Paragraph Manners and Etiquette

We learn etiquette and manners from our parents, families and various institutions, such as schools, colleges or professional bodies. There are rules of behaviour for all kinds of social occasions and it is important to learn them. Manners, therefore, have been important for thousands and thousands of years. In ancient Egypt, a man called Ptahhotep Tshefi wrote a collection of instructions and suggestions which he said came from his grandfather, In ancient Greece and Rome, there were also rules for acceptable behaviour. In ancient China, Confucius gave instructions on how to eat and speak properly. All through history, people have known that being considerate of others was very important and that manners helped people get along with each other and avoid unnecessary conflict. One man, Edumund Burke, said that manners were more important even than laws, because to a great extent laws are based on the behaviours considered important by a society.Good manners have long been considered the mark of an educated person, the sign of a good-hearted person, and evidence that someone might be trustworthy. Etiquette is slightly different than manners: it refers to specific rules particular to a specific time and place. For example, in 11th century France, using forks was considered poor etiquette and using your hands to eat was considered good etiquette. In the middle ages, it was considered proper etiquette to keep your hands visible on the dining table to show you didn’t have a hand on your sword. The word ‘etiquette’ comes from an old French word for ‘ticket’, which shows that using the correct social habits can be the ticket to your acceptance in a group.