For those who have never tried eating with their fingers instead of with forks or chopsticks, it may be worth a try when they travel one day to a plac

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1 Issue No.28 July 2007 O F F I C I A L L A N G U A G E S D I V I S I O N, C I V I L S E R V I C E B U R E A U Etiquette means behaving yourself a little better than is absolutely essential. Will Cuppy 1

2 For those who have never tried eating with their fingers instead of with forks or chopsticks, it may be worth a try when they travel one day to a place like India. It is always advisable to follow local customs wherever one visits, as the proverb When in Rome, do as the Romans do says. Widely taken as an infallible precept, the saying When in Rome, do as the Romans do is attributed to Saint Ambrose, one of the most eminent bishops of the 4th century. When Saint Augustine arrived in Milan, he observed that, unlike the practice in Rome, the Church there did not fast on Saturday. He then consulted Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, whether religious fasting should be practised on Saturday. Saint Ambrose replied, When I am in Milan, I do not fast on Saturday; when I am in Rome, I fast on Saturday, and advised him to follow the custom of the Church where he was. Saint Ambrose s advice had appeared in English by about 1530 and eventually became When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Saint Ambrose When in Rome, do as the Romans do remains a popular saying and is often shortened to either simply when in Rome or to simply do as the Romans do. For example, I don t usually eat lamb, but I did when I went to New Zealand, well, when in Rome... and I know you have egg and bacon for breakfast at home, but now you are on the Continent. So do as the Romans do and take coffee and rolls instead. Customs may not be as wise as laws, but they are always more popular. Benjamin Disraeli 2

Widely taken as an infallible precept, the saying When in Rome, do as the Romans do is attributed to Saint Ambrose, one of the most eminent bishops of the 4th century.

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5 Long Time No See! When we bump into someone we have not seen for a long time, to express our joy and surprise, we often say Hey! Long time no see! Long time no see is used as an informal greeting if we have not seen another person for quite some time. Often used in a rather light-hearted way, it is a popular phrase in television series and films. Its usage is mostly confined to informal situations. In written English, or in a more formal context, such a colloquialism should be avoided because it is considered sub-standard from a grammatical point of view. In the same situation, we may instead say It s been a while or It s been a long time, which is the shortened form of It s been a long time since we last met. It is said that the phrase long time no see, being a literal translation of, has a Chinese origin. It is a jocular imitation of broken English and is believed to be a phrase used to make fun of the Chinese pidgin *. It entered the English language in the early 19th century when there were increasing exchanges between the East and the West. Later in that century, when more and more Chinese landed on the West Coast of North America in search of fortune during the Gold Rush days, this phrase was picked up by the Americans. The phrase long time no see is so widely used that modern variants, such as long time no talk and long time no write, have come into use to convey a sense of extended lack of communication. While long time no see serves as a greeting after prolonged separation, we often say see you when we part with someone. It is an informal greeting, and means more or less the same as see you later, see you soon or see you around. So instead of saying goodbye or simply bye, to bid farewell, we may say see you to show that we are indeed expecting another meeting. * It is said that when the Chinese merchants began to develop external trade, they failed to pronounce business correctly and uttered pidgin instead. Because of their inarticulate utterances, the broken English they spoke was since then known as pidgin English. 5

Often used in a rather light-hearted way, it is a popular phrase in television series and films. Its usage is mostly confined to informal situations.

6 What to Wear? Up or Down? When you receive an invitation to a party, a banquet or some other kind of function, the first thing you do might be to check your diary to see if you are available to join in. If yes, then what comes next might be: what am I going to wear? The question of appropriate attire can be a brain-teaser because you will feel out of place if you put on the wrong clothes. Depending on the formality of the occasion, sometimes we need to either dress up or dress down. The general rule is: evening functions are relatively more formal. If the invitation is tendered in the form of an invitation card, it should give you some hints, because very often the suggested dress code is clearly stated. As a general rule, when you see black tie, that means guests are expected to wear something pretty formal. For gentlemen, a bow tie and a tuxedo are required; for ladies, a cocktail dress or a long gown. Sometimes guests will appear in their national costume, which is also accepted as a form of formal wear in most cases. A less formal or semiformal dress code is lounge suit, which means a jacket and a pair of matching trousers, usually of dark colour, together with a normal tie for men. For ladies, both a matching jacket and skirt or a shorter length dress (as opposed to a long gown) will be fine. If casual wear is marked on the invitation card, then any jacket and trousers will do for men. For ladies, anything decent and presentable will be okay. These are just some of the commonest dress codes. You may come across many more, such as semi-formal and smart casual. They are less specific, and the corresponding attire may vary from one occasion to another. In general, the dress code for ladies is more flexible as it is much affected by fashion and local custom. Choosing the right attire is very important because it can show your respect for the host and for the occasion. As the ambience of different occasions varies, you will feel more comfortable and confident about socialising with others if you are in the suitable apparel. 6

If yes, then what comes next might be: what am I going to wear? The question of appropriate attire can be a brain-teaser because you will feel out of place if you put on the wrong clothes.

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8 Come and Celebrate! We organise celebrations for important events to share the joy with people that we hold dear. These special occasions may vary in nature and we do different things on different occasions. The answers to the following crossword puzzle are all related to celebrations. With the hints given, are you able to fill in all the squares? ACROSS 1 A friendly expression said just before drinking an alcoholic drink. 4 The counting aloud of numbers backwards before something important happens. 5 Hold up a glass and then drink as an expression of good wishes or respect. 7 Birthstone for September. 9 The traditional gift for a 40th wedding anniversary. 11 A fifth anniversary. 13 A precious stone usually associated with the 55th wedding anniversary. 14 Start an event or open a building etc for the first time. 15 A term to describe the birthday when a person s age coincides with the day in the month he or she was born. DOWN 1 An alcoholic drink usually served at parties. 2 A party held for a woman just before she gets married or gives birth to a child. 3 A black cap with a square flat top, worn by teachers and students at graduation ceremonies. 6 A party someone gives in a house that he or she has just moved into. 8 A woman who helps the bride at a wedding. 10 The sound made by people clapping their hands to show enjoyment or approval. 12 A small bunch of flowers which a woman pins to her clothes or ties around her wrist, usually for a special occasion. Please send your entry to the Editorial Board of Name : Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms (delete as appropriate) Word Power, Official Languages Division, Civil Service Bureau, Room 2310, High Block, Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong before 17 August Watch out for our coming issue to see if you get all the answers right and if you are one of the lucky five to win a prize. The Editorial Board will have the final say on the answers. Department : Post : Tel. No. : Address : Dr Gillian M. Humphreys Hon Chinese Adviser Dr Hong Po-man Hon English Adviser Dr Gillian M. Humphreys Editorial Board Chairman Miss Li Yuen-lee Member Miss Hilda Yan Member Miss Janet Wong Member Mrs Stella Mui Member Miss Holly Lo Executive Editor Mr Kenneth Luk Member Mr Yim King-wah Member Mr Edmond Wong Assistant Editor Ms Shirley Lui Member Mrs Eunice Chiu Member Miss Patty Tse ( (csbolrs@csb.gov.hk) Word Power is also uploaded to the homepage of the Civil Service Bureau ( If you have any comments or suggestions about this publication, please write to the Editorial Board of Word Power (Official Languages Division, Civil Service Bureau, Room 2310, High Block, Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong or csbolrs@csb.gov.hk). 8

With the hints given, are you able to fill in all the squares? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 ACROSS 1 A friendly expression said just before drinking an alcoholic drink.

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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit English for Study in Australia 留学澳洲英语讲座 Lesson 3: Make yourself at home 第三课 : 宾至如归 L1 Male: 各位朋友好, 欢迎您收听留学澳洲英语讲座节目, 我是澳大利亚澳洲广播电台的节目主持人陈昊 L1 Female: 各位