what word, which sheila thinks is “silly”, does mrs birling use to describe the inspector’s behaviour?

Mrs Birling uses the word “impertinent” to describe the Inspector’s behaviour, which Sheila then comments is a “silly” thing to say.

In the play

• In An Inspector Calls , Mrs Birling feels the Inspector is being rude and overstepping his place, so she calls him “impertinent”.

• Sheila reacts by saying that using words like that is “silly”, showing she is starting to see the Inspector differently from her parents.

Why this word matters

• The word “impertinent” shows Mrs Birling’s snobbish sense of social superiority and her expectation that people in authority should not be questioned by those “beneath” them.

• It also highlights the generational divide between Sheila and her mother, as Sheila begins to reject her parents’ dismissive attitude to the Inspector and to responsibility.

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