[title]Family quotes[/title] [description]Welcome to our family quotes section! Here you'll find some of the funniest (and wisest) quotes on the subject of family life![/description]
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Ms., Miss. or Mrs.

ESL Writing » Formal, General & Business Letter...

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Anonymous, 301 days ago
Mrs was an indication of both marital status and age when there was no such thing as an unmarried woman; one was either a girl and unmarried (thus Miss.), a woman and married (thus Mrs.), or a number of other less pleasant categories and to make a mistake was to make was to insult either her perceived maturity or perceived sexual activity.  However, the Industrial Revolution made possible a number of respectable categories in which neither Miss. nor Mrs. really applied and thus the professionally ambiguous title of Ms. was conceived of.  If you are addressing a woman in a professional capacity it is only appropriate to address her as Ma'am or Ms. so as to avoid any assumptions, all of which are inappropriate in a professional setting.
Anonymous, 278 days ago

That is incorrect. Even if you are sure the woman is married, she may prefer to use Ms anyway, even with her husband's surname. Or, she may have kept her own name. To call her "Mrs. Maiden-name" would be very inaccurate. If you're not sure, use "Ms" or find out.

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Anonymous, 156 days ago
Ms = either married or unmarried, PC

Mrs = married, not PC

Miss = unmarried, not PC


Since Mr does not indicate whether a man is married or not, Ms has been created as a neutral form of address for women.


However, this is a contested field. No matter what you use, some women might get offended.


I have always used Ms, both when unmarried and ever since I got married, since I think if men don't indicate if they are married or not, why should we? Besides I think it helps unmarried women (who often feel they are thought of as 'spinsters' or 'left overs'), if  married women use Ms too.


If you want to use Mrs. you can use it with your name.

Anonymous, 84 days ago
same problem here. i hope i get my doctor degree soon so i can tell what am i
Anonymous, 47 days ago
Hello, i am going away the travel agent has put MS but i always put MRS do i have to change my tickets
Grammar Geek  +  935371 Fri, 09 Oct 09 04:47 PM
Anonymous
“Hello, i am going away the travel agent has put MS but i always put MRS do i have to change my tickets

”

 

 

This is not an English question - it's about travel rules. In the US, it would not matter at all. What matters is if the tickets say "Maggie" but your ID says "Margaret" or your tickets say "Rick" but your ID says "Richard."

 

I'm not aware of any airline that would deny your boarding because your title is wrong. If it concerns you that much, talk to your travel agent, but it's not a matter of fauly English.

 
Grammar Geek
Joined on Tue, Jan 10 2006
Veteran Member 19,683
Barbara, who answers in American English. My housekeeping skills attest to the truth of the second law of thermodynamics: Left to themselves, things get more and more random!
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