In article <MPG.1c50dba7c2afeb5998ac87@news.individual.net>,
the Omrud <usenet.omrud@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > > Hello, good morning.
> > > > Can I talk to Mr. Benito?
> > > May I please speak with Mr. Benito?
> In any case, the version above is not preferred in UK English.
> "speak with" sounds like pretentious management language. There's
> nothing wrong with "speak to".
No one suggested "speak to"; "speak with" was offered as a correction to
"talk to" but, more importantly, "may I" is the correction for "can I."
Can I talk to Mr. Benito? Poor
May I talk to Mr. Benito? Slightly better
May I speak to Mr. Benito? Acceptable, common usage.
May I speak with Mr. Benito? Also correct, slightly more
formal, preferred usage among
educated speakers.
--
Please take off your shoes before arriving at my in-box.
I will not, no matter how "good" the deal, patronise any business which sends
unsolicited commercial e-mail or that advertises in discussion newsgroups.
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