When people in the US have a company or when they're invited to formal or informal get-togethers, they usually make a point of trying to make others feel comfortable and relaxed. On the whole, they tend to be informal.

Men shake hands, but usually only when they're introduced. Male friends and business associates who haven't seen each other in a while may shake hands when they say hello. Women usually don't shake hands when being introduced to each other. When a woman and a man are introduced, shaking hands is up to the woman. Americans rarely shake hands to say good-bye, except on business occasions.

Handshaking is rather rare in Britain as well, but it is a correct thing to do on the Continent. When an Englishman passes a friend in the street he only touches his hat. He doesn't shake hands when he stops to talk.

At parties, interviews and other formal and informal situations you meet people you haven't met before and have to introduce yourself to them, or they introduce themselves to you. You also have to introduce people you already know to one another.

Here are a few rules of introduction which are useful to remember:

1.  men are introduced to women;

2.  young people to older ones;

3.  old friends to newcomers;

4.  a young girl to a married woman;

5.  women are never presented to a man.

 

Useful Phrases:

Have you met?	Вы знакомы с ... ?
I don't think you've met	Боюсь, вы не знакомы с ... (вы еще не встречались с ...)
Allow me to do the introductions	Разрешите вас познакомить (представить друг другу)
Allow me to introduce you to	Разрешите Вас познакомить с...     (представить)
May I introduce Mr./Mrs. (formal)	Разрешите представить Вам ...
I'd like to introduce you to I'd like you to meet (I want you to meet) (less formal)	Я хотел бы познакомить Вас с... Мне хотелось бы познакомить Вас с ...
This is Meet (AmE) (informal)	Познакомьтесь, это ...
May I introduce myself (Let me introduce myself)	Разрешите представиться

Two people who have been introduced say:

formal/less formal (both): How do you do? с informal/semi-formal: Hello! informal: Hi! Morning! Evening!
This is a pleasure, Mr/Mrs... Glad/pleased/ nice to meet you. Delighted to meet you. (I'm very pleased to meet you)	Очень приятно. Рад с Вами познакомиться. Счастлив с Вами познакомиться.

 Conversational Openings

We met … at, didn't we?   We've met before? Haven't we met before?	Мы встречались у…, не правда ли? Мы уже знакомы?
We've already been introduced.   Could I have seen you somewhere?	Нас уже представили друг другу. Мы уже встречались, не так ли?
I fancy I've met you before. (I have a feeling we've met before.)	Мне кажется, что мы уже где-то встречались.
Your face seems (so) familiar (to me)	Ваше лицо мне знакомо.
Your name sounds familiar.	Я о вас слышал.
Good morning, (until 12 p.m.)	Good morning.
Good afternoon, (until 5-6 p.m.)	Good afternoon.
Good evening, (until 10-11 p.m.)	Good evening.
(formal)
Morning.	Morning.
Afternoon.	Afternoon.
Evening.	Evening.
(semi-formal — used to people whom one sees regularly but does not know  well)
Hello	Hello! Nice to see you!
(semi-formal, informal)
Hi! (AmE) - Привет! (informal)	Hi!

 

Forms of Address

When addressing people in English we usually call our friends by their first name, for example, John or Mary. If we are speaking to someone whom we know less well we use Mr./Mrs./Miss followed by the surname, for example:

Mr.Brown – to а man;

Mrs.Brown – to а married woman;

Miss Brown – to а girl or unmarried woman.

Note: Ms. with the surname (e.g. Ms. Smith) is increasingly used in writing about а woman when it is not known (or not important) whether she is married or not. However, as а form of address it is comparatively rare, being mainly restricted to those women who are known to dislike the traditional forms Mrs. and Miss.

Mister, Missus and Miss alone (without the surname) are sometimes used but are not polite, although Miss is generally accepted as а form of address to а woman-teacher by primary-school children.

Other forms of address are:

Sir – used to а man who is clearly older and/or more senior than oneself.

Sir is also used:

-              by shop assistants, waiters, etc to their male customers;

-              by schoolchildren to men-teachers;

-              as а polite form of address to а stranger, even if not older or more senior.

However, this is not common nowadays in Britain, where the usual way of addressing а stranger (either а man or а woman) is Excuse me, please. In America sir is more common in this situation:

-              in the armed forces, to an (superior) officer;

-              as а title (for knights and baronets), followed by the first name, for example, Sir William.

Madam – used by shop assistants, waiters, etc to their female customers. Except for this type of situation, however, madam is less widely used than sir. It is not used when addressing women-teachers (here Mrs./Miss with the surname is used), nor when addressing an older or more senior woman. It is only rarely used to address а stranger, Excuse me, please being the usual form.

Doctor – used alone only to medical practitioners. When addressing а person with the degree of Doctor of Philosophy or Doctor of Science, for example, the surname is always included, for example, Dr. Brown.

Professor – used either with or without the surname, depending on how formal or informal one wishes to be. (Simply Professor is more formal.)

General/Colonel/Captain, etc – also used either with or without the surname.

Ladies and Gentlemen – to an audience;

Mr. / Madam Chairman – to the chairman of а meeting.

Waiter/Waitress/Porter/Nurse, etc – to people in certain occupations. However, this usage is now becoming rare, at least as regards Waiter/Waitress and Porter. Instead people simply try to catch the waiter's eye, for example, or say Excuse me, (please).

Officer – to а policeman. If one knows his rank, one may also address him as, for example, Constable, or Inspector. In practice, however, most people approaching а policeman for information or help use Excuse me, (please), without any form of address.

Note: Commercial and administrative titles such as director and manager are never used as forms of address.

Less Common Forms of Address

Your Majesty — to а king or queen

Your Highness — to а prince or duke

Your Lordship — to а lord (peer) or а High Court judge

Your Honour — to а magistrate (Justice of the Peace)

Forms of Address within the Family

Small children address their parents as Mummy and Daddy. When they are older (about 10-11) they often change to Mum and Dad. As adults they usually continue to use these forms, although some people (mainly members of the upper and middle classes) use the formal Mother and Father.

Grandparents are usually addressed as Granny (sometimes Gran or Nanny) and Granddads. Grandmother and Grandfather are used by some adults (those who use Mother and Father – see above).

Aunts and uncles are addressed as Auntie and Uncle usually with the first name, for example, Auntie Mary, Uncle Richard. Aunt is often used instead of Auntie by older children and adults, particularly in formal situations.

 

Ex. 39. Pronounce correctly:

comfortable and relaxed; tend to be informal; business associates; shaking hands; rarely shake hands; on business occasions; is rather rare; are never presented to; is increasingly used; being mainly restricted; is generally accepted as; colonel; superior; knights and baronets; Doctor of Philosophy; either with or without; Constable, or Inspector; prince or duke; High Court judge; Your Lordship; by some adults; instead of Auntie.

 

Ex. 40. Choose the best answer.

1. When you address а middle-aged man whose name you do not know, you say:

а. Mister; b. Sir; c. Excuse me, please.

2. If it is а woman, you say:

а. Madam; b. Lady; с. Missus; d. Excuse me, please.

3. If you want to address an American tourist (Mrs. Jane Hardy) whom you have known for а few days, you say:

а. Madam; b. Mrs. Hardy; с. Jane.

4. If you want to address an eminent British scientist (Doctor John Lonsdale), aged 50, you say:

а. Мr. Lonsdale; b. Dr. Lonsdale; c. Doctor; d. John.

5. If you want to address а visiting English teacher called Helen Parker, aged 25-30 (unmarried), you call her:

а. Helen; b. Miss Helen; с. Miss Parker; d. Miss.

 

Ex. 41. How would you address the following реорlе?

а girl of eighteen, not married (Judy Brown); а married woman with two children, aged 35 (Elsie Smith); а stranger of  25/75; а university professor (David Clark); your English teacher; а doctor who is examining you (Stephen Powell); а man with а PhD (Richard Haze); your father; your uncle (John Brighton); а friend of your own age (Peter Bennett); Peter Bennett's father/mother; the director of the company you work for (Alan Nott); an older colleague (David Chambers); an English audience; an elderly woman in the street who seems to have lost her way (You want to help her).

 

Ex. 42. Insert а suitable form of address in the blank spaces.

1.    "I hope it's nothing serious, ..." (to your doctor, Jack Wilson)

2.    "..., how nice to see you again after such а long time." (to your friend, Jane Walsh)

3.    "Yes, ..., I’ll try not to forget about it." (to а fellow-student, Martin Blackwood)

4.    "..., I wonder if you could find time to read my paper." (to а university professor, John Bridges)

5.    "..., could you tell me the way to the nearest post office?" (to an elderly man in the street)

6.    "..., I have great pleasure in introducing Professor James, from the University of London." (to an audience)

 

Ex. 43. Insert а suitable form of address for each саsе.

"Thank you ..., I think I can manage by myself."

(to your father; to your friend Michael Black; to а colleague whom you know only slightly; to your teacher; to your friend's father (William Grainger))

"Yes, ..., she is waiting for you."

(to Peter Miller, aged 35 (you do not know him well); to the family doctor, Alan Price; to your sister Helen; to Mrs. Alice Blackboot, а neighbour, aged 82; to Norman Long, director of your firm)

 

Ex. 44. Fill in prepositions or adverbs where necessary.

1.I am not acquainted ... Mr. Jones, could you introduce me ... him. I would like to make his acquaintance ... . 2.  He greeted ... me ... a smile. 3. The chairman introduced the lecturer ... the audience. 4.  It was necessary to make introductions ... all round. There were many people present at the party. 5.  ... further acquaintance I found out that he is a very difficult person to deal ... . 6. Remember me ... your mother. She is such a nice person. 7. Give my kind regards ... your sister. I haven't seen her ... ages. 8. How are you getting...? — Not too bad, thank you. 9. Fine, thanks. What ... you? — Oh, more or ... the same ... usual. And how are things ... you? 10. Hallo, Mary. How's life? — A bit hectic ... the moment. I am very busy ... work now and ... I've got my cousin staying ... me. 11. Your name has slipped ...  my mind. 12. You take me ... somebody else.

 

DIALOGUES

 

Ex. 45. Read the dialogues and dramatize them in class.

1.

— Can you do me a favour, Jim? Would you mind introducing me to Miss Jones?

—  Oh, yes, with pleasure, though it's rather strange you don't know each other yet.

—  I just didn't have a chance to get acquainted with her. Is she a nice girl?

—Yes, of course, and she has a very nice dog.

2.

— Harry, have you met Mr. Grey?

—  No, we haven't met.

—  Come along then, I'll introduce you to him, if you like.

—  With pleasure.

—  Mr. Grey, I should like to introduce Mr. Smith, a friend of mine.

—  How do you do, Mr. Smith? Pleased to meet you.

— How do you do, Mr. Grey? I'm very glad to know you.

3.

— I am sorry. Are you acquainted? No? Harry, this is James Richardson. Mr. Richardson, Harry Smith.

—  How do you do? I am so glad to meet you.

— How do you do? I am pleased to meet you too, Mr. Smith.

     (They shake hands)

4.

—Have you met Mr. Hall?

—No, we haven't met.

—Come along, I'll introduce you to him, if you like.

—With pleasure.

 

Ex. 46. Translate the dialogues into English.

1.

— Господин Джонсон, разрешите представить Вам г-на Смирнова.

— Здравствуйте, г-н Смирнов.

— Здравствуйте, г-н Джонсон. Бернард Грей недавно рассказывал мне о Вашей последней работе. Это чрезвычайно интересно.

2.

— Разрешите Вам представить г-на Маркова из С.-Петербурга.

— Здравствуйте, г-н Марков. Рад с Вами познакомиться.

— Здравствуйте, г-н Холл. Я также очень рад нашей встрече.

3.

— Не могли бы Вы представить меня г-ну Томпсону из британской делегации?

— С удовольствием. Г-н Томпсон, разрешите Вам представить г-на Петрова из Российской делегации.

— Очень рад, г-н Петров.

— Здравствуйте, г-н Томпсон.

 4.

— Генри, познакомься с моей женой. Элиза, это мой друг Генри.

— Очень рада с Вами познакомиться, Генри.

— Я также очень рад, Элиза.

 5.

— Вот идет Билл. Ты его знаешь? Он один из моих лучших друзей.

— Нет, я его никогда не встречал.

— Хочешь с ним познакомиться?

— Конечно.

— Привет, Билл. Как твои дела?

— Неплохо, спасибо. А как твои?

— Спасибо, прекрасно. Знаешь, Билл, я хочу познакомить тебя с Гарри. Он один из моих старых друзей.

— Очень рад, Гарри.

— Я тоже очень рад, Билл.

6.

— Привет, Билл. Как дела?

— Спасибо, прекрасно. Знаешь, Билл, я хочу познакомить тебя с Гарри. Он один из моих старых друзей.

— Здравствуйте, Гарри!

— Здравствуйте, Билл!

7.

— Доброе утро, г-н Джексон, как Вы себя чувствуете?

— Спасибо, хорошо, а Вы, г-н Грин?

— Я тоже хорошо, спасибо.

8.

— Добрый день, г-н Хилл. Хороший день, не правда ли?

— Чудесный день! Как Вы себя чувствуете?

— Хорошо, спасибо. А Вы?

— Сегодня лучше, благодарю Вас. До свидания.

— До свидания, был рад с Вами повидаться.

 9.

— Привет, Майк. Рад тебя видеть, как живешь?

— Ничего, спасибо, иду на работу. Увидимся позже.

— Пока.

10.

— Здравствуйте, г-н Блейк, пришел с Вами попрощаться.

— Добрый день, г-н Иванов, Вы уезжаете?

— Да, возвращаюсь домой. Я закончил свою работу здесь.

— Как жаль, Вы нам очень понравились.

— Спасибо, Вы очень добры. Всего хорошего.

— Передайте привет Вашей жене.

— Спасибо, передам. До свидания.

 

Ex. 47. Introduce the following people to each other. They greet each other and start a conversation.

1. a fellow-student to your mother;  2. a guest professor to his audience; 3. yourself to a group of students; 4. a friend of your age to an elderly lady at the party; 5. a colleague (Robert Drawn) to your husband/wife; 6. your brother to the director of your company, you want him to get a job with the company; 7. one guest at the party (Linda Colgate, 40, married) to your friend (Vladimir Orlov, 35); 8. your Russian teacher to guest professor who wants to study Russian; 9. your friend (Marta Small, 30, unmarried) to your husband's friend (Douglas Cord, 40, single), you want them to make friends.