| |
Using Personal
Titles
#1:
Generic
(General) Titles for
Women
When you are speaking to a stranger or
to
someone who
has a position of authority, it's important
to
show respect
during your
conversation. One way to do this is through
using
personal
titles as you
speak.
In American
English, there are two types
of personal
titles: titles used with a
name
and titles
used without
a name. Personal titles
are generally used with
someone
who is older than you or with someone who has
a
position
of authority. When you don't know the
specific title to
use (that is, the
title for someone with a particular job
or
position), you
can always use generic
(general) titles.
Here are the ones
most often
used for women:
Personal Titles
for
Women:
Ms.
| 1. |
|
Pronounce Ms.
as [ m I z ]. It has the same
sound
as is. |
| |
|
|
| 2. |
|
In general American English speech, Ms.
is
used only with surnames (family
names).
In
some
dialects,
Ms. is also used with
given
("first")
names,
but this is not "standard
practice."
Standard
practice:
Say "Ms.
Smith," not "Ms.
Mary."
Say "Ms. Vargas," not
"Ms.
Marķa." |
| |
|
|
| 3. |
|
In the addresses of formal letters, Ms.
can be
used with both
a given name and a
surname:
Ms. Mary
Smith
The ABC Company
2222
Main Street
Somewhere,
NY |
| |
|
|
| 4. |
|
Ms. can also be used when you are making
formal
introductions:
It's my honor
to introduce Ms. Judith Williams.
Ladies and gentleman, please
welcome
Ms.
Amanda Kwai. |
| |
|
|
| 5. |
|
Ms. is generally not used
without a
name:
strange:
*Thank you,
Ms.
*May I help you,
Ms.? |
| |
|
|
| 6. |
|
You can use Ms. for both
married
and
unmarried
women,
but do not use it for
young girls. (Use
"Miss" instead.) |
Personal Titles
for
Women:
ma'am
| 1. |
|
Pronounce ma'am as [ m ae m ]. It has
the
same
sound as am. |
| |
|
|
| 2. |
|
Ma'am is often used to respond politely
to
something a woman says. Use ma'am
without
a name:
Yes,
ma'am.
No,
ma'am.
I'm not really
sure, ma'am. |
| |
|
|
| 3. |
|
Ma'am can also be used in place
of a
name:
May I
help you, ma'am?
Excuse
me, ma'am. Could you help me?
Could you please repeat that,
ma'am? |
| |
|
|
| 4. |
|
Do not use "lady"
instead of
ma'am. It sounds
abrupt and impolite
to native speakers of English.
Don't say
*May I help you, lady?
*Excuse me, lady. Could you help
me?
*Could you please
repeat that, lady?
Instead, say
May I help you, ma'am?
Excuse me, ma'am. Could you help me?
Could you please repeat that,
ma'am? |
|
