Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 1 of 2 1 2
#179432 10/06/08 08:01 AM
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 3
D
stranger
OP Offline
stranger
D
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 3
when u meet a person we

a) casually enquire about someone's well being
by asking 'how do u do?' 'how is ur health lately?'

b)or might complement by saying 'u look lovely..' 'u have a wonderful home..'

what are the different words(one for casual enquiry and other for complement) that can be used to fill the blank in the context below

the guests after exchanging initial..........,moved on to talk about more serious matters.

Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 390
L
enthusiast
Offline
enthusiast
L
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 390
One of the words most commonly used to fill in that blank is "pleasantries"


the guests after exchanging initial pleasantries,moved on to talk about more serious matters.

Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 3
D
stranger
OP Offline
stranger
D
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 3

ah yes...pleasantries is a good word
any more words that deals with more genuine concern like:

1. Are u alright?
2. how is ur health doing?

Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,067
old hand
Offline
old hand
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,067
greetings

Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 35
F
newbie
Offline
newbie
F
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 35
the guests after exchanging initial niceties, remarks, banter, inquiries, moved on to talk about more serious matters.
Or
after some polite conversation, casual conversation, general conversation, the guest move on to talk about more serious matters.

Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Ah, but suppose you run into an old friend who you know has been undergoing some severe circumstances, say a beloved sister has just died. You may well say, as an opening line, "How are you doing?" with a tone of voice that makes it clear that this isn't just a pleasantry. Dunno if there is a single word for this but I would say it is an example of showing concern.

Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 3
R
stranger
Offline
stranger
R
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 3
reference:www.grevocabulary.org

Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
In school we learned that when someone says "you how do?" your not supposed to really get into the matter.
When someone asks "how are you doing?", then it is a real question and you should give a reaction.

Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
While "How do you do?" will pretty much always be understood as a verbal pleasantry, "How are you doing?" would be very dependent on how you say it. "Ha ya doon?" would be a verbal pleasantry. "How are you doing?" said with somewhat exaggerated intonations and given that there is the knowledge that something has been amiss would be considered a real question looking for an answer other than "Just fine."

Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
O.K. Just fine!

Page 1 of 2 1 2

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,367
Members9,182
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
Ineffable, ddrinnan, TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV
9,182 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 653 guests, and 0 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
wofahulicodoc 10,561
tsuwm 10,542
LukeJavan8 9,919
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5