Mrs is an address to a married woman. What is the name of the girl: Miss or Mrs.

Girls are different ... And appeals to them too. Let's take a look at the features 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 appeal. There are no analogues of such treatment in Russian culture. Appeal to a woman with the designation of her status was typical for carriers title of nobility. In general, this division of statuses is not typical for Russian culture, so the English "Miss" and "Mrs" cannot be unequivocally compared with similar appeals to women in Russian culture.

The Miz[UK spelling], Ms. [ˈmɪz], , [ˈməz], [ˈməs]) - "Madam ...". This appeal is neutral in English speaking countries. Ms is placed before the surname of both married and unmarried women, in case her Family status it is not known whether the woman consciously emphasizes her equality with the man. This appeal appeared in the 1950s and came into use since the 1970s at the initiative of representatives of the feminist movement.

As The American Heritage Book of English Usage states, “Ms. eliminates the need to guess is the addressee Mrs. or Miss: using Ms., it is impossible to make a mistake. Whether the female addressee is married or not, 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 completely acceptable if a woman wants 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 to "use Ms for women...unless they have expressed a desire to use Miss or Mrs."

Appeal Ms. is the standard term for a woman, unless another preferred term is given to her. For the standard use of Ms. etiquette authors also perform, including Judith Martin (also known as "Miss Manners").

Appeal to an unmarried girl

Miss (Miss)- English-language address to not married woman. Is an abbreviation for mistress(an obsolete form of addressing a woman). It can be used before a surname or as a direct address. An analogue in Russian can be the word "girl" or the pre-revolutionary "lady" or "mademoiselle".

The address "miss" is also used in relation to the teacher, regardless of her marital status. This rule is associated with a period when only unmarried women could engage in teaching activities.

Appeal to a married woman

Mrs (Mrs)- Appeal to a married woman. Addressing a woman using her husband's name is rare nowadays, although it is possible to address a couple jointly, such as Mr. and Mrs. John Smith. It is generally considered polite to address women as Miss (Ms.) rather than Mrs., especially if the woman's preference for addressing her is not known, especially when communicating in writing.

Punctuation after abbreviation

A period is put on the letter after the abbreviations:

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

If the appeal is written in full, then the point is not put:

• Miss Dana Simms - Miss Dana Simms.

Let's summarize:

• Ms- a polite form of addressing a woman in letters without a direct indication of family status.
• Miss- Appeal to an unmarried woman.
• Mrs- Appeal to a married woman.

Adapted texts on English language
Rhyming words in English
English female names

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. IN 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. In Russia, this was not the case, the female gender was addressed as “young lady”, but it was not clear, because it could refer to both a married maiden and not.

Being in a foreign country, your attitude towards strangers is very important. 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 so that you are not showered 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 previously 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" is an expression respectful attitude to 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 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. The lady drives men crazy without much effort, 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.

According to the norms of etiquette established in English-speaking countries, the appeal to women with different social status should be different, both in speech and in writing. In Western society, the status of a woman is denoted by special words - Miss (Miss) or Mrs. (Miss). 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 wide use in Great Britain in the 17th century as an abbreviation for "mistress", which in English means "mistress", "owner of the house." Initially, the surname / name of the husband was added to this appeal. Later, in official documents, women were allowed to leave their initials after the word "mistress". At the same time, the husband's surname was preserved. Around the 17th century, Miss and Missis, familiar to us today, or Ms and Mrs for short, came into use. The first appeal was used, referring to unmarried girls, and the second - to women who are or have entered into marriage.

Who is called "Miss"?

In addition to unmarried women in English-speaking countries, the word "Miss" is used to refer to a school teacher, regardless of her marital status. "Miss" is used exclusively with maiden name. If a woman is divorced, she has the right to decide for herself how she will present herself or sign when processing documents. Thus, there are two options: "Mrs" with a surname 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 is called "Miz"?

In the middle of the 20th century, Americans supplemented their language with a neutral appeal to women "mis", which does 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 term "miz" (written in English as Ms.) was coined in the United States in 1952 by employees of the National Association of Office Managers in order not to embarrass secretaries by making mistakes in address. 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 married or is currently married;
• Ms is a polite form of address that indicates a person's belonging to the female sex, but does not indicate marital status.

Examples of appeals in letters:

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

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

Insert the correct word in the following sentences. 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.

Depending on the situation, we address the people around us in different ways. An address is understood as an intonationally and grammatically separate independent component, which is used to designate a person or (less often) an object that acts as the addressee of a speech. Here are some examples of invocations in English:

As you can see from the examples above, the type of address depends on many factors, in particular, on how formal or, conversely, informal the situation of communication is, on whether the form of communication is oral or written, and also on your and the interlocutor's age, gender , social status, profession and subordination relations.

Official forms of addressing one person in English

To address a person in a formal situation, English offers several polite forms. For example, to address a man, the following options apply:

With regard to each of the above forms, it is worth noting the following:

• the appeal can be applied to any man, whatever his age, social status and marital status; such an appeal is placed before the name of the addressee, for example: Mr. Johnson - Mr. Johnson;
• the appeal Sir should be chosen if the addressee's surname remains unnamed or unknown; in rarer but more honorific cases, Sir is an address to a person holding a knighthood (in the United Kingdom) and is placed either before the name, for example - Sir Richard / Sir Richard, or before full name and last name, for example - Sir Elton John/ Sir Elton John;
• the appeal is placed after the full name. Message from Mr. in such cases, it should not be used anymore, since it will be redundant. This appeal has its roots in the medieval term Esquire (Esquire), which first denoted the knight's squire, and only later belonging to the lower strata of the nobility. The form is currently used quite rarely, more often in the written version.

To address a woman in a formal setting, the following forms are applicable:

The differences between the above forms of addressing a woman are sometimes very significant, in particular:

• appeal Mrs. sometimes addressed to a married woman and requires after her last name / first name and last name / first name and last name of her spouse, for example: Stevenson / Mrs. Jane Stevenson / Mrs. Paul Stevenson. The last option will seem rather unusual to a Russian person, but there is a simple explanation for this, because the form of Mrs. - this is an appeal expressing belonging to a particular man (Mrs. as a form of the possessive case from Mr.);
• Miss appeal applies to unmarried girl and requires a surname after himself, for example - Miss Brown, less often - a name, for example Miss Alice;
• appeal Ms. occurs more often in business correspondence, while in oral speech one of the two forms indicated above is preferred. This appeal, applicable to any woman regardless of her marriage, is the result of numerous campaigns for women's equality. After the address Ms., recommended in 1974 by the United Nations, it is necessary to use the surname, for example - J. Simpson;
• the address Madam is used if the addressee's surname is not called or unknown, for example - Dear Madam / Dear Madam. In addition, the address Madam is also typical for use in relation to a high-ranking female person, while after it the position she holds can also be called, for example: Madam Managing Director / Madam General Director.

Formal address to several addressees

When verbally addressing a heterosexual audience, the most typical and acceptable form is Ladies and gentlemen! - which is translated into Russian as "Ladies and Gentlemen!" . In a less formal situation, you can find such formulations as Dear friends! — « Dear friends!"; Dear colleagues! - " Dear Colleagues!" or Esteemed colleagues! - "Dear Colleagues!" .

In an official written appeal to several persons (presumably mostly males), whose names are unknown, the wording is used Sirs / Lord , For example:

If there is a written appeal to a group of women whose names and surnames are unknown, the wording is applied Mesdames () / Ladies (Mistresses) , For example:

If the appeal in the correspondence is aimed at several addressees, and their names are known, you can use the wording Messrs ( [ˈmes.əz]) / Lord , after which these names are indicated, for example: MessrsJohnson, Smith and Robinson — Gentlemen Johnson, Smith and Robinson. However, this wording is now considered somewhat outdated.

Informal appeal

If you do not go far from the topic of the appeal in the letter, then it should be noted that when referring to a friend or good acquaintance, it is enough to call him by name or address by the wording Dear + name (Dear…) or Hello/Hi+ name (Hello, ...) .

In oral speech, it is also considered the most acceptable treatment by name. In this case, the diminutive form of the name can also be used, as in Russian, for example:

However, such forms do not exist for all names, and the treatment of naming the full name is still more common.

Another issue is that, unlike the Russian patronymic name, in English-speaking countries people sometimes have several names, which is associated with the Catholic tradition of “tying” the name of the patron saint or some relative to one name. At the same time, there is no patronymic in English. But of the several names given to a person at baptism, the first one does not always become the one that a person perceives as the main thing and would like to be called that way. For example: William Bradley Pitt is better known as Brad Pitt.

But in order to avoid misunderstandings associated with addressing by name, it is worth checking with the interlocutor: “ What should I call you ?” "What should I call you?" .

Be courteous and friendly in communication and desired forms appeals will surely serve you in good stead.