Pay respects

To “pay your respects” means to make a polite visit.

Today's story: Queen Elizabeth II death
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Pay respects

Today’s English expression is to “pay respects.”

This is a formal phrase and we usually use it with a possessive. “I went to pay my respects,” is what you might say.

And to pay your respects means to make a polite visit. This is often, but not always, used when someone has died. You pay your respects to the people who are still living, or you can pay your respects to a grave site or other solemn place.

For example, think about the last time you went to a funeral, a wake, or other memorial service for someone you knew. You might have approached the widow, son, or daughter of the deceased person to express your sympathy. You might have given the person a hug or a handshake; you might have said how sorry you were for the person’s loss. If you did that, then you paid your respects to the widow or to the children of the deceased.

However, imagine that you were not very close to the person who died. Imagine that an elderly person on your street has died. In the days or weeks after, you might go to the house and make a polite visit, even if you didn’t go to the funeral. In this case, too, you are paying your respects.

Here’s another way to use it. Many countries have national military cemeteries. Here in the U.S., we have many military cemeteries, but the most famous is called Arlington National Cemetery. It’s in Virginia, near Washington, D.C. Many people go to Arlington to pay their respects to the soldiers who died in wartime.

In a more general sense, “pay your respects” can be about showing respect on a solemn occasion. And that is how I used it in today’s main lesson about the passing of Queen Elizabeth II .

After her death was announced, people gathered outside Buckingham Palace to pay their respects. Obviously, they didn’t go to greet King Charles III personally. But they went to show their respect for the queen and to show their support for the royal family. There were a lot of people, but they made a polite visit to Buckingham Palace. They weren’t cheering, they weren’t drinking, they weren’t partying. They went to share stories, light candles, lay flowers talk to one another, and show their support for the monarchy and to make a respectful gesture.

I looked in the dictionary and the dictionary says that you can also use “pay respects” in a case when someone has not died. The dictionary says that you can “pay your respects” to someone who is sick in the hospital. The dictionary says you can “pay your respects” by visiting a new neighbor who has moved into a house on your street. I keep saying, “the dictionary says” because I don’t think I would use “pay respects” in this sense.

Personally, there is only one situation in which I would use “pay my respects” toward someone who is alive. If someone takes over as the boss of your company, you might go pay your respects by making a polite visit. In that sense, it’s a first visit to show respect to someone in a position of authority.

Liz Truss recently took over as prime minister of the U.K. I imagine that a number of people came by to pay their respects in the day or two after she assumed that office. People made polite visits to acknowledge and respect her new authority as PM.

Quote of the Week

Today’s quote of the week is by the author H.G. Wells. He wrote a famous book called “The Time Machine.” It came out in 1895. This novel was the first time the word “time machine” was used to mean a device that carries you forward or backward in time. That’s a common concept now in science fiction and movies and in our imaginations. But the term started somewhere—and it started with H.G. Wells.

But he has some words for those of us who do not live inside science fiction books and movies. And here’s what he said: “We all have our time machines. Those that take us back are memories. And those that carry us forward are dreams.”

See you next time!

So that’s all for today, a sad occasion for sure. On Thursday’s lesson, we’ll talk about how Elizabeth II became queen. When King Charles III, for example, was born, it was immediately clear that he was first in line to succeed his mother. He’s been waiting his whole life for this job. But it was almost the opposite with Queen Elizabeth II. And for that we’ll go back in history a bit. That’s coming up on Thursday.

But for now, remember this was lesson 506 of Plain English and the full lesson is at PlainEnglish.com/506. That’s all for today. See you Thursday.

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Story: Queen Elizabeth II death