Use As A Form of Address
In speaking, Madam is used in direct address when the lady's name is not known; for example: May I help you, madam? In the United States and in Canada, "ma'am" is usually used. The male equivalent is "sir".
When addressing a letter to the holder of a particular position without knowing the name or gender of the addressee, it is common to write "Dear Sir or Madam,". When writing to a newspaper editor, the correct English usage is to omit the "Dear" and commence simply "Sir," or "Madam," etc.
Read more about this topic: Madam
Famous quotes containing the words form and/or address:
“But labor of the hands, even when pursued to the verge of drudgery, is perhaps never the worst form of idleness. It has a constant and imperishable moral, and to the scholar it yields a classic result.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Classic remorse, as all the moralists are agreed, is a most undesirable sentiment. If you have behaved badly, repent, make what amends you can and address yourself to the task of behaving better next time. On no account brood over your wrongdoing. ROLLING IN THE MUCK IS NOT THE BEST WAY OF GETTING CLEAN.”
—Aldous Huxley (1894–1963)