Conversational
Language (#18):
Getting Someone's
Attention
It's often necessary to get
someone's attention--for example,
when you need to ask directions or
ask for help. Here are
several different ways to do this:
Very Polite
I beg your pardon, sir.
I beg your pardon,
ma'am.
Polite
Excuse me, sir.
Excuse me, ma'am.
Friendly
Excuse me.
Casual
(Name?)
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In all the situations above,
the person you are
speaking to
will probably say "Yes?" or something similar.
After that,
tell
the person what you need:
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A:
B:
A:
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I beg your pardon, ma'am
(sir).
Yes?
I wonder if you could tell
me how to get
to
the corner of Elm and 44th Streets.
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| |
|
|
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A:
B:
A:
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Excuse me, sir (ma'am).
Yes?
Could you tell me how to get
to the corner
of
Elm and 44th Streets?
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| |
|
|
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A:
B:
A:
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Excuse me.
Yes?
Can you tell me how to get
to the corner of
Elm and 44th Streets?
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A:
B:
A:
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Bob?
Yes?
Do you know how to get to
the corner of
Elm
and 44th Streets?
Note that the name is said
with question
(rising)
intonation.
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Special Note:
Note that sir is used for men and ma'am
is used for women
when you do not know a man's or woman's name. You
can
also
use a title +
a name in polite
situations:
I beg your pardon, Mrs. Smith.
/
I beg
your
pardon, Professor Jones.
Excuse me, Mr. Johnson. /
Excuse me, Ms.
Thompson.
Do not,
however, use mister or lady
instead of sir or
ma'am. Both of these terms are considered
impolite.
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A Special Meaning
and
Situation: Hey!
The expression
Hey! is also used to get someone's attention,
but only when you
are upset. For this reason, Hey! is said
with strong feeling
and it is not appropriate in situations
which are polite or friendly.
Hey!
is
something like a warning, but it
is only used to
get
someone's attention about something that is wrong.
To warn
someone
in a helpful way, use other
expressions--such as
Look out!
Be careful!
Watch out!
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