emergency

When there’s an emergency, there’s a big problem that needs immediate attention.

• This is an emergency.
• I have an emergency.
• There’s an emergency.
• This is becoming an emergency.
• What’s the emergency?
• Who’s having an emergency?

Many emergencies involve trained professionals who know how to respond to a difficult situation in which people might be injured:

• Emergency vehicles arrived at the scene of the accident.
• A person with gunshot wounds was taken to the emergency entrance.
• There was an emergency down the street involving fire trucks, police officers, and paramedics.
• A friend of mine is studying to become an EMT (EMT = emergency medical technician)

Sometimes the word "emergency" is used for situations that require attention, but they are not life and death situations:

• When the storm knocked out power for the city, the mayor declared an emergency.
• Yolanda hides extra money in the house in case of an emergency.
• Two feet of snow fell in one day. This created a snow emergency.
• It’s good to have a cell phone on you in case of an emergency.
• Are you prepared for an emergency? Do you have enough food in storage to last more than a month?
• The young woman said that she really had to go to the bathroom–that it was an emergency.

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November 5, 2015