Reading

1. | GW. Read the paragraphs and define the reading style. Express your ideas about dinner party etiquette below.

• Wait for some minutes before beginning the meal!
• Do not eat too fast!
• Do not talk while you have food in your mouth!
• Keep the mouth closed while you chew your food!
• Don’t rest your hands or arms on the table to push yourself up!
• If an accident happens at the table, apologize briefly to your hostess!
Formal Dinner Etiquette

■ It is very discourteous for a guest to be late. Arrive at least five minutes before the hour set for the dinner. If for some unavoidable reasons you cannot arrive on time, make a call to the hostess and explain the reasons to her. Etiquette only requires that you wait for fifteen minutes before beginning the meal. If it has been impossible for you to notify her and she has started the meal, go to her, offer apologies and take your place at the table.

Seating

▮ The hostess/the host lead the guests into the dining room. The host and the male guests follow. The hostess then tells her guests where to sit. She must always have the seating arrangement planned in advance in order to avoid confusion and delay. Each person stands casually behind his chair until the hostess starts to take her seat. The man helps his dinner partner to be seated and also helps move her chair as she rises. Each person moves to the left of the chair to be seated and also rises from the left.