names and titles

We can use names and titles when we talk about people, and when we talk to them. There are differences.

1   Talking about people

When we talk about people, we can name them in four ways.

a   First name.

This is informal. We use first names mostly to talk about friends and children.

• Where's Peter? He said he'd be here at three.
  


• How's Maud getting on at school?

b   First name + surname.

This can be formal or informal.

• Isn't that Peter Connolly, the actor?
  


• We 're going on holiday with Mary and Daniel Sinclair

c   Title (Mr, Mrs etc) + surname.

This is more formal. We talk like this about people we do not know, or when we want to show respect or be polite.

• Can I speak to Mr Lewis, please?


• We've got a new teacher called Mrs Campbell


• Ask Miss Andrews to come in, please.


• Dear Ms Sanders, . . .

d   Surname only

We often use just the surname to talk about public figures — politicians, sportsmen and sportswomen, writers and so on.

• I don't think Eliot s a very good dramatist.
  


• The women's marathon was won by Waitz

We sometimes use surnames alone for employees (especially male employees), and for members of all-male groups (for example footballers, soldiers, schoolboys).

• Tell Patterson to come and see me at once.


• Let's put Billows in goal and move Carter up.

2   Talking to people

When we talk to people, we can name them in two ways.

a   First name

This is usually friendly and informal.

• Hello, Pamela How are you'?

b   Title + surname.

This is more formal or respectful.

• Good morning, Mr Williamson

Note that we do not usually use both the first name and the surname of people we are talking to.
It would be unusual to say 'Hello, Peter Matthews, for example.

Note also that we do not normally use Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms alone.
If you want to speak to a stranger, for example, just say Excuse me, not Excuse me, Mr or Excuse me, Mrs

3 Titles

Mr( = Mister) is not usually written in full, and the others cannot be.

Ms is used to refer to women who do not wish to have to say whether they are married or not.

Dr is used as a title for doctors (medical and other).

Professor (abbreviated Prof) is used only for certain high-ranking university teachers.

Note that the wives and husbands of doctors and professors do not share their partners' titles.
We do not say, for example, Mrs Dr Smith. Sir and madam are used mostly by shop assistants.

Some employees call their male employers sir, and some schoolchildren call their male teachers sir.
(Female teachers are often called miss.)
Dear Sir and Dear Madam are ways of beginning letters. In other situations sir and madam are unusual.

• Excuse me. Could you tell me the time? (NOT Excuse me, sir, . . .)

too

1 We can use an infinitive structure after too.

too + adjective/adverb + infinitive

• He's too old to work


• It's too cold to play tennis.


• We arrived too late to have dinner.

We can also use a structure with for + object + infinitive.

too + adjective/adverb + for + object + infinitive

• It's too late for the pubs to be open.


• The runway's too short for planes to land

2 We can modify too with much, a lot, far, a little, a bit or rather.

• much too old (NOT very too old)


• a little too confident
  


• a lot too big
  


• a bit too soon


• far too ycung
  


• rather too often

3 Don't confuse too and too much. We do not use too much before an adjective without a noun, or an adverb.

• You are too kind to me. (NOT . . . too much kind to me.)
  


• I arrived too early (NOT      too much early )

4 Don't confuse too and very. Too means 'more than enough', 'more than necessary'.

• He's a very intelligent child.


• He's too intelligent for his class — he's not learning anything.


• It was very cold, but we went out.


• It was too cold to go out, so we stayed at home.

articles: the

The means something like 'you know which one I mean'.
It is used with uncountable, singular and plural nouns.

• the water (uncountable)


• the table (singular countable)


• the stars (plural countable)

We use the:

a. to talk about people and things that we have already mentioned.

• She's got two children: a girl and a boy.


• The boy's fourteen and the girl's eight.

b. when we are saying which people or things we mean.

• Who's the girl in the car over there with John?

c. when it is clear from the situation which people or things we mean.

• Could you close the door? (Only one door is open.)


• 'Where's Ann?' 'In the kitchen.'
  


• Could you pass the salt?

2   We do not use the with other determiners (for example my, this, some.)

• This is my uncle. (NOT . . . the my uncle.)


• I like this beer. (NOT . . . the this beer )

We do not usually use the with proper names (there are some exceptions).

• Mary lives in Switzerland. (NOT The Mary lives in the Switzerland.)
  

We do not usually use the to talk about things in general — the does not mean 'all'.

• Books are expensive. (NOT The books are expensive.)

Difference between a/an and the

Very simply:

a/an just means 'one of a class'
the means 'you know exactly which one'.

Compare:

• A doctor must like people. ( = any doctor, any one of that profession)
  


• My brother's a doctor. ( = one of that profession) I'm going to see the doctor. ( = you know which one: my doctor)
  


• I live in a small flat at the top of an old house near the town hall, (a small flat, there might be two or three at the top of the house — it could be any one of these.


• an old house: there are lots near the town hall — it could be any one.


• the top: we know which top: it's the top of the house where the person lives — a house only has one top.


• the town hall: we know exactly which town hall is meant: there's only one in the town.)