Grammar for Beginners – Greetings with “good” and Courtesy Titles

Bonjour, ça va?

(that’s “hello, how are you?” in French).

Today’s grammar lesson is a beginner’s class on greetings with the word “good”. If you are not sure of your English level, take our test!

You can find all of this information, plus speaking exercises, writing exercises, vocabulary exercises and more on the ABA English Course Unit 5 “The hotel doorman”. Click here to sign up for free.

Greetings throughout the day

Good morning is used from the time you wake up until 12 noon or midday.

Good afternoon is used from 12 noon to 6 or 7 in the evening because these are hours of the day that are after midday, also known as noon.

Good evening is used from 6 or 7 in the evening until just before you go to bed.

Good night is only used when going to bed.

We say “Goodbye” when leaving people. We can also use the shorter form, “Bye”.

Titles: Mr, Mrs, Ms and Miss

These are what we call courtesy titles and they are always followed by a surname, not a first name.

Mr refers to a man, whether he is married or not.

Mrs refers to a married woman.

Miss refers to an unmarried woman.

Ms refers to a woman who prefers not to say whether she is married or not. Ms is become more and more popular.

Sir and Madam

These are forms of address. We use “sir”  and “Madam” when we want to be more formal or when we know a man or woman’s surname but not their first name.

For example, a hotel employee would use sir and madam when speaking to the hotel guests.

Lady and Gentleman

When we talk about someone in general we do not use “sir” and “madam”. Instead, we use “lady” and “gentleman”.
YAYY! You have learned all about how to greet someone and how to address them correctly.

In Unit 5 “The hotel doorman”, you will meet a porter and his guests. By watching the ABA Film, you will practice your listening comprehension. Record your voice and compare phrases to improve your speaking and learn how to write correctly. You will also gain fluency by interpreting roles and then you will learn the grammar and new vocabulary.

So remember: if you enjoyed this lesson, don’t forget to sign up! (it’s free!)