How to spell Mrs. Affectionate and polite forms of address in English

It was impossible in social network or on someone's personal page. Men could only guess whether the girl was married or not, or maybe just ask directly. AT different countries unmarried girls differed from their opposite outfits, and in particular headdresses. In Western European countries, the girls did not differ from each other in any way, so it was possible to find out whether she was Miss or Mrs. only by asking her herself.

Differences

Let's try to figure it out. What is the difference between Miss and Mrs? And the fact that the appeal "miss" plus the girl's name indicated that the girl was not married. Sometimes, when meeting, the ladies themselves introduced themselves, thereby showing their unmarried position. Unlike "Mrs.", - this was only addressed to married ladies. This was accepted and considered very polite. This was not the case in Russia female gender the address "young lady" was used, but it was not clear, because it could refer to both a married maiden and not.

Being in a foreign country, your attitude to strangers. The main thing here is to choose the right politeness formula, this, of course, if you want to get answers to your questions and not offend a person. And in order not to shower you with sidelong glances, try to remember how to properly address the delicate English female, Miss or Mrs. By the way, in England it became an exception that teachers and teachers were called only "Miss". This provision was adopted only in order to preserve traditions, since earlier only unmarried girls were taken to work in schools.

Miss or Mrs

Etiquette required the observance of clear rules for addressing women. "Miss" and "Mrs" are an expression of respect for the lady. As a rule, the address "Mrs" was used in combination with the name of the woman herself and the surname of her husband. According to some scholars of the English language, such a separation of concepts did not occur until the seventeenth century.

When a woman becomes a widow or divorces her husband, she retains the right to be called Mrs. and bear only her husband's surname. But today these rules have become softer. And a divorced woman can take her maiden name, but remain Mrs.

Lady

Well, here we have dealt with "Mrs" and "Miss". "Lady" is also a kind of address. But it is applied to women who have a title and a high position in society, and also have an elegant appearance. This appeal is also used in combination with the name of the lady. The lady always behaves tactfully, correctly, she is not too talkative. Will never offend or humiliate the dignity of another person. Lady drives men crazy special efforts, and when she refuses courtship, the gentlemen remain her slaves forever. This address corresponds to the titles of men "sir", "lord" and "gentleman".

Conclusion

This means that the appeals "Miss" and "Mrs" are an expression of feelings of respect for the fair sex. Because a woman remains beautiful and attractive to men, regardless of whether she is married or not.

Now you know how to address this or that girl. You can use either Miss or Mrs - depending on her status.

The modern world is small. Today you live and work in your own country, and tomorrow you will go to rest or work in the UK or the USA. Knowledge of the English language and the mentality of these countries will be very useful. For example, do you know how to address a woman in a formal setting? Not? So let's take a look and be clear.

Traditional forms of addressing a woman Mrs, Miss, Ms

Everyone knows that the British are famous for their good manners. In Russian, when addressing women, we do not indicate their marital status, and according to English etiquette, in official cases it is necessary to indicate whether a woman is married or not. Therefore, in order to refer to her in England or the USA, the forms Miss, Mrs, Ms are usually used:

Miss-to unmarried woman;
Mrs (Missis) [ˈmɪsɪz] - to a married woman;
Ms is a neutral form of polite address.

These words in English language placed before the last name. The now-famous Missis and Miss appeared in speech in the seventeenth century from "mistress" ("mistress of the house").

To whom do we address the word "Miss"?

To an unmarried lady. Sometimes there are older ladies who introduce themselves as "Miss". This is a form of address to the teacher, waitress, maid. It is used only with a maiden name, for example: Good morning, Miss Brown.

A divorced woman decides how to present herself: "Mrs" or "Miss".

Who is Mrs (Mrs)?

Let's figure it out. This is a married lady. When referring to it, the following formulas apply:

1. Mrs + husband's last name: Mrs Black;
2. Mrs + her first name and husband's last name: Mrs Sarah Black;
3. Mrs + husband's first and last name: Mrs Peter Black.

Good afternoon, Mrs. Wood! Good afternoon Mrs Wood!

If the woman is widowed or divorced, "Mrs" remains, but is followed by her first name and maiden name, for example: Mrs Sarah Brown.

Who is called "Ms"?

The word is translated as "lady". It appeared in the 50s of the twentieth century in the United States and was a neutral appeal to a woman. It is believed that it was first used by feminists who fought for equality with men. Today, Ms is officially used when referring to many office workers.

Good afternoon, Ms Wood! Nice to meet you! Good afternoon Mrs Wood! Pleased to Meet You!

Looking through English magazines and newspapers, you will notice that Ms is increasingly used when referring to a woman in business. Authors of books on etiquette also advocate the use of this standard address.

How to address a woman in a letter?

Dear Miss/Ms Hall! Dear Miss/Mrs Hall,

I am sure that you have heard the words miss and missis more than once. However, despite the fact that they are on everyone's lips, they are often confused and misused. Let's take a look at their difference.

Miss

Pronunciation and translation:

Miss / [miss] - miss

Meaning of the word:
young girl

Use:
Word miss we use when referring to a young (single) girl you don't know by name. For example: Excuse me, miss, can I borrow your pen?

In British colloquial English word miss is used by children when they talk to a teacher whether she is married or not. For example: May I go out, miss?

Example:

Could you help me miss?
Could you help me, miss?

I know the answer miss.
I know the answer, miss.

Mrs.

Pronunciation and translation:

Missis / missus / mrs [ˈmɪsɪz] / [misiz] - Mrs., mistress, wife

Meaning of the word:
Married woman

Use:
Word Missis(abbreviated mrs) we use when talking about a married girl or a girl who lives with a man. For example: We invited Mrs. Smith.

In British English, missis is used when you refer to a woman whose name you don't know. For example: I think you forgot your umbrella, Mrs.

Example:

how do you do, Mrs. Jones?
How are you, Mrs. Jones?

Mrs. Davis is very proud of her children.
Mrs. Davis is very proud of her children.

What is the difference?

Word miss we use when referring to a young (single) girl you don't know by name. Also in British colloquial English, the word miss is used by children when they talk to a teacher, whether she is married or not. For example: Have a seat, miss.

Word Missis we use when talking about a married girl or a girl who lives with a man. In British English, missis is used when you refer to a woman whose name you don't know. For example: Mr. and Mrs. Jones will come later.

Consolidation exercise

Paste correct word in the following suggestions. Leave your answers in the comments below the article.

1. ___ Smith is a wonderful wife.
2. Excuse me, ___, can I ask you?
3. Where is your ___, Tom?
4. ___ Jones is the best teacher.
5. Can I leave early, ___?
6. ___ Hudson supports her husband in everything.

In English, there are many variants of polite forms of addressing a person.
Towards man the forms Mr., Sir, Esq. are used. , and in relation to a woman - Mrs., Ms., Miss, Madam.

Now let's look at each of them separately.
The form Mr. can be used when referring to a man, regardless of his age and marital status. The only restriction is the fact that it must be followed by the last name of the person being addressed:
Dear Mr. Ivanov, Dear Mr. Ivanov!

When addressing multiple people, use Messrs, and to the surnames themselves, the ending is plural. -s is not added and no dot is placed after the politeness form:
Messrs Thomas and Smith

If the addressee's last name is unknown, use Sir(Sirs when addressing multiple people):
Dear Sirs, Dear Sirs!

As a synonym for Mr. in England they sometimes use the form Esq. However, it is not placed before the name, but after it, and, naturally, in this case the form Mr. is absent:
Michael S. Johnson, Esq.

For reference: This form goes back to the word esquire. In medieval England, an esquire was a knight's squire, and later this word came to mean one of the lowest noble titles. For some time this form was used in letters, but now it is becoming less and less common.

The form Mrs. (Mmes when referring to several women) is placed before (1) the family name or (2) before the name and surname of a married woman or (3) before the name and surname of her husband:
Mrs. Brown - Mrs. Brown
Mrs. Laura Brown - Mrs. Laura Brown
Mrs. Peter Brown - Mrs. Peter Brown

For reference:
Form is an abbreviation for mistress, which reads like . It is incorrect to assume that this is an abbreviation for missus / missis (although the readings of Mrs. and missus / missis are the same).
Why is it so?
The fact is that abbreviated forms of polite address are formed by adding the first and last letters:
Mr. = MisteR
Dr. = DoctorR
Mrs. can't be short for missus/missis because missus/missis doesn't have an r consonant, so it makes sense that
Mrs. = MistResS

At the same time, missus / missis are used in the meaning of "wife, mistress". They do not have abbreviations, since this is not a form of address that is placed before the surname. These words are typical for informal speech, for example, in a husband's speech about his wife:
I promised the missus I "d be home by eleven - I promised my wife to be home by eleven.

The form Miss used in relation to an unmarried woman and should be followed by a surname:
Dear Miss Willis, Dear Miss Willis!

The form Ms.(read or) is the language equivalent of the Mr. form, since it is used in relation to a woman, regardless of the fact of her marital status. This form was recommended by the UN in 1974 as a result of campaigns various organizations for the equality of women. It should be noted, however, that in Everyday life this form is not used as often as in official correspondence, as most women prefer to use the form Mrs. (married) or Miss (unmarried). However, modern formal and even semi-formal correspondence tends strongly to use the form Ms. This form must also be followed by the last name:
Ms. S. Smith

madam(Mesdames when referring to several women) is the most formal address to a woman. This form can be called the language equivalent of Sir, since it is also used when the addressee's last name is unknown:
Dear Madam, Dear Madam!
Dear Mesdames

Besides, given form used in writing in relation to a high-ranking woman, married or unmarried, to the queen (queen), princess (princess), countess (countess), daughter of the duke, maid of honor (maid of honor), as well as to a woman holding an official post; with job title Madam Chairman, Madam Chairman!)

In English to married women and it is customary for girls to address differently. This culture took root in the 17th century, and is still preserved, despite the position modern society principle of gender equality.

Appeal in English miss or mrs

The norms of etiquette, which have taken root in English-speaking countries, prescribe to distinguish in speech and in writing appeals to women who have different social status. When a woman introduces herself in society, she says not only her first and last name. rules good manners oblige her or the person who represents her to put before the name an appeal characterizing the marital status.

The status of a woman in Western society is usually denoted by a special word. In Russian culture, there are no analogues to such treatment, or they are extremely weakly expressed. Appeal to women with the designation of her status was characteristic of her title of nobility if she had it.

In general, this division of statuses is not typical for Russian culture, therefore the English “Miss” and “Mrs.” cannot be unambiguously compared with addresses in Russian speech.

In the English-speaking society, there are norms for the use of such addresses:

• Miss- an appeal to a girl, most often used in relation to young people under the age of 18. In addition, with the prefix Miss, you can refer to a teacher, saleswoman, maid. Also, this appeal is considered the most appropriate if the status of a woman is unknown.
• Mrs.- the traditional form of addressing a married lady. In this case, after the call, you can call as given name women, and the name of her husband. Divorced women and widows are named after missis maiden name and last name.

Pronunciation

Miss in transcription looks like this:

The obsolete word Mistress, which is rarely used in oral communication, is pronounced like. More often this word has the meaning of "mistress", "mistress" or "mistress".

For example:

• Mistress of the situation - Mistress of the situation.
• Costume mistress - Main dresser.
• The dog ran alongside his mistress - The dog ran next to the mistress.

A derivative of Mistress, which eventually evolved into independent word missis is pronounced like this: . Missis literally means "wife".

Usage

In English in oral speech miss and mistress are used in specific situations:

• Miss is an address to an unmarried person or to a school teacher, regardless of her marital status, for example:

• He was finished at Miss A.'s - She was educated at Miss A.'s boarding house.
• Which Miss Smith do you mean? – Which Miss Smith do you mean?

• mistress or missis- a form of polite address to a married or divorced lady, as well as to a widow.

Examples of verbal appeals

On the letter, full addresses are not used, they are replaced by abbreviations:

• Miss- if it is known for sure that the lady is not married;
• Mrs- if there is confidence that the woman was married or married at the moment;
• Ms- a polite form of address in letters, which indicates a person's belonging to the female sex, but does not give a direct indication of marital status.

Accepted appeals in letters

• Dear Miss Jones! Dear Miss Jones!
• Dear Mrs. Wilson! Dear Mrs Wilson!
• Dear Ms. Smith! Dear Miss Smith!

Punctuation after abbreviation

It is customary to put punctuation marks after abbreviations in writing:

• Jane Johnson - Mrs. Jane Johnson
• John Kelly – Mrs John Kelly

After the word Miss, the dot is not put, as it is used full form the words:

• Miss Dana Simms - Miss Dana Simms.