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: