your talk. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/er/#x4)
- The doctor in the ER fixed his broken arm. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/er/#x5)
- The old postbox had «ER» on it. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/er/#x6)
- The suffix -er turns «fast» into «faster». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/er/#x7)
- Add -er to «paint» to make «painter». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/er/#x8)
- Sho ez you er settin' dar. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/er/#x9)

### 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.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/13-words-to-know-years-3-4/9/)
- [«Grammar» ends in -ar, not -er.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/english/13-words-to-know-years-3-4/22/)
- [Mum asked, «What time does it close?» «Er… 6?» It closes at 5.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/449-stories-that-change/10/)
- [A&E, Accident and Emergency, is for serious injuries and illnesses, and in the USA it is called the ER.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/medicine/26-emergencies-ambulance-999-and-a-and-e/10/)
- [And she conceived, and bore a son; and he called his name Er.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/jps/GEN.1219/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «er» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/er/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.