courtesies
courtesies — noun
1. polite behaviour that shows respect and good manners towards other people; also
polite behaviour that shows respect and good manners towards other people; also a specific polite action or remark made as a gesture of goodwill.
The hotel staff showed the same courtesies to every guest, from the tour groups to the VIPs.
countable plural: same courtesies
Nadia exchanged polite courtesies with her new colleagues on the first day of work.
collocation: exchange courtesies
In many East Asian cultures, bowing is a common courtesy when greeting someone for the first time.
The elderly man appreciated the small courtesies his neighbours offered him during the snowstorm.
Amara held the door open for the person behind her — a simple courtesy that took only a second.
- politeness
focuses on following social rules of behaviour; more general than courtesy
- manners
usually plural; refers to learned social behaviour, often from upbringing
- civility
more formal; basic polite behaviour, often in public or professional contexts
- rudeness
deliberately impolite or disrespectful behaviour
- discourtesy
formal term for lack of politeness
文法句型
show + courtesies
exchange + courtesies
it is a courtesy + to-infinitive
用法筆記
Countable sense (plural courtesies) refers to specific polite acts or remarks. Uncountable sense (courtesy, no plural) refers to the general quality of being polite. The headword courtesies is the plural form.
常見錯誤
2. used to show who has kindly given permission for something to be used, shown, or
used to show who has kindly given permission for something to be used, shown, or published — especially in photography, exhibitions, news reports, and other media.
The wedding photographs were published by courtesy of the bride's family.
pattern: published by courtesy of [person/entity]
This exhibition displays rare handwritten letters by courtesy of the National Library.
A selection of the artist's early sketches is shown here by courtesy of the Tokyo Museum of Modern Art.
- with the permission of
more direct and less formal than by courtesy of
- thanks to
informal; can imply gratitude rather than formal permission
文法句型
by courtesy of + noun phrase
用法筆記
Used almost exclusively in formal written contexts such as exhibition notes, photo credits, and acknowledgements. The phrase by courtesy of is fixed — do not replace courtesy with courtesies.
常見錯誤
3. used to say who has given or provided something, or who is responsible for somet
used to say who has given or provided something, or who is responsible for something happening — often in a thankful or slightly joking tone.
The hotel provided a complimentary breakfast, courtesy of the manager who wanted to apologise for the noise.
pattern: [something] courtesy of [person]
Theo reached the airport on time courtesy of his neighbour, who gave him a lift after his car broke down.
The school built a new science lab, courtesy of a donation from a local business.
We arrived at the party two hours late, courtesy of a huge traffic jam on the highway.
- thanks to
can replace courtesy of in most positive contexts; less common in ironic uses
- provided by
more neutral and literal; lacks the thankful or jokey tone
文法句型
courtesy of + noun phrase
用法筆記
Commonly used both positively (to thank someone) and humorously or ironically (to blame something). Unlike sense 2, this sense does not imply formal permission. The phrase is always courtesy of (singular), never courtesies of.