If somebody needs to be referred to formally throughout my story. Should they be referred to as Mr Duly or Mister Duly. Within Dialogue as well:
"Good evening Mister Duly," said George. "Is it?" said Mister Duly.
?
Thanks.
Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :
"Mr." outside of dialog, "Mister" within dialog.
Posted by JohnArden (Member # 3272) on :
Be careful not to miss the period at the end of Mr., as well. It may seem trivial, but hte implication of a missing period is that the Mr is actually the character's name, and may incite a reader to look for a meaning behind the Mr as a name, rather than Mr. as a title.
Posted by wbriggs (Member # 2267) on :
If I see Mr with no period, I assume I'm reading a non-US English story (UK, Oz, etc.). They don't use periods.
If I see Mister, I assume it's a child talking, not a title: I wouldn't say "Mister Jones," but I would have a child say, "Mister, can I have my ball back?"
Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
"Mr."
Outside of dialogue, you should probably see if you can drop the "Mr." and just use the last name.
Posted by hoptoad (Member # 2145) on :
Here in Oz we don't use the full-stop after Mr, as WBRIGGS said. The general rule us that if you contract a word and the contraction still uses the last letter of the full version you don't need the dot. For instance 'Mister Bob' can be contracted to Mr Bob but when Sister (like a nun) is contracted to Sis. you need the dot.
Is it not the same in US? BTW: Do you need the full-stops between the U and the S or is it purely a familiarity thing.
I would use Mr in both dialogue and non-dialogue text and avoid the paralysis by analysis factor.
Just read Survivor's post and agree. Do it if you can get away with it without smashing your POV to a pink, steaming paste.
[This message has been edited by hoptoad (edited March 09, 2006).]
Posted by wbriggs (Member # 2267) on :
US is so common (who wants to type all those periods?) that I think it's fine in informal writing (m-w.com seems to agree). I notice cnn.com uses U.S. (no space); I think this is conventional for more formal writing.
Posted by Leigh (Member # 2901) on :
quote:Here in Oz we don't use the full-stop after Mr, as WBRIGGS said. The general rule us that if you contract a word and the contraction still uses the last letter of the full version you don't need the dot. For instance 'Mister Bob' can be contracted to Mr Bob but when Sister (like a nun) is contracted to Sis. you need the dot.
I never knew that to be honest. Guess I learned something new today when I didn't think I ever would
Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
For acronyms that are often pronounced rather than spelled out, it is usual to drop the periods. For those that are spelled out, it depends on a lot of things. U.S. is spelled out, since otherwise it's hard to distinguish from the word "us" (particularly for Americans). Because it only has two letters, it is not too much trouble to add the periods. "USA", on the other hand, is more usual than "U.S.A.".
I think that one problem with spelling out "Mister" in dialog is that general pronunciation of "Mr." has become slightly different from that of "Mister". It may even be a result of the contracted spelling, or perhaps as a result of the introduction of "Ms." into our language. This could also have to do with the use of "Mister" as an insult (of sorts) in military usage (with the implication that someone's rank doesn't deserve mention) which has passed on into the broader American culture.
Anyway, it's complicated. Since "Mr." clearly means "Mr." and is pronounced as "Mr.", that's what I would consider the best option. Other options are not universally bad or anything, but they are also not exactly the same.
Posted by trousercuit (Member # 3235) on :
There's a pronunciation difference between "Mr." and "Mister?" What is it?
I collect dialects as a hobby, and I've never heard this one. Have I been to all the wrong places?
Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
I'd say that it usually manifests as a subtle stress on the first syllable so that the short "i" is clearly evident, "miss-tur". But then, I have a really hard time telling "Ms." from "Miss", so I couldn't say for sure. It might have more to do with tone of voice, after all.
However, the constant is that when used as a diminutive you'd spell it out, "mister" or "Mister". This is true whether or not it is used with a last name.
Posted by hoptoad (Member # 2145) on :
There is definitely a tendency to pronounce the 'er' as schwa sounds in 'Mr' more than 'mister'. There is a subtle empasis on the first syllable in Mr whereas in 'mister' the lengthening of the 'er' seems to balance the syllables a little more. But I'm slowly going deef. So may be mistaken.
BTW Trouserecruit, as a dialect-collector have you ever read Bill Bryson's Mother Tongue?
[This message has been edited by hoptoad (edited March 13, 2006).]
