Erms and Utterances

Erms and Utterances

Except in strict and super strict verbatim it is not necessary to include erms and ahhs, unless meaningful (e.g. in answer to a question, or indicating uncertainty).

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Formatting Requirements

Please always ensure, when including erms and ers that:

• The word before it has a comma

• A comma is present after the erm also

• It is very important that erms and ers, etc. are grammatically correct

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When to Omit

In this case the erm can be omitted:

Example: "I stayed in a hotel called, erm, the Hilton."

Can become: "I stayed in a hotel called the Hilton."

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When to Keep

However in this case, the erm is meaningful in the context and so it should remain:

Example: "My job title is, erm, well I guess I don't have an official title."

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Key Principles

• Meaningful erms (expressing uncertainty, hesitation) → Keep

• Filler erms (just verbal tics) → Remove

• Always use proper punctuation when keeping erms

• Context determines meaning – use your judgement