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# stammer

«stammer» in Mova's school dictionary: **to speak with pauses and repeated sounds, because you are…** — 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

verb (stammer, stammers, stammered, stammering); noun (a stammer)

### meaning for a pupil

1) To stammer means to speak with pauses and repeated sounds, because you are nervous or because of a speech condition («I-I-I don't know»). [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stammer/#m1)

2) A stammer is a speech condition that makes a person repeat or stretch sounds or get stuck on words; in the USA it is often called a stutter. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stammer/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In everyday life and PSHE pupils learn that many people have a stammer, that it is not caused by being nervous or less clever, and that the kind thing is to wait patiently, not finish their words or laugh. In stories a character stammers when shocked, scared or embarrassed. Phrases: «stammer out», «have a stammer», «stammer an apology».

### examples

- «S-sorry,» he stammered. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stammer/#x1)
- She stammered when the head teacher asked her a question. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stammer/#x2)
- My friend has a stammer, so I give him time to finish. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stammer/#x3)
- Never laugh at someone who stammers. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stammer/#x4)
- He stammered out his answer. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stammer/#x5)
- Some famous actors and leaders had a stammer. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stammer/#x6)
- Speech therapy can help people with a stammer. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stammer/#x7)
- Nervous, Tom stammered his lines in the play. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stammer/#x8)
- They weren’t here a minute ago,” he stammered. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/stammer/#x9)

### note

Regular verb, double m: «stammered». «Stammer» (UK) and «stutter» (US) mean the same. Do not interrupt or finish the words for a person who stammers.

### In the corpora

- [You let people finish their own sentences, especially someone who stammers (gets stuck on sounds or repeats them while speaking).](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/223-queues-taking-turns-and-interrupting/14/)
- [When a classmate stammers, wait patiently and do not finish their words.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/227-older-people-and-disabilities/17/)
- [Maya's friend Josh copied the way a boy talks with his stammer, and everyone laughed.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/346-teasing-and-laughing-at-others/5/)
- [A stammer is a difference in speech that people cannot just switch off, and mocking it makes it harder.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/346-teasing-and-laughing-at-others/15/)
- [New boy Theo has a stammer; kids keep finishing his words for him — «b-b-bus?](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/466-joining-a-game-and-the-shy-kid/28/)

### Trees and pragmatics

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