{"id":2729,"date":"2016-02-10T09:00:57","date_gmt":"2016-02-10T17:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/?p=2729"},"modified":"2020-12-10T13:44:16","modified_gmt":"2020-12-10T21:44:16","slug":"death-and-bathrooms-diplomatic-language-in-english-conversation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/death-and-bathrooms-diplomatic-language-in-english-conversation\/","title":{"rendered":"Death and Bathrooms: Diplomatic Language in English Conversation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Imagine you\u2019re with family or friends, and you suddenly have to use the bathroom. There could be a few different reasons you need to go to the bathroom. Maybe your nose is starting to get really congested and you need to blow it. Maybe your bladder or bowels are full. If you\u2019re becoming really sick (and are unlucky enough to be around other people as it happens), you may even need to vomit.<\/p>\n

But of course, you probably wouldn\u2019t tell<\/em> your buddies the specific reason you need to go the bathroom. That would be rude\u2026 and gross<\/em>. Instead, you\u2019ll likely just tell them you\u2019re going to the bathroom, right? It\u2019s the polite thing to do, in the English-speaking world and in nearly all other cultures.<\/p>\n

Now imagine you suddenly need to go to the bathroom, but you\u2019re not<\/em> with family or friends. Instead you\u2019re with a group of people you don\u2019t know quite as well\u2014co-workers, colleagues, classmates you just recently met\u2026. In a situation like this, saying \u201cI need to go to the bathroom\u201d could still be seen as just a little bit rude or childish in the English speaking world (and in other cultures too). So even more polite, diplomatic language<\/a>\u00a0is needed.<\/p>\n

Below is a list of a few euphemisms<\/em>\u2014polite, alternative ways to say something\u2014that you can use to excuse yourself when a bathroom break is needed in a formal social situation.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Euphemisms for going to the bathroom<\/h2>\n
    \n
  • \u201cI\u2019ve got to go freshen up.\u201d<\/li>\n
  • \u201cI\u2019ve got to go use the little boys\u2019\/little girls\u2019 room.\u201d<\/li>\n
  • \u201cExcuse me a moment\u2026 nature calls.\u201d (This one is formal-but-playful, so use it carefully.)<\/li>\n
  • \u201cI\u2019m going down the hall\/across the hall\/to the back, etc…\u201d (Basically, say you\u2019re going in the direction where the bathroom is.)<\/li>\n
  • \u201cI\u2019ve got to use the facilities.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    With this kind of indirect speech, there\u2019s a chance someone might not understand what you\u2019re implying. To make people at least understand that you are leaving only temporarily, follow any bathroom euphemism with a reassuring \u201cI\u2019ll be right back.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Bathrooms and the things we do in them can be a delicate subject. But there\u2019s another social topic where polite euphemistic language is even more important: the subject of death and dying. In situations where someone has died or may die soon, it\u2019s important to use very gentle language\u2014and to understand the gentle language other people are using. If someone is talking about the death of a loved one, you don\u2019t want to force them to speak more directly because you didn\u2019t understand their euphemisms. Here is a list of polite English phrases that are used in these kinds of very sad situations.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Euphemisms for death and dying<\/h2>\n
      \n
    • Death (describing someone who is already dead)<\/em>\n
        \n
      • \u201cHe is at peace.\u201d<\/li>\n
      • \u201cShe is no longer with us.\u201d OR \u201cShe isn\u2019t with us anymore.\u201d<\/li>\n
      • \u201cHe was taken from us.\u201d (This implies especially severe sadness, and often refers to someone who died young or died prematurely.)<\/li>\n
      • \u201cShe passed away.\u201d (\u201cPassed away\u201d is probably the most common polite substitute for \u201cdied.\u201d)<\/li>\n
      • \u201cHe is in heaven.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
      • Dying (describing someone who may die soon)<\/em>\n
          \n
        • \u201cShe is fading away.\u201d<\/li>\n
        • \u201cHe may not be with us for much longer.\u201d<\/li>\n
        • \u201cShe is on her last legs.\u201d (This is more emotionally intense than other euphemisms, and has a sense of urgency.)<\/li>\n
        • \u201cHe is not long for this world.\u201d<\/li>\n
        • \u201cShe is not doing well.\u201d (This can refer to chronic illness or nearness to death, depending on the context.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

           <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Imagine you\u2019re with family or friends, and you suddenly have to use the bathroom. There could be a few different reasons you need to go to the bathroom. Maybe your nose is starting to get really congested and you need to blow it. Maybe your bladder or bowels are full. If you\u2019re becoming really sick […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":80,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13604],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[13630],"class_list":["post-2729","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vocab"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDeath and Bathrooms: Diplomatic Language in English Conversation - Magoosh Blog \u2013 TOEFL\u00ae\ufe0f Test<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/death-and-bathrooms-diplomatic-language-in-english-conversation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Death and Bathrooms: Diplomatic Language in English Conversation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Imagine you\u2019re with family or friends, and you suddenly have to use the bathroom. 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Additionally, he's helped students with TOEIC, PET, FCE, BULATS, Eiken, SAT, ACT, GRE, and GMAT. David has a BS and MA from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and an MA from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MagooshEnglishLearning","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/david-recine\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCra3KQoJlOP7RYwaCyH2qew"],"knowsAbout":["TOEFL","IELTS","TOEIC","PET","FCE","BULATS","Eiken","SAT","ACT","GRE","GMAT"],"knowsLanguage":["English","Italian"],"jobTitle":"Content Creator","worksFor":"Magoosh","url":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/author\/davidr\/"}]}},"authors":[{"term_id":13630,"user_id":80,"is_guest":0,"slug":"davidr","display_name":"David Recine","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b70c17ee6f3ef87dc4cc5dbdebda911d6dd30dfe15845e4b1d459a3e1b33ef98?s=96&d=mm&r=g","user_url":"","last_name":"Recine","first_name":"David","description":"David is a Test Prep Expert for Magoosh TOEFL and IELTS. Additionally, he's helped students with TOEIC, PET, FCE, BULATS, Eiken, SAT, ACT, GRE, and GMAT.\r\n\r\nDavid has a BS from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and an MA from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. His work at Magoosh has been cited in<a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C50&q=Recine+magoosh&btnG=\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> many scholarly articles<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/minds.wisconsin.edu\/handle\/1793\/65479\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> his Master's Thesis<\/a> is featured on the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.readingwithpictures.org\/2013\/09\/research-highlight-teaching-english-language-learners-with-comics\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Reading with Pictures<\/a> website, and he's presented at the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.witesol.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/2014-WITESOL-Program-FINAL-10-28-14.pdf\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> WITESOL (link to PDF)<\/a> and<a href=\"https:\/\/issuu.com\/interoff\/docs\/nafsaregionv_2014conference\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> NAFSA<\/a> conferences. David has taught K-12 ESL in South Korea as well as undergraduate English and MBA-level business English at American universities. He has also trained English teachers in America, Italy, and Peru.\r\n\r\nCome join David and the Magoosh team on<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCra3KQoJlOP7RYwaCyH2qew\"> Youtube<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MagooshEnglishLearning\"> Facebook<\/a>, and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/magooshenglish\/?hl=en\"> Instagram<\/a>, or connect with him via<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/david-recine\/\"> LinkedIn<\/a>!"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2729","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/80"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2729"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2729\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2729"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2729"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2729"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/toefl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=2729"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}