Social Greetings in English For ESL Students

Social Greetings in English For ESL Students Greetings are used to say hello in English. Its common to use different greetings depending on whether you greet a friend, family or a business associate. When you meet friends, use informal greetings. If its really important, use formal greetings. Formal greetings are also used with people you do not know very well. Greetings also depend on whether you are saying hello, or you are saying goodbye. Learn the correct phrases using the notes below, and then practice using greetings with the practice dialogues.   Formal Greetings: Arriving Good morning / afternoon / evening.Hello (name), how are you?Good day Sir / Madam (very formal) Respond to a formal greeting with another formal greeting. Good morning Mr. Smith.Hello Ms. Anderson. How are you today? Informal Greetings: Arriving Hi / HelloHow are you?How are you doing?Whats up? (very informal) Its important to note that the question How are you? or Whats up? doesnt necessarily need a response. If you do respond, these phrases are generally expected: How are you? / How are you doing? Very well, thank you. And you? (formal)Fine / Great (informal) Whats up?   Not much.Im just (watching TV, hanging out, cooking dinner, etc.) Informal Greetings After a Long Time If you havent seen a friend or family member for a long time, use one these informal greetings to mark the occasion. Its great to see you!How have you been?  Long time, no see.  How are you doing these days? Formal Greetings: Departing Use these greetings when you say goodbye at the end of the day. These greetings are appropriate for work and other formal situations.   Good morning / afternoon / evening.It was a pleasure seeing you.Goodbye.Goodnight. (Note: Use after 8 p.m.) Informal Greetings: Departing Use these greetings when saying goodbye in an informal situation.   Nice seeing you!Goodbye / ByeSee you laterLater (very informal) Here are some short example conversations for you to practice greetings in English. Find a partner to practice and take a role. Next, switch roles. Finally, make up your own conversations. Greetings in Informal Conversations: Practice Dialogue Anna:  Tom, whats up?Tom:  Hi Anna. Nothing much. Im just hanging out. Whats up with you?Anna:  Its a good day. Im feeling fine.Tom:  How is your sister?Anna:  Oh, fine. Not much has changed.Tom:  Well, I have to go. Nice seeing you!Anna:  Later! *** Maria:  Oh, hello Chris. How are you doing?Chris:  Im well. Thanks for asking. How are you?Maria:  I cant complain. Life is treating me well.Chris:  Thats good to hear.Maria:  Good to see you again. I need to go to my doctors appointment.Chris:  Nice seeing you.Maria:  See you later.   Greetings in Formal Conversations: Practice Dialogue John:  Good morning.Alan:  Good morning. How are you?John:  Im very well thank you. And you?Alan:  Im fine. Thank you for asking.John:  Do you have a meeting this morning?Alan:  Yes, I do. Do you have a meeting as well?John:  Yes. Well. It was a pleasure seeing you.Alan:  Goodbye.   Notes Greeting someone when you are introduced.   Once you have been  introduced  to someone, the next time you see that person it is important to greet them. We also greet people as we leave people. In English (as in all languages), there are different ways to greet people in formal and informal situations. Introduction (first) Greeting:  How do you do? The question How do you do is only a formality. In other words, the question does not need to be answered. Rather, it is a standard phrase used when meeting some for the first time. Tom: Peter, Id like to introduce you to Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith this is Peter Thompson.  Peter: How do you do?Mr. Smith: How do you do? Use these phrases to say that you are happy to meet someone when introduced for the first time.   Its a pleasure to meet you.Its nice to meet you. Greetings after an  Introduction:  How are you?   Once you have met someone, its common to use standard greetings such as Good Morning, How are you? and Hello. Jackson: Hi Tom. How are you?Peter: Fine, and you?  Jackson: Im great.

Easy on the adjectives - Emphasis

Easy on the adjectives Easy on the adjectives New research suggests that if you want your writing to be shared online then overusing adjectives is not wise, advisable, judicious, big or clever. [Mental note: should probably edit this.] The findings come from social media scientist Dan Zarrella, who aims in his book Zarrellas Hierarchy of Contagiousness to demystify social media marketing for the masses. After examining how often online content was shared, he came to one definite conclusion: the less complex the language, the more likely it was to be passed on. And, after studying which types of words were the most mobile, he found the biggest no-nos were adjectives and adverbs. This is actually a good tip for just about any writing. Its easy to imagine that cramming in adjectives will give your writing colour or help create more vivid images in your readers mind. But more often than not they do just the opposite, and merely add clutter that slows your reader down. Fledgling fiction writers are taught to adopt the lotus position and chant the mantra show, dont tell over and over until their posture is perfect and they never want to overdo the adjectives and adverbs again. But this advice evidently isnt only for creative writing. Its much better to choose verbs (the most-shared word type) and nouns that work hard, rather than using adjectives or adverbs as crutches for your writing to hobble along on. The finished piece will be tighter and more expressive for it. For example, instead of ran quickly, how about sprinted? Or bounded? See how either could replace the phrase, but each gives a very different and more distinct mental image? Sometimes adjectives are simply redundant. Forward planning, for example. Is anyone out there still planning what to do yesterday? Have a look at these (genuine) examples and spot the pointless words: Teen dies after fatal stabbing Gunned down by armed rebels A visual treat for the eyes Ill-chosen adjectives can also lead to unintentional silliness (which can be delightful for everyone but the writer): Stiff opposition expected to casket-less funeral plan Statistics show that teen pregnancy drops off significantly after age 25 This isnt to say that all adjectives should be banned on pain of death. Mark Twain put it nicely, if youll forgive the adverb: When you catch an adjective, kill it. No, I dont mean utterly, but kill most of them then the rest will be valuable. They weaken when they are close together. They give strength when they are wide apart. Perhaps its worth thinking of them like magnets: repellent together, useful kept apart, and not recommended anywhere near computers.