MIND YOUR P´S AND Q´S(Please & Thank you)

This means "behave well and with etiquette suitable to a particular situation".
The origin of this expression  is controversial. One theory holds that in the reign
of Louis XIV when big wigs were worn and bows were made with great formality, two things
were specially required, a step with the feet-pieds- and a low bend with the body or tails
of the wigs -queues-.
P´s and Q´s have also been linked to the practice of publicans who kept an account of
how much beer their customers drank by marking pints ander "p" and quarts(two pints)
under"q". Customers were well advised to keep a check on their"p´s" and "q´s" to avoid
being overcharged when it came to the final reckoning.
Whatever its origin, good manners make a gentleman, so they say; and being polite and respecting
each other is paramount in human relationships

PLEASE, THANK YOU, EXCUSE ME, SORRY...Little words but how much

they mean, like saying HAVE A NICE DAY; HAVE A GREAT DAY; HAVE A

REALLY GREAT DAY; THAT´S VERY KIND OF YOU;....

 

Let´s see the different uses of PLEASE:

  For requests

Polite questions Can,Could, May..?

Orders with imperatives: pass the salt, please

Giving instructions: Please, sit down

For confirming help: Yes, please

In which other contexts  or situations would you use PLEASE?

THANK YOU

TO ACCEPT: WOULD YOU LIKE A DRINK? THANK YOU

TO REFUSE OFFERS: Would you like some more? No,Thank you

5 WAYS OF SAYING THANK YOU & 5 WAYS Of REPLYING

THANKS..........YOU´RE WELCOME

THANK YOU.....NO PROBLEM

THANK YOU VERY MUCH INDEED.......NOT AT ALL

THANKS A LOT...........DON´T MENTION IT

THANKS VERY MUCH.........MY PLEASURE

 

In which other contexts  or situations would you use THANK YOU?

 

EXCUSE ME

YOU SAY EXCUSE ME:

BEFORE YOU DO SOMETHING TO GET SOMEBODY´S ATTENTION

TO SHOW THAT YOU´RE SORRY FOR INTERRUPTING SOMEBODY

TO ASK SOMEBODY TO MOVE SO THAT YOU CAN GET PAST THEM

TO POLITELY TELL SOMEBODY THAT YOU´RE LEAVING

In which other contexts  or situations would you use EXCUSE ME?

 

SORRY

YOU SAY SORRY AFTERWARDS

TO EMPHASISE HOW BAD, STUPID or EMBARRASING SOMETHING IS

TO SHOW THAT YOU FEEL SADNESS, SYMPATHY BECAUSE SOMETHING

BAD HAS HAPPENED TO SOMEONE.

TO SHOW DISAPPOINTMENT ABOUT A SITUATION

In which other contexts  or situations would you use SORRY?

 

Think about the recent rise of verbal aggression...

Courtesy costs nothing and opens up many doors, which expressions would you

eliminate from your vocabulary (eff-off) and which polite expressions would you use more often(do/would you mind)?

Would you give up your seat to a pregnant woman on a crowded bus/the MÁLAGA metro?

In which other situations could you show you are an educated,polite individual?

Remember the senior citizen´s view of education as all about manners, which are being lost

in the face of new technology.. 

Final task: Make up a situation in which you use Excuse me, Please, Thank you & Sorry...

Ideas from Brewer´s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable; Lock ,stock and barrel, Past times;

and Lynne Truss´s talk to the hand