How to Address People in the English Language: Vocatives

Feb 26, 2012
Tanja Batista

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ympas, rigolos, émouvants, doués, attachants, curieux, ... - Mosieur J.

Learn how to address people in English by using vocatives.

When you talk to people, you often use their name. Words that are used to address people are called vocatives.

Position of Vocatives

1. When you use a vocative, you usually place it at the end of a sentence. For example:

Where are you, Irene?

2. If you want to get someone's attention immediately, then you can use a vocative at the beginning of a sentence. For example:

Dad, why are you angry at me?

3. You can also use a vocative in the middle of a sentence. People often do this to emphasize the importance of what they're saying. For example:

I regret to inform you, Mr. Black, that your wife is dead.

Vocatives and Commas

In writing, you should always remember to set off vocatives from the rest of the sentence with a comma.

You must put a comma after or in front of a vocative:

Denise, have you finished doing your homework?
I don't want to dance with you, Maxine!

If a vocative is positioned in the middle of a sentence, then you should always remember to use a comma before and after it:

Don't you think, Billy, that it's high time you stopped robbing banks?

Addressing Someone You Don't Know

Did you know that vocatives are less common in British English than in American English? In British English, if you want to address someone you do not know (e.g., in a shop or in the street) you do not have to use a vocative at all. The phrase ''excuse me'', which is a polite way of attracting the attention, will suffice:

Excuse me, does this bus go to Belsize Park?

For example, in the above situation, the nouns ''sir or madam'' aren't really necessary. In British English, these nouns are used as a formal and polite way of speaking to a man or woman in situations where you are providing a service for them or when you are addressing someone who is in a position of authority. For example:

Would you like to see the menu, sir? (in a restaurant)
''Did you hear what I just said?'' ''Yes, sir.'' (a conversation between a boss and employee)
Where is your luggage, madam? (at the train station)

A note: In American English, people usually use the word ma'am instead of ''madam'' when speaking politely to a woman they don't know. For example:

What's wrong with your car, ma'am?

Addressing Someone You Know

If you know a person well, then the simplest way to address them is by using their first name. However, in the course of an ordinary conversation, people tend to avoid using vocatives, unless they want to make it clear who they are talking to. Short, informal forms of people's names are also frequently used. For example:

Tanya, where is your cat? (Perhaps the speaker is in the middle of a large group of people and decides to single Tanya out to ask her a question. The speaker wants to make it clear to whom he or she is talking.)
Shut up and leave me alone! (The speaker feels that the vocative is not necessary.)
Give me a cigarette, Mike. (Mike is short for Michael.)

A note of warning: Do not use informal forms of people's names unless you are completely sure that the person does not object to it.

If you are addressing someone who is not your relative or friend but a more formal acquaintance, then you can address them by using their social or professional title. For example:

Thank you, Mr Costner. / Thank you, Mrs Jones. / Thank you, Mr. Johnson. / Are you feeling well, Professor Klein?

Have you noticed the full stop after the abbreviation in the third sentence and the absence of it in the first and second sentence? Let me explain. Full stops are more commonly put at the end of these abbreviations in American writing than in British writing. In other words, the abbreviations used before a person's name or surname always have full stops in American English.

Addressing Relatives

People usually address their relatives by using a noun that shows their relationship to them. For example:

Where are my socks, Mum? / Dad, will you help me with my homework? / Grandma, will you buy me some candy?

Now let's look at the following examples:

I am going to invite my mom and dad to the cinema tonight. / Hey Mum and Dad, I'm home!
Leave me alone, Sis! / My sister is very troublesome.
My uncles and aunts are already deceased. / Will you cook me a nice lunch, Auntie Joanna? / There's something wrong with my car, Uncle Danny.

Have you noticed by any chance that some of the above vocatives are capitalized and some are not? The rule goes as follows: When vocatives addressing relatives are used as proper nouns (i.e., when they are used in place of their real name), they are always capitalized. When they are used as common nouns, they are not capitalized. When vocatives referring to relatives are used as common nouns, they will be premodified by a possessive pronoun or an article a, an, the). For example:

Please pass the bread, Grandfather. (Instead of calling his grandpa by his real name, the speaker uses the term ''grandfather'' and capitalizes it. The vocative thus functions as a proper noun. )

My (possessive pronoun) grandfather used to be a pilot. (the speaker uses the term ''grandfather as a common noun)

Don't write:

My Grandfather used to be a pilot.

You can learn more about proper and common nouns here.

Addressing a Group of People

You can address a group of people formally or informally. For example:

The meeting is over, ladies and gentlemen. (a formal address)
How are you doing, everybody? / Hi guys, how are you doing? (an informal address)
Stop being noisy, girls and boys! (addressing a group of children)

Vocatives Showing Affection and Dislike

People usually show dislike and contempt by using nouns and combinations of adjectives and nouns as vocatives, usually with the pronoun ''you'' in front of them:

Shut up, you stupid moron! / Where have you been, you silly girl?!

A warning: Don't forget to use commas.

Vocatives showing affection can be often premodified by using the determiner ''my.'' For example:

I'm so in love with you, my love. / Don't leave me, darling.

You can hear a number of interesting vocatives in British and American television shows. They are often characteristic of a region or a social group, or both. Can your sharp ears catch a few in the following extract from the famous British sitcom Only Fools and Horses? If so, then, my dear reader, you are definitely not a plonker!