Activity 1　Pair Work

How to greet a foreign guest and start the conversation? Discuss it with your partner. You may refer to the following passage.

On formal occasions, you should call someone “Mr.” (for man) or “Ms.” (for woman)with the person’s last name or surname unless the person asks you to call him or her by his or her first name. It’s also acceptable to call a person by his or her first name if he or she is approximately of your age or younger especially when he or she is from the United States.

Usually a lady prefers to be called “Ms.” rather than “Miss” or “Mrs.” because this is a neutral form of address for both married and single women and can be used if you do not know the marital status of the woman you are talking with.(https://www.daowen.com)

It is not the custom to use titles like “Mr.” “Mrs.” “Miss” or “Ms.” with a first or given name. For example, if you meet someone whose name is John Smith, you should call him “Mr.Smith” instead of “Mr. John”. Remember that all titles in English go with the person’s last name or surname, for example, “Dr. Smith” and “Professor Smith”. In written form, the use of title with the person’s full name is acceptable, for example, “Mr. John Smith”.

Finally, do not feel shy to ask people how they would like to be called and to tell what you would like them to call you. This will make introductions easier and get you a closer relationship with the guests.