It is not necessary to add 'Mr.' or 'Mrs." before a name for American English speakers. Sometimes we do that, but it is usually with children where the adult tells the child to call them by the first name and the parent doesn't feel comfortable with the child being so informal. I had my children do so. In the South, (states such as Arkansas, Alabama, and Georgia), this practice is VERY common, but here in California it is rare. No one would expect you, as an adult, to do so. If you feel strongly about it, you could do it, no one will be angry about it either! Thank you for helping to make italki a great place to learn :) We should all be more concerned about being respectful!

I think if you're not fully sure, use the person's surname with the title (Mr, Ms, etc). If you only know that person's first name, then it will be perfectly OK to call them by their first name. Do not, however, put Mr/Mrs/Ms before a first name! This simply sounds weird to us. So for example, there is a person called Jessica Jones. You would write to her as Ms Jones. If she has already written to you and signed her message as "Jessica", then address her as Jessica. If you reply with "Ms Jones", you'll sound too cold. Do not write "Ms Jessica". By the way, "Ms" is the standard address for females if you don't know whether the woman is married or not. "Mrs" is acceptable if you know she is married. "Miss" is fairly outdated and can sound condescending.

Great question! If you are writing to someone for the first time, you should use a title: - Mr - for a man - Mrs - if you know the woman is married - Ms - if you are unsure whether the woman is married or not But we use the title with the persons surname, not first name, so John Smith would be 'Mr Smith'. In the UK most people prefer to be called by their first names, so John Smith will probably say to you, "Please call me John", from then on you can call or write to him using his first name only. If you're writing a letter or email to someone and you don't know the persons name, then you can write: - To whom it may concern. - Dear Sir/Madam I hope this helps. Emma Segev - Talk2Me English

English-speaking countries are less formal than many other nations, and there are only two forms of address. 1. You use a title and the person's surname (family name) to show respect to an adult in relatively formal situations. For example: Mrs Smith Mr Brown Ms Jones Dr Black Professor Walker 2) You simply call the person by their first (given) name, such as Tom or Jessica. Nowadays we never put a title before a first name. In the past, this form of address was occasionally used, particularly by servants. However, these days it would sound very strange indeed to address someone as Mr Tom or Mrs Jessica. It just isn't done. I'm sorry not to be more helpful. I do understand your problem, and I realise that it can sometimes make people feel uncomfortable when social rules don't 'translate' from one culture to another.