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"ma'am" "sir" "mister" common and formal in current english? Question. When to use "ma'am" (when women) "sir" "mister" (when men) also, are they common to use today?
Mar 11, 2014 10:41 PM
Answers · 2
As a person from the the U.S. I don't hear people say mister often unless in front of a last name. For example Mr.Dipasquale. A lot of the females I've met find ma'am very offensive .They think by calling them ma'am youre suggesting they're old. I can't wrap my head around this. I use the word sir to address a lot of people and hear it sometimes, but its usually said in the military
March 11, 2014
Yes, they are common. But they are not used enough in the US unfortunately. Many people here have poor manners. Ma'am and Sir are used usually when you are speaking to an elder or someone in authority who you don't want to offend (like the police)
March 11, 2014
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