You will learn about British greetings and meetings, addressing each other, table manners, tea drinking and other codes of behaviour

1. British manners

2. GREETINGS AND MEETINGS
When greeting or meeting a person in Britain , shake hands. Do
not greet people with a kiss. Kiss is normally used between close
friends and relatives. Hugging is only for friends.
When you are introduced to someone say "Pleased to meet you".
If you want to introduce yourself to someone, give your hand for a
handshake and say "Hello,
I am....".
You do not have to answer
every time you are asked
“How do you do?”
• greet- приветствовать
• hug-обнимать
• introduce- знакомить

3. PLEASE AND THANK YOU
It is very good manners to say "please" and "thank you“ all the
time. In a shop, restaurant , etc. say “thank you” to the person
serving you (when they give you change, the bill, or come to give
you your food and drinks).
If you don’t say “please” and “thank you” , you may be told to
“mind your p’s and q’s”( p’s- please , thank q’s- thank you)
• serve-обслуживать
• change-сдача
• a bill-счет
• mind- следить за

4. APOLOGISING
In the UK people apologise all the time.
For example, if you tell someone about something bad which has happened to you, it’s
usual that they will apologise. For example, “I’m so sorry to hear that you have been
unwell”.
If you accidentally bump into someone, say “sorry”. They probably will too, even if it
was your fault!
If you have reserved a seat on a train but somebody is sat in it, it would be common to
say “I’m so sorry but you appear to be sat in my seat”.
If somebody spills your coffee, again it’s quite normal for the victim to apologise. Of
course, the person to blame would apologise as well, but apologising as the victim is a
very English thing to do.
A typical way of accepting an apology is by saying “it’s okay”, “don’t worry about it”, or
for more serious incidents, “I forgive you”.
Say “excuse me” if someone is blocking your way and you would like them to move out
of your way.
• apologise- извиняться
• accidentally- случайно
• bump into- столкнуться
• fault- вина
• spill- пролить
• victim- жерта
• blame- винить

5. QUEUING
In the UK, wherever there
is a mass of people, you
will find a queue. People
“wait their turn” in
queues. If someone jumps
the queue very few people
will ask that person to go
to the back of the queue.
• to wait one’s turn”- ждать очереди

6. CHIVALRY
Chivalry is a very British trait. Some examples of modern chivalry for
the 21st century include:
• offering a lady your seat on the train if she is standing
• opening the door for a lady
• offering to carry a heavy bag for a lady if it looks as though she is
struggling
• offering your jacket to a lady if she is cold
• chivalry- галантность
• trait -черта
• offer-предлагать

7. Talking
In Britain people love to talk about the weather ( may be
because the weather in the UK is very changeable). Talking
about the weather can break the ice in a discussion.
Discussing how much you earn or how much something costs is
rude.
You should not talk loudly in public or overuse hand gestures. Do
not stand too close to another person or put your arm around
someone's shoulder.
• earn-зарабатывать
• gestures-жесты

8. NAMES
It is becoming common to call people by their first name in Britain,
even in certain professional situations. For example, most people call
their doctor by first name. But in the past people would address their
doctor by surname , for example “Dr. Smith.”
But in certain situations you should never address a person by their
first name unless you are asked to. This includes your teachers and
older people. Use last names with titles such as Mr, Mrs, Ms or
academic or professional title (Doctor, Professor). The title Sir is used
for only those who have been knighted.
The British like to use “affectionate” names when addressing
someone. They may call you love, dear, dearie, darling, honey, mate,
guy, son. These are commonly used and not considered rude.
• affectionate- ласковый, нежный
• consider- считать

9. Invitations and being punctual
Always telephone before visiting someone at home. If you get a
written invitation to an event that says "RSVP", you should
respond to the sender as soon as possible, whether you are
going to come or not.
It is polite to do bring a gift, especially if you have been invited
for a special meal or event. You can bring a bottle of wine, bunch
of flowers or chocolates. A thank-you note or telephone call
after the visit is also considered polite.
In Britain people try to arrive on time. It is often considered
impolite to arrive even a few minutes late. If you think that you
won’t be able to arrive on time, call the person you are meeting.
• respond- отвечать
• note- записка

10. TABLE MANNERS
Good manners at the dining table are very important in Britain.
You should wait until your host starts eating or indicates you should do so if you are a guest. It is impolite to
start eating before everyone has been served unless your host says that you do not need to wait.
If you are dining in a group, offer to serve food to your neighbours first, and do not take too much; leave enough
for others, and do not take more than you can eat.
Eat with fork in the left hand and the knife in the right. Even young children should eat properly with knife and
fork.
Never talk when there is food in your mouth.
Do not eat nosily. In the UK, people eat very quietly, almost silently.
Eat slowly. Eating quickly and/or overeating makes you appear greedy.
If you want to leave the table, you should wait until everyone has finished or you are told to leave the table. If
you really need to leave, you can ask to leave the table.
• host – хозяин
• indicate- показать
• guest- гость
• greedy- жадный

11. TEA
In the UK drinking tea is an important part of everyday life.
In modern day Britain people love “putting our feet up” and enjoying a
“cuppa” or a “brew”. You will be offered a cup of tea anywhere you go in the
UK and as you travel around, you will see many tea shops and cafes.
Afternoon tea is a big tradition in the UK.
If you are in a group, you may be served a pot of tea. If the pot is placed near
you, it is polite to pour tea for the rest of the group.
Tea should be poured first and milk and sugar added afterwards.
If your tea is too hot to drink, don’t blow on it. Wait for it to cool.
Never slurp tea!
• put one’s feet up - присесть
• cuppa- чашка чаю (разговорный)
• brew- чаек (разговорный)
• pot-чайник
• slurp- прихлебывать