Share a space considerately
Read for meaning first. Select a highlighted word if you want a closer look.
In a shared office kitchen, one tenant behaved in a boorish way, talking loudly over introductions and mocking another person's lunch. His uncivil reply to a polite request made the exchange more uncomfortable: he told the speaker to stop wasting his time. Leaving his bags across the only spare chair was also inconsiderate of people trying to sit down. The office manager addressed these specific actions instead of treating a person's background or preferred food as a measure of manners.
At the next gathering, the manager explained that boorish jokes could make newcomers feel unwelcome even when the speaker claimed to be entertaining the room. An uncivil response did not become courteous simply because it contained no swear words. The blocked chair remained inconsiderate because it ignored an obvious need in a crowded space. Tenants agreed to move their belongings, allow introductions to finish, and raise practical concerns in language that others could answer without being insulted.
Before you move on
Look away from the passage. Can you explain each focus word in your own words?
Original fictional passages for vocabulary practice.