Beingpolite

Being polite is not only a sign of good breeding but also of intelligence, respect and knowledge of basic social rules.

Let’s look at some situations.

Let’s look at some examples:

As you know, there are three types of questions in English. Let us look at some examples.

Direct QuestionWhere do you live?How long has she worked for this company?Indirect QuestionCan you tell me where he plays squash?Do you think she will be able to come next week?Question TagsYou live in New York, don't you?She hasn't studied French, has she?

Steps to politeness:

It is certainly correct to ask questions in this manner, but it's very common to make these types of questions more polite by adding 'excuse me' or 'pardon me' to begin your question.Excuse me, where do you live?Pardon me, how long has she worked for this company?

Questions with 'can' are made more polite by using 'could':Excuse me, could you help me pick this up?Pardon me, could you tell me the way to the Town Hall?Pardon me, could you give me a hand?

Steps to politeness:

Another way of making direct questions more polite is to add 'please' at the end of the question:

Could you fill in this form, please?

Could you help me, please?

Can I have more soup, please?

Could you pass the salt, please?

Could you help me carry my groceries to the car, please?

Steps to politeness:

There is, furthermore, a special structure to indicate politeness. We can call it “modals of polite request”:Would you... ?Could you... ?Will you... ?Can you... ?Modal verbs are helping/auxiliary verbs that express ideas like ability, permission, and asking for assistance. Many modal verbs have more than one meaning. They are always followed by the simple form of a verb.For example:Could you help me for a minute, please?This shows that the speaker is asking for help politely.

Steps to politeness:

To ask questions in a very polite way, use: Would you/ Could you (please) + simple verb + ...?

For example:

Would you please email that document to me?

Could you explain that again, please? I didn’t understand.

Steps to politeness:

To ask questions in a polite but more casual way, say: Will you/ Can you (please) + simple verb + ...?

For example:

Will you please answer the phone? I’m working.

Can you hold my books for me? My hands are full.

Steps to politeness:

Possible positive answers to the questions above:

Yes. Yes, certainly.Certainly. Yes, of course.Of course. I’d be happy to.I’d be glad to. My pleasure.

Informally, we can say:

Sure.Okay.Uh-huh. (means yes)

Steps to politeness:

To answer negatively, we say:

No.

Sorry.

No, I’m sorry. I can’t.

Sorry, I can’t. I’m busy right now.

I’d like to, but I can’t.

I’d love to, but I’m busy right now.

Asking to do things…

Asking Saying Yes Saying No

Can I...? Yes, sureWell, I'm afraid...+ reason

Could I...?Could I possibly...?Is it all right if I...?Do you think I could...?

Yes, of course.Yes, that's fine.Certainly.

Well, the problem is...

Do you mind if I...?No, not at all.No, of course not.

Sorry, but...

In short...

Asking to do things- some examples…

Can I open the window?

Could I possibly call you at home?

Do you think I could come round to do my homework with you?

Is it alright if I stay for dinner?

Do you mind if I borrow your pen for a minute?

Asking others to do things –

making requests:Asking Saying Yes Saying No

Can you...? Yes, sure. Well, I'm afraid + reason

Could you...?Is it all right if you...?Do you think you could...?Will you...?Would you...?

Yes, of course.Certainly.

Well, the problem isSorry, but...

Do you mind -ing...?Would you mind -ing...?

No, not at all.Of course not.  

Could you pass me the salt, please?

Is it all right if you help me carry my groceries to the car?

Do you think you could explain that again, please?

Will youplease answer the phone for me?

Would you please copy these documents for me?

Do you mind getting me a tuna sandwich?

Would you mind closing the door after you?

Thanks to www.presentationmagazine.com for the template of this presentation

Could you pass me the salt, please?

Is it all right if you help me carry my groceries to the car?

Do you think you could explain that again, please?

Will youplease answer the phone for me?

Would you please copy these documents for me?

Do you mind getting me a tuna sandwich?

Would you mind closing the door after you?

Thanks to www.presentationmagazine.com for the template of this presentation

Asking others to do things –

making requests, some examples: