Читать книгу A Smart Girl's Guide: Manners (Revised) - Nancy Holyoke - Страница 14

choose your words

Manners are all about communication, so put some thought into

the words you use to express yourself.

Those magic words people have been telling you about all your life

really are sort of magic. Say “please” and people cooperate. Say “thank

you” and get a smile. These words make everything a little easier and

happier—both for others and for you.

Other words are better avoided entirely. Junk words, for instance. Words

that have nothing to do with the sense of a sentence can be, you know,

like, so annoying, like, if you, like, use them constantly, you know? So don’t.

Then there are all those lazy words—hmm, nah, eh, huh, yeah. We all

use them, but overdo it and you’ll give the impression that you dragged

yourself out of a deep sleep to have this conversation and wish you

were still in bed.

Lots of kids use put-downs when they’re kidding around with their

friends. “So what?” “Who cares?” “Shut up.” Put-downs are supposed

to be funny. Maybe. But a put-down always makes another person feel

a bit dumber than she did before you said it. Put-downs sting—maybe

a little, maybe a lot.

Keep in mind that words that work with one kind of person

might not work with another. For instance, you and a close

friend may say “duh” just in fun. But if you use “duh” with a kid you

don’t know well, it’s hurtful. And if you use it with an adult, it’s insulting.

Swear words: You don’t need them. With

hundreds of thousands of words to choose

from in the English language, why use the ones

that were designed to insult and offend people?

Finally, pleasant words don’t count if the tone

of your voice says something entirely differ-

ent. Yell “I’m sorry,” and it means you’re not.