Written and spoken speech often has a specific addressee. Sometimes the communication process is not complete without referring to it. There are two types - official and informal address in English. Let's look at each type and consider cases of their use.
Official address in English
This type is used in situations of interpersonal communication, when there are business relationships between colleagues, managers, partners, boss and subordinate, representatives of different generations. When addressing a man you can usually hear the following:
These requests have several nuances:
- Application. Mister, abbreviated in English (mr.), can be used to refer to men, regardless of their place in society - i.e. sir, esq., mr- all this can be used when communicating with both a janitor and a tycoon.
- Place. There shouldn’t be any problems with pronouncing the word “Mister” in English (mr.) - usually the abbreviation is placed before the addressee’s last name.
- Sir. This term has one peculiarity when used - it is used when the last name and first name of the person being addressed remains unknown or is not known. Another exceptional case of its use is to indicate a title (typical of British subjects who became knights). Does anyone remember the famous Sir Elton John?
- Esq. This form is placed after the name. “Esquire” is familiar to many by the name of the magazine. However, this word has a certain historical past. During the Middle Ages, squires attached to knights were first called this, then the term was used to convey belonging to the lower strata of the noble class. At the moment, this form can be found extremely rarely in colloquial speech; it is mainly used in writing.
We managed to figure out the masculine addressee, now let's discuss the topic of addressing a woman in English. Why is this so important? Since there are several trigger words that, unlike the male version, are applicable only in certain situations and to ladies of a certain age and position.
So, let’s analyze this table in a little more detail and, finally, find out what the difference is between mrs and ms, and what to choose as an address to an unmarried woman in English.
- Mrs. Usually in this case we are talking about a married girl. When using, be sure to indicate the woman’s last or first name. In simple words, mrs is a designation of belonging to a specific male representative when addressed (Does a woman, in some sense, belong to her man?).
- Miss. Usually the name is used in relation to unmarried ladies, putting after “miss” the first and/or last name of the addressee.
- Ms. The form is typical for written speech, in particular for business correspondence. For use in speech, it is better to consider one of the above options. It is interesting that such an abbreviated “miss” in English can be used to refer to any lady, regardless of her status (married/single). This appeal was approved as a result of numerous campaigns to fight for women's rights. The UN decided that after "Ms." The addressee's first or last name is required.
- Madam. In cases of use, it echoes the masculine “Esq.”, i.e. usually does not need additions in the form of a full name after itself. If they are addressing a high-status girl, then her post/position should be indicated (for example, Madam Managing Director). Addressing a woman as “ma’am” is just a shortening of “madam”; the cases of its use coincide with those already indicated.
So, when choosing ms or mrs always consider the type of information exchanged and the status of the lady being the recipient. If there is business correspondence, then “ms” is better, if colloquial speech is “mrs”. In the case of a married girl, always be sure that it is mrs, and when using “ms” the status does not matter.
Now we should say a few words about addressing several addressees at once.
The most common phrase is “Ladies and gentlemen”, which is translated into Russian as “Ladies and gentlemen”. However, the phrase is more typical for an official setting (concert, company event, product presentation, etc.). There is much less “officiality” in such expressions as “Dear friends” and “Dear colleagues” (“Dear friends” and “Dear colleagues”, respectively).
If we are talking about addressing predominantly male persons whose surnames are unknown or not named, then the word “sirs” is used (usually supplemented with the adjective “dear”, which adds up to “Dear Sirs” or “Dear Sirs”).
When the addressee is a group of ladies whose names and surnames are not reported or are completely unknown, then the use of “mesdames” is considered relevant.
There is another option for addressing in writing those whose names and surnames are known - this is “messrs” (translated as “gentlemen”), but many linguists consider it to be quite outdated.
Unofficial appeal
Along with the name of the interlocutor in a business conversation, there are expressions for informal communication situations.
In writing this is indicated by the construction “Dear friend..”. This is usually followed by a greeting (Hi or Hello) combined with the name of the final recipient.
During a conversation between friends or family, the absence of additional words and expressions (such as sir, dear, etc.) can be compensated by the use of diminutive forms of the person’s name. So, for example, “Robert” (in Russian “Robert”) easily turns into “Rob”, “Bob”, “Robbie”. Moreover, not all names have such abbreviated forms.
Two male comrades often use the following phrases when communicating with each other: old boy, old chap, old man. They translate roughly as “old man”, “old man”, “buddy”. If we are talking about a group of guys, then they usually say “Guys!” (or in Russian “Guys!”).
A child or lover is addressed using the words “lovely”, “kid”, “love”, “honey”, “sweet”.
For grandparents in English there are also unofficial names (more like diminutives) - these are “grandma” and “grandpa”, for mom and dad - mum/mummy/mommy/mom and Dad/daddy.
Conclusion
So, now you know what the abbreviation “Mrs” is in English, what is the difference between ms and mrs, what types of addresses are there and how to familiarly address one or a group of guys.
Remember that when choosing words in this case, you need to take into account many factors, in particular, the status of the interlocutor, his marital status and the level of your interpersonal relationships with this particular addressee. Using the wrong expression can negatively affect further communication!
According to the norms of etiquette established in English-speaking countries, addressing women of different social status should be different, both in speech and in writing. In Western society, a woman’s status is designated by special words - Miss or Mrs. In Russian culture there are no analogues to such treatment, or they are weakly expressed. What is the difference between Miss and Mrs., and who is called "Miz", later in the article.
Both words came into widespread use in Great Britain in the 17th century as an abbreviation for “mistress,” which in English means “mistress,” “owner of the house.” Initially, the husband's surname/name was added to this address. Later, in official documents, women were allowed to leave their initials after the word “Mister”. At the same time, the husband's surname was retained. Around the 17th century, the familiar Miss and Missis, or abbreviated Ms and Mrs, came into use today. The first address was used when addressing unmarried girls, and the second - to women who were or were about to get married.
Who is called "mis"?
In addition to unmarried women in English-speaking countries, the word "Miss" is used to address a schoolteacher, regardless of her marital status. The title “Miss” is used exclusively with a maiden name. If a woman is divorced, she has the right to decide for herself how she will introduce herself or sign when drawing up documents. Thus, there are two options: “Mrs.” with the surname of her ex-husband, or “Miss” with her maiden name. If a woman becomes a widow, she should be addressed in the same way as during her marriage.
Who do they call "Miz"?
In the middle of the 20th century, Americans expanded their language with a neutral address to women “miz”, which did not emphasize their marital status. According to one version, it was invented by feminists who are always fighting for gender equality. Other sources report that the address “Miz” (in English written Ms.) was invented in the United States in 1952 by employees of the National Association of Office Managers in order not to embarrass secretaries by making address errors. Today it is officially used when communicating with secretaries and some other office workers. In a business environment, the words "Miss" and "Mrs." are rarely used.
Generalization
So, what did you not know before reading this material?
- Miss - an appeal to a woman who is not married;
- Mrs - an appeal to a woman who has been married or is currently married;
- Ms is a polite form of address that indicates that a person is female, but does not indicate marital status.
Examples of requests in letters:
- Dear Miss/Ms Jones! — Dear Miss Jones!
- Dear Mrs. Wilson! — Dear Mrs. Wilson!
- Dear Ms. Smith! — Dear Mrs. Smith!
Girls are different... And appeals to them too. Let's look at the peculiarities of English address to women of different social status, because the rules of good manners oblige us to know this.
In Western culture, when introducing a woman (in oral and written speech), it is customary to indicate not only her first and last name, but also her “status”. This status is usually denoted by a special word, which often acts as an address. There are no analogues of such treatment in Russian culture. Addressing a woman to indicate her status was typical for holders of a noble title. In general, this division of statuses is not typical for Russian culture, therefore the English “Miss” and “Mrs.” cannot be unambiguously compared with similar addresses to women in Russian culture.
Ms[UK spelling], Ms. [ˈmɪz], , [ˈməz], [ˈməs]) - “Madam...”. This address is neutral in English-speaking countries. Ms is placed in front of the surname of both married and unmarried women if her marital status is unknown or the woman consciously emphasizes her equality with a man. This appeal appeared in the 1950s and came into use since the 1970s on the initiative of representatives of the feminist movement.
According to The American Heritage Book of English Usage, “the use of Ms. eliminates the need to guess whether the addressee is Mrs. or Miss: using Ms., it is impossible to make a mistake. Regardless of whether the female addressee is married or not, or whether she has changed her last name or not, the use of Ms. always correct." In its style guide, The Times states: “Today, Ms is entirely acceptable if a woman chooses to be called that, or if it is not known exactly, Mrs.” she or Miss.” The Guardian, which uses "women's titles" exclusively in editorials, advises in its style guide: "use Ms for women...unless they have expressed a desire to use Miss or Mrs."
Appeal Ms. is the standard address for a woman if she is not given another preferred address. For standard use Ms. Also speaking are authors of books on etiquette, including Judith Martin (also known as "Miss Manners").
Address to an unmarried girl
Miss- English-language address to an unmarried woman. Is short for mistress(an outdated form of addressing a woman). Can be used before a surname or as a direct address. An analogue in Russian can be the word “girl” or the pre-revolutionary “young lady” or “mademoiselle”.
The address “Miss” is also used to refer to a teacher, regardless of her marital status. This rule is associated with a period when only unmarried women could engage in teaching.
Address to a married woman
Mrs.- an appeal to a married woman. Nowadays, addressing a woman using her husband's name is rare, although it is possible to address a couple jointly, such as Mr. and Mrs. John Smith. It is generally considered polite to address women using Ms. rather than Mrs., especially if the woman's preferences for being addressed are unknown, especially in written communications.
Punctuation after abbreviation
On the letter there is a dot after the abbreviations:
- Dear Miss Jones! – Dear Miss Jones!
- Dear Mrs. Wilson! - Dear Mrs. Wilson!
- Dear Ms. Smith! – Dear Mrs. Smith!
If the appeal is written in full, then there is no full stop:
- Miss Dana Simms - Miss Dana Simms.
Let's summarize:
- Ms– a polite form of addressing a woman in letters without directly indicating marital status.
- Miss- an appeal to an unmarried woman.
- Mrs- an appeal to a married woman.
Adapted texts in English
Rhyming words in English
English female names
English words are increasingly used by Russian speakers. Often we also have to communicate with foreigners. And here the question arises about what is the most appropriate name for a particular woman. Indeed, in English-speaking countries there are two options: “Miss” and “Mrs.” There really is a difference between these calls, let's try to understand it in detail.
A little history
In English-speaking countries, married ladies were previously addressed as mistress ("mistress") - literally translated as "housewife", "owner of the house." In this case, the husband’s surname and name were initially added to the address. A little later, women were allowed to add their initials after the word “Mister” in official documents. The husband's surname was retained. Later, around the 17th century, the familiar “Miss” and “Mrs.” came into use today. The difference between them was that the first appeal was intended for unmarried girls, and the second for married women. They are still used today, and many representatives of the fair sex are proud of their social status and can be seriously offended by an accidental mistake during a conversation. It turns out that the difference between Miss and Mrs. is whether the woman has a spouse. Accordingly, a “girl” can also be a lady of advanced age, provided that she has not married or is divorced.
Exceptions to the rule
The title “Miss” can only be used with a maiden name. Let's assume that if a woman is divorced, she decides how she will introduce herself and sign official documents. There are two options: either “Mrs.” with the surname of her ex-husband, or “Miss” with her maiden name. In the event of the death of a spouse, the widow should be treated in the same way as during her marriage. Interesting fact: teachers in educational institutions should always be addressed as “Miss”, regardless of their social status. These standard words can be avoided if the woman has a special title, such as “lady” or “doctor”. In this case, "Miss" and "Mrs." are inappropriate. The difference between family status pales in comparison to professional definition or high title.
Who is Ms.
In the middle of the 20th century, a neutral address for women, “miz,” appeared in America, which did not allow one to determine their marital status. It is believed that it was invented by feminists in the fight for gender equality. Today it is officially used to refer to secretaries and some other office workers. In a business environment, the words "Miss" and "Mrs." are rarely used. The difference between these concepts can be important for the woman herself, and then she uses the correct respectful address to herself when introducing herself when meeting. But today, more and more often, you can meet representatives of the fair sex who quite like the universal “miz”.
We know firsthand about the politeness of the British. Such pompous addresses as sir (sir), my lord (my lord), lady (lady) and others, used since the Middle Ages, are designed to define and emphasize a person’s status during a conversation.
In modern England, classic addresses are still in use: the queen is called nothing less than Her Majesty (Her Majesty), according to the title, other members of the royal family are also addressed. Those who do not have the status of lord or other aristocratic titles are usually addressed according to marital status.
Today, once and for all, we will deal with such seemingly similar addresses in the English language as Mr, Mrs, Ms and Miss: what kind of abbreviations they are, how they are translated and when they are used.
This knowledge will be useful to you not only in everyday communication, but also when composing business letters, as well as for filling out foreign documents.
Mr & Mrs: who is this?
First, let's look at such basic concepts that are used everywhere as Mr. and Mrs. and talk about how they are written and used.
Mr ['mɪstər] - Mr.
This address is used in cases where we are talking about a man. And it doesn’t matter at all whether you are married or not. Age is not important either: boys are addressed this way even during their studies. Used together with a surname:
Mr Lewis is a very handsome man - Mr Lewis is a very handsome man
Thus, Mr is an abbreviation of the word mister, that is, “mister” in English.
Mrs [ˈmɪsɪz] - Mrs.This is an address to a married woman in English. Can also be used to refer to a girl if she is married. The abbreviation comes from the word mistress: this is what “mistresses of the house” were called in the 18th century in Great Britain. Similar to “Mister”, used together with the surname:Mrs Lane is cooking a Christmas dinner - Mrs Lane is preparing Christmas dinner
The title Mrs (Mrs.) in English comes from the full word misses and is used both when filling out documents and in communication.
Remembering these two basic appeals is not difficult. It is enough to know that Mr is a man, and if you add s to this abbreviation, you get an address to his wife. It is also easy to remember how Mr. and Mrs. are written in English: always with a capital letter, just like the surname of the person being addressed. But whether to put a period after the abbreviation or not depends on what version of English you use. In British English there is no period after Mr and Mrs, but in American English there is a dot. In both cases the word must be pronounced completely.
These abbreviations are perhaps the most used throughout the world. A married couple is usually presented together under one surname. For example, like in the movie “Mr. &Mrs. Smith" ("Mr. and Mrs. Smith"). Also, these are the most popular words in wedding decor, when the newlyweds’ chairs or cakes are decorated with the inscriptions Mr. and Mrs., as they will be called after the wedding.
Miss & Ms: what's the difference?
A little more complicated than with Mr and Mrs, the situation is with addressing a girl whose marital status is unknown to us.
Miss - miss This address is used when we talk about a woman or girl who, as we know, is definitely not married. Miss in English is also placed before the surname of a woman or girl, but is most often used to refer to schoolgirls and students.
Please note that this word is the only one of the four addresses that is written and pronounced in its entirety, which means it never has a dot on the letter:
Look! This is our new star Miss Lopez! - Look! This is our new star Miss Lopez!
Ms - miss
We use this form of polite address when we do not know whether a woman is married or not. The full form of this word sounds like mizz, hence the slightly different pronunciation, more sonorous than Miss. Like all other addresses, it is used with the surname of a woman or girl:
Please, give these papers to Ms Strait - Please give these papers to Miss Strait
As you may have noticed, the difference between Miss and Ms is not that big. Especially in colloquial speech. If you doubt the marital status of the woman in front of you, you can always use the indefinite Ms.
By the way, in the business environment, the address Ms is more common, even if it is known that the woman is married.
Let's sum it up
Often those who study English confuse addresses to women. With men, everything is clear: he will be Mr in any case, regardless of age and marital status. But what about ladies and the difference between Miss and Mrs in English?
The abbreviation Mrs is translated as Mrs. This is a woman who is married to Mr. It’s quite easy to remember, because Mr. is “hidden” in this very abbreviation.
If you see Ms, then this is Miss, which means an unmarried woman or girl. It’s also easy to remember: if there is no letter r, then this Ms has not yet found her Mr.
This is the main difference between the abbreviations Miss and Mrs in English.
Once again about periods: they are used when writing only in American English, when we have before us an abbreviation for the full word mister, mistress or mizz. The word Miss (address to an unmarried girl) also begins with a capital letter when writing, but there is no period after it. After the address (with or without a dot), the surname of the man or woman comes with a capital letter.
We hope that now you will forever remember in what cases such addresses in English as Mr, Mrs, Miss and Ms are correctly used.