2006-09-20 21:37:37 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
No. My Physical Education teacher is pregnant and we address her Ms.
2006-09-21 00:57:31 · answer #1 · answered by Hardrock 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ms is not offensive at all - it's the women's way of letting people know that they're female without distinguishing whether they're married or not. For example, Men are always "Mr" - it makes no difference if they're married or not, whereas women were always set apart with either "Miss" or "Mrs".
So yes, you can use "Ms" to address a pregnant woman without worrying about causing offense. If she doesn't like it and would prefer to be called something else, she'll probably let you know.
2006-09-20 21:40:05 · answer #2 · answered by squirrellondon 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A woman is a woman whether pregnant or not. As earlier said, there are married women who prefer being addressed as Ms. instead of Mrs. A pregnant woman who is educated will not be offended if addressed as Ms. But conventionally, most married pregnant women prefer to be addressed as Mrs.
2006-09-20 22:07:55 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
"Miss" is an unmarried woman. "Mrs" is for a married woman. "Ms" is for a woman that is divorced or you dont know what she is. It wouldnt be offensive to a pregnant woman, you just might be wrong if she really is married. She might be a little annoyed though, because you would be suggesting that she is having the child by herself without a husband.
2006-09-21 02:59:58 · answer #4 · answered by olayak 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I prefer "Ms" over either "Mrs" or "Miss", myself. I am married now, but since I don't use my husband's name I consider "Mrs" a bit weird. And I wasn't married when I was pregnant so I did get a bit annoyed with "Mrs" then...Fortunately I don't live in English-speaking places and "Madame" and "Frau" are now pretty universally used the same way "Mr" would be. (ie, for any female over 20 or so)
But yeah, as the first person said, you can't really go right with a pregnant woman.
2006-09-21 00:16:33 · answer #5 · answered by Goddess of Grammar 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I hate the term Ms, I associate it with lesbians.
I don't wear a wedding ring, so I expect to be called Miss, because I am and I'm a single woman,......not a Ms
2006-09-20 21:45:42 · answer #6 · answered by Breeze 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It is polite not offensive. Not all pregnant women are Mrs and if you call them Ms they won't correct you, however they will feel obliged to tell you they are unmarried if you assume by calling them MRS.
2006-09-20 21:41:13 · answer #7 · answered by Powerpuffgeezer 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It would onyl work if the lady in unmarried, in which case the correct term would be ma'am. Ms is often used for divorced women, young women who have an unmarried partner or older single women.
2006-09-21 02:37:35 · answer #8 · answered by Jonathan D 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I suppose she might think you were suggesting that she wasn't married and that the child will be illegitimate. But really, Ms is usually a safe option if you don't know someone's marital status.
2006-09-20 21:41:43 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is cool to call someone Ms.
2006-09-20 22:00:12 · answer #10 · answered by MOUTHY 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋