When you already know someone, the following formal greetings should be used:
Good morning – until lunch time (12-2 p.m.), Good afternoon – until 5-6 p.m., Good evening – until 10-11 p.m.
Remember about the difference in tone. For formal greeting, we use the low fall. For less formal and warmer greeting we use the low rise. The most friendly tone for greeting is the fall – rise.
Note: Good night is not a greeting but a wish. Good day is hardly ever used nowadays, either as a greeting or on parting.
Morning/Afternoon/Evening – semi-formal. Used, for example, to neighbours, colleagues and other people whom one sees regularly but does not know well.
Hello – semi-formal, informal
Hi – informal, used mainly in America. The name of the person greeted is often added.
However, no form of address is generally used when greeting groups of people. Such forms as Good morning, all and Hello, everybody occur but are rare and not to be recommended.
Greetings are often followed by an inquiry about the other person’s health. The answer may be:
(I’m) very/fairly/quite/well, thank you – formal, semi-formal
Note that quite and fairly are synonymous here, but quite is now more common.
Fine, thanks! Not too/so bad (thank you/ thanks), All right, thank you/thanks semi-formal, formal
OK, thanks – informal, familiar. A bit tired, otherwise all right – semi-formal, formal
Avoid saying simply Thank you or Thanks in this situation. These replies are usually followed by an inquiry about the other person’s health. The most common forms are:
And how are you? And you? - logical stress on you These inquiries are answered in the same way as the first one.
If the answer to an inquiry about someone’s health is unfavorable, I’m afraid (meaning unfortunately) is often used, for example:
Not very/ too well, I’m afraid. I am afraid I am not feeling very/too well today. Possible reactions to such replies are:
Oh, dear. I am sorry to hear that.
If you know someone fairly well (or at least if he is more than an acquaintance), you may ask a more general question, such as:
How are you getting on? How are things (with you)? – semi-formal How’s life? – informal
If you want to express pleasure at seeing someone, for example, when you welcoming a guest, you may say: Hello, nice to see you. A common reply to this is: Nice to see you, too. (With stress on both you and too.)
