Tagged Questions
0
votes
1answer
181 views
What should I say to people when I am passing them by?
I am talking about situations when you want to greet someone, without stopping to talk to them. In Russian, people usually say "добрый день" which means "hello." This is a greeting, not a valediction. ...
6
votes
6answers
1k views
What do students call their teacher in class? [closed]
Well, years ago I was an English teacher in an English Teaching Institute. In the country I live, students call their teachers by saying "Mr. Teacher" or "Teacher" (literally translated) in schools. ...
2
votes
1answer
283 views
How do words become derogatory or politically incorrect?
I know how words can become racist but I'm not sure how a word becomes derogatory or politically incorrect. If seems as though once one does, a new term is created to replace it that is not derogatory ...
7
votes
9answers
716 views
Is saying “who cares” impolite or rude?
Two people are talking about what tasks should be finished on time, and what tasks should be put off until later. The conversation was like below:
A: I don't think those tasks are important. We ...
1
vote
3answers
408 views
'Sorry, have you got the time, please?'
In this programme from BBC sorry is used in addition to excuse me to get one's attention:
Sorry, have you got the time (please)?
So I am wondering:
1) Is sorry common for a native speaker to ...
4
votes
2answers
9k views
Is “received with thanks” stilted English?
I just got a receipt which said "Received with thanks the sum of ..." Thanks stands for gratitude, so this looks fine to me as far as grammar is concerned.
But is this old-fashioned and/or stilted? ...
8
votes
6answers
8k views
Madam vs. Ma'am
I suspect that the answer to this depends on region, so insights from multiple areas would be beneficial:
It has been my impression that in the US addressing a woman as "Madam" is considered ...
10
votes
7answers
2k views
When is it appropriate or disrespectful to refer to someone as “she”?
My boss has asked me not to refer to her as she because she says it's disrespectful. After I refer to her by her proper name or by her title, isn't it appropriate to refer to her as she?
5
votes
3answers
462 views
Is “girls” a suitable complementary term to go along with “guys”?
Trying to keep the discussion about language and meaning, and hopefully not getting socio-political, is "girls" a valid counterpart for "guys", as in "guys and girls"? The intention is to describe a ...
1
vote
4answers
894 views
Asking a permission to ask a question by saying the word Question, followed by the actual question
My Mom does something that irks me. Either when she calls me, or sends me an e-mail, she says or writes "Question." Then asks whatever question it is. I find this rude. In my opinion starting the ...
