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Using Personal
Titles
#2:
Generic
(General) Titles for
Men
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 men:
Personal Titles
for
Men:
Mr.
| 1. |
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In general American English speech, Mr.
is
used only with surnames (family
names).
In
some
dialects,
Mr. is also used with
given
("first")
names,
but this is not "standard
practice."
Standard
practice:
Say "Mr.
Jones," not "Mr.
Bill."
Say "Mr. Vargas," not
"Mr.
José." |
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| 2. |
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In the addresses of formal letters, Mr.
can be
used with both
a given name and a
surname:
Mr. José
Vargas
The XYZ Company
3333
Commerce Street
Someplace,
GA |
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| 3. |
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Mr. can also be used
with full
names when
you are
making formal introductions:
It's my honor to introduce Mr. John
O'Brien.
Ladies and
gentleman, please welcome
Mr.
Hyun-Seok
Park. |
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| 4. |
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You can use Mr. for both
married
and
unmarried men,
but
do not use it for
young boys. (Use
"Master" instead.) |
Personal Titles for
Men:
sir
| 1. |
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Sir is often used to respond politely
to
something
a man says. Use sir
without
a
name:
Yes,
sir.
No,
sir.
I really don't
know, sir. |
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| 2. |
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Sir can also be used in place of
a
name:
May I
help you, sir?
Excuse
me, sir. Could you help me?
Could you please repeat that, sir? |
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| 3. |
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Do not use "mister"
(Mr.) instead
of sir.
It sounds abrupt and impolite to
native
speakers
of
English.
Don't
say
*May I
help you, mister?
*Excuse me, mister. Could you help me?
*Could you please repeat that,
mister?
Instead,
say
May I help
you, sir?
Excuse me,
sir. Could you help me?
Could you please repeat that,
sir? |
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