Is it really neccecary for people to say "Um" ?

Question

It bugs me. Especially on TV.

Answer 1

Sometimes for me it comes out naturally, but I try not to say it to much. I hate it when people say 'Huh'. When they don't understand what Im saying. Just say 'what' or 'can you repeat again'.

Answer 2

People use um as a filler word. It happens a lot when you're nervous or just can't get your thoughts together. When I was in speech class we had a girl say "um" about 50 times in a 5 minute speech.

Answer 3

Sometimes it means a confusion from questions given, a time to think for the next word or merely a force of habit.

Answer 4

Sometimes you need a little time to think. Although using "Um" is also a nice way to build tension.

Answer 5

While in college, our English teach told us NEVER to use Um, as it was a sign you didn't know where the conversation was taking you.

Answer 6

Of course it is necessary. People use it to keep their turn when they are speaking. It is meant to tell the listener that they are not finished speaking. Otherwise, people would take the silence to mean that you are done and would start saying what they want to say.

Answer 7

My English teacher told me that when people say "um" or "uh" it means that they are thinking/their brains are thinking of what to say so it's kind of like a pausing of speech or delay of thought

Answer 8

People, including me, say it because we can't think of the next thing to say. It isn't necessary, but it is what many people use. To me, it's better than saying "like" or "you know" all of the time.

Answer 9

Ummm... yeah, sometimes it is.