by Magdalena Matz, a teacher from Łódź,Poland, Eszter Roll, a teacher from Pécs, Hungary and Iwona Zajączkowska, a teacher from Katowice, Poland.

“Civility costs nothing but buys everything.” (Mary Wortly Montaque)

Do you really know what good manners mean? Have a look at our definitions.

The demands of good manners are international in general. If you want to test how well-mannered you are, we have prepared a quiz for you.

 If we compare manners and etiquette from all over the world, we find that the basics are the same almost everywhere. We have interviewed 5 people from different countries to compare their opinions about this topic.

These days due to the development of technology and transportation once distant countries have become easier to reach. In order to maintain international relationships, the mutual understanding of each other is crucial. We have some cultural notes for you to refer to.  And it is not only a matter of speaking foreign languages. Being abroad does not only require familiarity with geographical background information and speaking the language at some level. It also requires familiarity with local manners otherwise you can easily find yourself in embarrassing situations, not to mention the potential drawbacks when you are on a business trip.

On this webpage we will try to provide you with useful and interesting information concerning good and bad manners. One of them is our picture gallery. The other one is a so-called Did you know that section where you can find out about different customs regarding manners.

You will also find a number of Hot Potato activities you can use in your classroom.

 We also look at small talk on our page as an example of communicating with people we don’t know well or we don’t know at all and give some ideas about which topics are the ones to avoid. To practice them you will find some role-play situation cards you may use with your students.

Finally as an additional activity, we have a number of quotations for you concerning manners and their role in our life.