Update error - dpkg was interrupted

[nedu537]

Hi.

I get the following message when trying to install updates:
E: dpkg was interrupted, you must manually run 'dpkg --configure -a' to correct the problem

I've tried to run this in the terminal but it won't allow me to do this and I get the following message:
dpkg: error: requested operation requires superuser privilege

Can you offer any assistance for this?

Thanks for your help:-)