UNIT 1 GREETINGS

Structure

Objectives
Warm Up
Reading Comprehension: Greeting People
Vocabulary
Listening: Dialogues
Speaking: Greetings in English
Writing: Greeting Cards
Grammar: Tlie Simple Present Tense Verb: 'To Be'
Let Us Sum Up
Answers

1.0 OBJECTIVES
In this unit you will:

rn read about greeting people in different cultures.

rn lean1 to say some greetings in English.
rn develop an awareness that we greet differently according to the
situation.
rn learn to write messages on greeting cards.
rn practice the use of the verbs is, are, unz, was, were, be, being, been.

1.1 WARM UP

When you meet up with a friend, what are some of the first words you
excl~ange?
When you get to work, what are some of the first words you exchange with
your colleagues?
Are the words you use the same for both sets of people or do these words and
phrases change in relation to the people and situations?

Think about these questions.

1.2 READING COMPREHENSION: GREETING PEOPLE

Read the following passage:

"Hello!"
"Mi!"
"Namaste!"
"Marhaba!"
"As-salamu alaikum!"
"Bonjour!"
Tlre World Around (1s Everyday we greet people. We greet our family members when we wake up in
the morning, we greet our friends and teachers at school, we greet people at
work, we greet people from whom we buy our bus or train ticket, a cup of
coffee or newspaper. If it is a friend's or a loved one's birthday we greet them
in a special way. If it's a special day, a festival or celebration we wish our
loved anes in a special way too.

Gxetings are a vital part of any language. While learning a language one of
the first things we learn is how to greet people.

Think about greeting different people on different occasions. How do you

normally greet people? Does the form of greeting change in different
situations'? Is the greeting different when it is a stranger, or someone of a
different gender or an older person? Does the form of the greeting vary from
one part of the country to another?

Greetings acknowledge the existence of another human being. Greeting a

person means taking the time to relate to a person in a personal way. Greetings
may be conveyed through words, spoken or written and through gestures.
While a quick "Hello!" or "Hi!" conveys a casual spoken greeting, shaking
hands, ecibracing or hugging a person, kissing people on the cheeks or joining
one s hands in a s~mple'Namaste' are some of the gestures people across the
world employ to greet people from their cultures.

While the shaking of hands in the U.S.A. is a fairly formal way to greet people
you meet for the first time, in India, you will find that men do not shake hands
with women, especially older women. Touching peo~le'sfeet, especially older
people, is a more favoured form of greeting, especially in rural India.

Where ever you are in the Arab world, greetings and leave takings are an
important part of any Arabic conversation. They tend to be more elaborate
than in the West. Even when addressing a stranger, it is customary to greet Greetings
himher and take your leave using standard polite expressions.

It is normal when meeting someone socially for the first time, and when
meeting anyone you already know (even if you just bump into them in the
street), to follow the initial expression of greeting by asking after their health.

Activity 1

1. Answer the following questions.

I. List a few situations from everyday life for greeting people.

What is the purpose of a greeting?

...
111. What are some of the ways in which people greet one another in
different cultures'?

iv. If you have to interact with people fiom a different culture what are
some of the things that you may have to learn?

How are forms of greetings in the western world different fiom forms
of greetings in the Arab world?

2. Complete the following sentences using ideas from the passage

given above:

I. Some of the people we greet everyday are

..
11. Some greetings are while others are
.. .
111. "Hello" and "Hi!" are examples of
iv. Some examples of gestures used to greet people are
v. In general the initial expression of greeting is
Tlie World Arourid Us 1.3 VOCABULARY
Activity 2

1. Find words from the text which are similar in meaning:

1) essential
ii) differ
iii) recognize
iv) communicated
V) movements made with hands, head or face
vi) detailed

2. Given below are a few gestures and words used for greeting.
Complete the table by providing information about them.

Nature of Occasiontsituation People with whom

greeting1 the greeting may be
gesture 1 1 used
Hello Informal Common greeting; Used for anyone;
used when meeting
someone for the first I older, younger or peer.

Namaste A form of greeting

in India by joining
one's hands toeether
1 Shaking hands I formal 1 I 1
Good Morning Used only in the
morning, before
noon
What's up? Used between friends
or equals.

1.4 LISTENING : DIALOGUES

Activity 3

We greet people differently in different situations. Listen to the following

dialogues and match the dialogues with the situations given below.

1. Conversation at a party; introducing people

2. Conversation between fiends; unexpected casual meeting
3. Conversation at work; welcoming people
4. Conversation between strangers; making enquiries
5. Conversation over a telephone; taking messages
1. Sameera: Hello! My name is Sameera. Greetings
Mayra: Hi! I am Mayra. You are new around here, aren't you?
Sameera: Yes. I just started work today. Have you been working
here long?
Mayra: I began six months ago. Welcome to your new work
place.
Sameera: Thank you.
Mayra: Let me introduce you to some other colleagues,
Sameera.
Sameera: Thank you again. That is so good of you.

ii. Mrs. Carter: Hello Mrs. Jones! Welcome. So nice of you to have
come.
Mrs. Jones: Thank you Mrs. Carter. This looks like a lovely party.
Let me introduce my friend, Kathy. Kathy has just
arrived from London. Kathy this is Mrs. Carter, our
school principal.
Mrs. Carter: Hello Kathy. Welcome to Kuwait and welcome to our
house.
...
111. Suhel: Hi Shahena!
Shahena: Oh Hi Suhel! What are you doing here?
Suhel: Good to meet you here. It's my mother's birthday at the
end of the week and I have come here to get a present
for her. What are you doing here?
Shahena: Oh what a coincidence. It's my mother's birthday early
next week. I have come here to shop for a present for
her. What did you have in mind? Why don't we look for
something together'?
Suhel: That's a great idea. I planned to look at some perfumes.
Shahena: Great. Shall we start with this store right here'?

iv. Michael: Hello? Good Morning! This is Michael speaking. May I

speak with Pippa please?
Nina: Hello Michael! This is Nina. I am sorry Pippa isn't at
home at the moment. Can I take a message for her?
Michael: Hello Nina! How are you?
Nina: I am \lery well and you?
Michael: I am fine too. Could you please tell Pippa that
tomorrow's meeting has been postponed from 3.30 to
4.30 p.m. So she needs to get here only by a quarter
past four.
Nina: O.K. 1'11 tell her.
Michael: Thank you. Bye!
Nina: Bye!

v. A: Good morning! Could I have two tickets to Washington Square

please?
B: That will be four dollars and eighty-two cents.
A: Thank you. Here are five dollars.
B: Here is your change ma'am, twenty-eight cents. Have a good day!
A: Thank you. You too!
1.5 SPEAKING : GREETINGS IN ENGLISH

There are many ways in which students might say "Hello" to a new friend.
Some responses might be "How are you?" "What is your name?" or simply
"Hi." "How are you today?" or "My name is Shannon! What's your name'!"

People in different parts of the world have different ways of saying hello. In
France, people say "Bonjour" ("bohn-ZHOOR). In Mexico, a friend would
wish you "good day" by saying "Buenos De as." ("BWEHN-nohs DEE-ahs").
"Guten Tag" ("GOO-ten-taak") is how students in Germany say "Good
morning."

Activity 4

Here is a list of phrases that you may use for greeting different kinds of people
in different situations. Read the phrase aloud and complete the next part in any
way you like. The first one is done as an example.

1. Hello! My name is Najma. Hello Najma. My name is Karissa.

..
11. Good Morning!
...
111. Hi! How's it going?
iv. Welcome!
v. I am glad to see you.
vi. Meet my friend
vii.
... This is my ftiend . I would
v111. Good evening. How are you?

1.6 WRITING : GREETING CARDS

To wish our fiiends, family members and loved ones we send out greeting
cards on special occasions. Look at some greeting cards you may have
received. Make a list of the occasions for which you have received those
cards. Visit a gift or card shop. Look at the cards on display. Make a list of
occasions for which those cards are designed. Look at the words and
messages contained in those cards. We give you an example of a "good luck"
card.

Activity 5

Here is a list of occasions. Write words of greetings or messages for these

occasions. You may go to a gift shop and choose the greetings that you like.
You may even design a card and send it to someone you know.

Your friend's birthday

Wishing your friend on the eve of an exam or interview.
To wish elderly relatives on New Year.
To wish your teacherlemployee on a festival.
liere is an example of a greeting card: A "Best of Luck" Card

Greetings

Good luck message:

All the best for your examination. May you get all the questions that you
know really well!!

-.

1.7 GRAMMAR: THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE; VERB

'TO BE'

Words such as,jtrmnp, look, see, read, eat, drink, speak, are termed verbs and
each describe an action. They are also often referred to as action words. A
sentence is incomplete without a verb. There are however, some verbs which
do not describe any action.
Study the following sentences:
This is a beautiful place.
This nrecrl was delicious.
These 1vri.st watclres are very expensive.
It is a g1uriurr.s day.

Each of the above sentences is saying something about an object such as a

place, a meal, a wrist watch or just a day. Each sentence is descriptive and
tells us something about the object.
The verb in the above sentences is: is, was, are.
These verbs are derived from the verb "BE"
There are 8 forms of the verb BE
is, ant. are, was, were, be, b a n , being.
is, am, are, represent the three present tense forms of the verb 'be7.
These verb forms are generally used in descriptive sentences where no action
is being described.

The verb "am" is used when the subject is the first person singular.
e.g. Iarriveryhungry.
I ant very happy to see you.

The verb "is" is used when the subject is in the third person singular.
e.g. This place is delightful.
This is a wonderful party.

The verb "are" is used when the subject is plural or in the second person.
e.g. My classmates are just wonderful.
You are a very gracious hostess.

The verbs "was" and "were" are used in the past tense

Activity 6

Complete the following sentences using the appropriate form of the verb "BE"
- is, ant, are, was, were

This my fiiend, Christine.

How you, Mr. Daniel?
I very pleased to meet you.
What you doing here?
These my colleagues from work.
this your new school'?
What -that? That a present for my mother.
you feeling better? How your cold now?
It -a beautiful day. So cool and pleasant.
I a teacher. What do you do?
In the summer of 1992, I in Germany.
We happy to see you yesterday. And I happy
to see you now.
'And you good while I was away?' asked the mother to the
child.
' you in Delhi on Thursday? 'No i in Mumbai'.
I can't find my keys. They here this morning.

1.8 LET US SUM UP

In this unit you learnt to greet in English in both formal and informal
situations. You have also learnt to greet with the right intonation and tone.
You practiced the verb "be" to help you to write with greater accuracy. You
can now write short messages in greeting cards.
 Greetiiigs
1.9 ANSWERS
Activity 1

1.
I. When we wake up in the morning we greet our family members, we
greet friends and colleagues at school or at work, we greet strangers .
who sell us things or give us information, we greet our loved ones on
special occasions.
ii. Greetings help us relate to people in a personal way and recognize
their existence. The specific occasion, the cultural context, the age and
gender of the person being greeted, influence how people greet one
another.
..'
111. In the United States of America people shake hands as a formal way of
greeting; in India people use the gesture of folding one's hands in a
'Namaste'; in many parts of India, people touch the feet of older
persons; in Arab countries even strangers are greeted using standard
polite expressions.
iv. One of the important things to learn is culture specific forn~sof
greetings and how they may vaiy on specific occasions and according
to age, gender, etc.
v. Greetings and leave taking are more elaborate in the Arab world than
in the West.

2. Complete the following sentences using ideas from the passage given
above:

1. Some of the people we greet everyday are friencls, familv nlenlbers,

people at work. people from whotn we buv things, etc.
ii. Some greetings are fornzul while others are infornzal.
...
111. "Hello" and "Hi!" are examples of informal greetings that we use to
greet fi-iends and neers.
iv. Some examples of gestures used to greet people are shaking hands,
touching feet, joi11in.g hands in a nutnaste, ernbracing or h ~ ~ m i l z g
people, etc.
v. In general the initial expression of greeting is jbllowed by asking about
tlze person .Y' Ize~~ltlz.

Activity 2

1.
1. essential vital
11. differ VarY
...
111. recognize acknowledge
iv. communicated conveyed
v. movements made with hands, head or face gestures
vi. detailed elaborate
Tlte World Arouttd Us 2. Given below are a few gestures and words used for greeting. Complete
the table by providing information about them.

Greetinggesture Nature of Occasion/situation People with

greetinggesture whom the
greeting may
be used
Hello Informal Common greeting; Used for
used when meeting anyone; older,
someone for the younger or
first time that day peer.
Bonjour informal 'Hello' in French Usedfor
anyone; older,
younger or
peer.
Namaste formal A form of greeting Used as a mark
practised in India of respect for
by joining ones elders or
hands together

Shaking hands formal A fairly formal way Anyone one

of greeting people meets formally.
you meet for the At workor
first time. Common socially.
in the Western
world
Good Morning formal/informal Used only in the May be used
morning, before with anyone
noon
What's up? informal As a response to Used between
'Hey', 'Hello' or friendsor
'Hi' equals.

Activity 3

1. Conversation at work; welcoming people

..
11. Conversation at a party; introducing people
...
111. Conversation between friends; unexpected casual meeting
iv. Conversation over a telephone; taking messages
v. Conversation between strangers; making enquiries

Speaking

Activity 4

ENGLISH GREETINGS '(Suggested answers)

1. Hello! My name is Najma. Hello Naima. MY name is Karissa.

..
11. Good Morning! Good Morning! How are vou?
...
111. Hi! How's it going? Hi! Goinn well and with vou?
iv. Welcome! Thank you. Please meet mv sister Aalia.
v. I am glad to see you. Same here. How's the proiect noinn?
vi. Meet my friend &11lran. Sii~rrarlthis is Ajitha. Aiitha this is Sirnrail. Greetings
vii. This is my friend Dr. David. I would like you to slzow hint sonle of
your pclir1ting.s.
viii. Good evening. How are you'? I cznz verI1well,thank yotl. Yotl have a
bealrtiful house.

Activity 5

Writing

I. Happy Birthday
May you have many, many more!

Many Happy Returns of the Day.

11. Good luck!

All the very best!
...
111. Wishing you a healthy and happy 2006!

iv. Happy Diwali. May there be light in your life througho~itthe year!

Grammar

Activity 6

Complete the following sentences using the appropriate form of the verb "BE!'
- is, unz, ure

This & my friend, Christine.

How Eyou, Mr. Daniel?
I very pleased to meet you.
What art. you doing here?
'These my colleagues from work.
Is this your new school?
What that? That & a present for my mother.
A x you feeling better? How & your cold now?
It & a beautiful day. So cool and pleasant.
I am a teacher. What do you do?
In the summer of 1992, I was in Germany.
We were happy to see you yesterday. And I am happy to see you
now.
'And were you good while I was away?' asked the mother to the child.
Were you in Delhi on Thursday. No, I was in Mumbai.
I can't find my keys. They were here this morning.