XVII - GRAMMAR English titles

ENGLISH TITLES

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 formal most commonly used titles English speakers use:

Sir (adult male of any age)

Ma'am (adult female - North American)

Madam (adult female)

Mr + last name (any man)

Mrs + last name (married woman who uses her husband's last name)

Ms + last name (married or unmarried woman; common in business)

Miss + last name (unmarried woman)

Dr + last name (some doctors go by Dr + first name)

Professor + last name (in a university setting)

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:

ü  Say "Ms. Smith," not "Ms. Mary." (Mary Smith)

ü  Say "Ms. Fernández," not "Ms. María." (María Fernández)

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:

v  Thank you, Ms.

v  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:

v  May I help you, lady?

v  Excuse me, lady. Could you help me?

v  Could you please repeat that, lady?

·         Instead, say:

ü  May I help you, ma'am?

ü  Excuse me, ma'am. Could you help me?

ü  Could you please repeat that, ma'am?

Personal Titles for Men:
Mr.

1-      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:

ü  Say "Mr. Jones," not "Mr. Bill." (Bill Jones)

ü  Say "Mr. Alonso," not "Mr. José." (José Alonso)

2-      In the addresses of formal letters, Mr. can be used with both a given name and a surname:

·         Mr. José Alonso
The XYZ Company
3333 Commerce Street
Someplace, GA

3-      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.

4-      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-      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.

2-      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?

3-      Do not use "mister" (Mr.) instead of sir. It sounds abrupt and impolite to native
 speakers of English.

·         Don't say:

v  May I help you, mister?

v  Excuse me, mister. Could you help me?

v  Could you please repeat that, mister?

·         Instead, say:

v  May I help you, sir?

v  Excuse me, sir. Could you help me?

v  Could you please repeat that, sir?

Titles for Children:

In addition to strangers and people with positions of authority, you will also need to use titles, at times, for children--especially if you are speaking politely and have just met a child and/or if the child's father or mother has a position of authority or is someone you respect.

Titles for Boys:
young man

1-      If you are speaking directly to a young boy and want to be very polite, use young man in place of a name:

·         How are you, young man?

·         What's your name, young man?

·         How old are you, young man?

2-      You will sometimes also hear young fellow instead of young man. These two titles have the same meaning,      but young fellow (often pronounced "fella") is friendlier:

·         How are you, young fellow?

·         What's your name, young fellow?

·         How old are you, young fellow?

Titles for Boys:
Master

1-      If letters, cards, and so on are written to a young boy, the title Master is often used:

·         Master Jimmy Johnson

·         Master Thomas DeLuca

·         Master Ghassan Al-Thanayan

This use of Master is very polite: it's intended to make a young boy feel important. If you
know a young boy very well, you can write his name without a title.

2-      In American English, Master isn't usually used in speaking.

Titles for Girls I:
young lady

1-      If you are speaking directly to a young girl and want to be very polite, use young lady in place of a name:

·         How are you, young lady?

·         What's your name, young lady?

·         How old are you, young lady?

2-      The title young woman isn't commonly used in U.S. English. When it is used, it isn't used for young girls.

Titles for Girls II:
Miss

1-      If letters, cards, and so on are written to a young girl, the title Miss is common:

·         Miss Shannon Sperling

·         Miss Teresa García

·         Miss Tammy Kim

2-      The title Miss can also be used for older girls and for unmarried women.

Special Notes:

1-      Do not use young man, young fellow, or young lady with people who are older than you.

2-      In most English-speaking countries, do not ask the question "How old are you?" except with young children.

 Academic Titles:

There are also special titles used in academia--in colleges and universities. The two most common academic titles are, probably, Professor and Dr. Both of these titles are used for those who have an academic doctorate--a PhD, EdD, and so on.

In the U.S., Professor may be used either with or without a name. When Professor is used with a name, only the surname (family name) is used in speaking. In written addresses, Professor is followed by a complete name. In the greetings of letters, it is followed by the surname.

Examples:                                         

Spoken	Written
Hello, Professor.	Professor Miriam Smith
Good morning, Professor MacGowan.	Professor Manuel Torres
Excuse me, Professor, but I have a question.	Professor Jun Okumura
	Dear Professor Gold:
Could you please repeat that last point, Professor Hayashi?	Dear Professor Al-Salehi:

The academic title Dr. is used somewhat like Professor, but not in exactly the same way. For those with academic doctorates, Dr. isn't usually used, for example, without a name. In written addresses, Dr. may be before the complete name, or the abbreviated form of the academic
degree (PhD, EdD, etc.) may be after the complete name. In written and spoken greetings, Dr. is used with a surname.

Examples:

Spoken	Written
Hello, Dr. Muñoz.	Dr. Juan Muñoz
May I speak with Dr. Brown, please?	Dr. Alicia Brown
May I ask you a question, Dr. Schmidt?	Hans Schmidt, PhD
I'm afraid I don't understand you, Dr. Chin.	Martin Chin, EdD
	Dear Dr. Muñoz:
	Dear Dr. Brown:

Special Notes:

Other commonly used academic titles include Dean, Chancellor, Provost, and President. In speaking and in the greetings of letters, these titles are followed by a surname:

Hello, Dean Carter.	<        Dear Dean Carter:
Good afternoon, Chancellor Ewing.	/TD> Dear Chancellor Ewing:
I have an appointment with Provost Brown.	Dear Provost Brown:
It's an honor to meet you, President Linder	Dear President Linder:

In written addresses, these titles are followed by complete names. The titles may also come after surnames. In this case, the name of the university School or College (fields of study within a university) or of the institution follow in the next line:

Dean Hilda Carter	Hilda Carter, Dean College of Liberal Arts
Provost Michael Brown	Michael Brown, Provost Hanover University
Chancellor Kent Ewing	Kent Ewing, Chancellor Atwood State College
President James Linder	James Linder, President Atwood State College

U.S. Military Titles:

Military organizations throughout the world also use specific titles for different ranks. The general rule for U.S. military titles is simple:

in speaking:

rank + surname
or
sir / madam

in the address of a letter:

Full rank + full name
address

in the greeting of a letter:

Dear + rank + surname:
or
Dear Sir (or Madam):

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The major ranks in each branch of the U.S. military are:

Army, Air Force, Marines:

General	Captain
Lieutenant General	First Lieutenant
Major General	Second Lieutenant
Brigadier General	Chief Warrant Officer
Colonel	Warrant Officer
Lieutenant Colonel	Cadet
Major
Sergeant	Private

Navy:

Fleet Admiral	Lieutenant
Admiral	Lieutenant, Junior Grade
Vice Admiral	Ensign
Rear Admiral	Chief Warrant Officer
Captain	Warrant Officer
Commander	Midshipman
Lieutenant Commander

Special Notes:

1-      When there is more than one "level" of a rank, show the full rank in addresses of letters, but use the rank in   speaking and in greetings of letters:

                     

full rank	rank
General Lieutenant General Major General Brigadier General	General
Commander                                                                      Lieutenant Commander	Colonel
First Lieutenant                                                                    Second Lieutenant	Lieutenant
Chief Warrant Officer                                                           Warrant Officer	Warrant Officer
full rank	rank
Fleet Admiral Admiral Vice Admiral Rear Admiral	Admiral
Commander Lieutenant Commander	Commander
Lieutenan Lieutenant, Junior Grade	Lieutenant
Chief Warrant Officer Warrant Officer	Warrant Officer

      All of the above ranks may be held by either men or women.