When you don’t have a lot of time for studying English, make sure that you make the best use of your time. One way to do this is to find grammar patterns – where a grammar rule is repeated in similar situations. An example of this is “plural greetings”: words that we use in greetings which are always plural. Here are eight examples of this.
Greetings
Greetings can be both singular (a greeting) or plural (greetings). In the singular form, we use it in a general sense:
“You can add a greeting to your email to make it more friendly.”
But we use the plural form when we speak or write directly to another person:
“We exchanged greetings before the meeting.” (= We all said “hello” before the meeting.)
“John sends you his greetings.” (= John isn’t here with me, but he says “hello” to you.)
“All my birthday greetings.” (Written on a birthday card.)
Wishes
You can “make a wish”, but we also use “wishes” at the end of a letter or email:
“Best wishes”.
You can also say it to a person:
“Please pass on my best wishes to your mother.”
Regards
“Regards” is similar to “wishes”. We often use it at the end of a letter or email:
“Kind regards”.
Sometimes, the ending is just the word “regards”:
“Regards” (and then the name of the person underneath).
You can also use “regards” when you’re speaking to a person:
“Please send my regards to your mother.”
Cheers
This is more common in British English. We can use it in two ways:
1. As a toast
When you drink with another person, you can say “Cheers!” (= “To your health”).
2. To say thank you
You can use “Cheers” at the end of your email to say “thank you and goodbye”. This use is informal.
Thanks
We say “thanks” (and not “thank”) as a short form for “thank you”.
“I got you some more cheese from the supermarket.”
“Thanks!”
Returns
We use this in the phrase “many happy returns” when we celebrate someone’s birthday. You’ll see it in birthday cards and people can also say it to you.
Congratulations
You can say this when someone has been successful, or has done something to celebrate.
“Congratulations on passing your exam!” (Remember the preposition “on” when you say why you’re congratulating someone.
You might also say it when two people get married, or have a child.
Condolences
This is what you say when you want to show your sympathy after someone dies. You can say (or write) “My deepest condolences” or “My sincere condolences”. You can follow it with the phrase “on your loss”, but you can also just write your name after if you’re using the phrase on a card. If you’re speaking to the other person, they’ll probably say “thank you”.
English is full of little phrases that we use in particular situations. When you know which phrases to use, you can speak English more confidently and more naturally. Let me show you natural, everyday phrases when you join the English Fluency Club – a fluency program that helps you speak confidently in everyday situations!
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