In more formal situations you might say: “Do you follow me?” “

Are you with me on that?” “All right so far?” “Is everything clear?”

“Got that?”

The importance of these little phrases cannot be overemphasized. In

fact they ask for a tacit agreement from listeners and seek their encouragement or approval to continue a conversation. And what is more important they make speakers sound less abrupt and bring listeners into the

talk. On the other hand listeners are also expected either to encourage 20

speakers or merely to show they are listening to be polite. Facial expressions, gestures and so on are very important indicators of attention and interest. So are certain words and intonation that can be used in uttering

them. Here are some useful words you might use to show you are involved

and share the speaker’s feelings: “Ah. Yes. Gosh. Sure. Yeah. Wow. Oh.

Really? Lovely. Mmm…right. Fancy that! I know. Fine. Well. I see.

OK. Exactly so.

These brief utterances point to the level of agreement and comprehension as well as reveal the listener’s emotional involvement. At the same

time you should not put too many of these utterances in, because in this

case the expression may be one of overbearing pugnacity or embarrassing

friendliness.

If you need to delay answering a question while you think for a moment or check on your facts you may use some delaying expressions:

“Well, let me see …” “Oh, let me think for a moment.” “I’m not sure,

I’ll just have to find it out.” “That’s a very interesting question.”

“That’s a difficult question to answer.” “It’s difficult to say.” “Let me

put it this way.” “What do you mean?”

These delaying expressions give people time to think about their replies.

If you want to avoid answering questions altogether you may use expressions like these: “I’m not really sure.” “I can’t tell you off-hand,

I’m afraid.” “I’m terribly sorry, I really don’t know.” “I’ve no idea,

I’m afraid.” “I can’t answer that one, but I’ll tell you where you can

find it out.” “I’d rather not answer that one, if you don’t mind.”

If you don’t want to discuss something, use the following phrases:

“Well, I’d rather leave individuals out of this.” “Well, I’d rather not

discuss it at the moment.” Well, I’d rather not talk about it if you

don’t mind.” “Well, I’d rather wait till I know more about it before I

say.” “Well, I’d rather wait before I commit myself.” 21

If the British want to terminate a conversation generally end a conversation with people or a person they know by an excuse and saying

something nice after the topics of common interest have been discussed,

e.g. “ Excuse me, I’m afraid I have to be going now. It was really a

pleasure to talk to you.” Some other ways may be: summing up a conversation by using “OK”,”Well”, etc. or/and making arrangements to speak to

the person at a later time. In a business conversation where there is a specific point to be discussed the British come to the point quickly. In this

case the conversation winds down after the point has been discussed and an

excuse is not necessary.

EXERCISES

I. Read the conversation and answer the questions given after the text.

A: Can I help you?

B: Yes, I’d like one of those things, oh, you know.

A: No, I’m afraid, I don’t.

B: You know the sort of thing I mean for holding papers together, I’ve forgotten what they are called.

A: Ah, you mean paper clips, don’t you?

B: No, not exactly. A sort of paper clip. Well, you know what I mean.

A: Sorry, I don’t.

B: They are little wire things you put in a machine and then press.

A: Ah, you mean staples, I think?

B: Yes, that’s right. I couldn’t remember what they were called. Thank

you.

Questions:

1. Does the first speaker try to be helpful? What language shows he does?

2. What other language could the first speaker have used with the same

meaning? 3. Do you think both speakers are polite and patient with each

other? 22

III. Look trough the lines and:

a) rearrange them to produce a natural dialogue:

1. Yes, please. Do you mind if I open the window?

2. No, I don’t think so. Would you like to look at my timetable?

3. No, I don’t think so. Shall I move my bag?

4. No, that’s quite all right. The train’s rather crowded, isn’t it?

5. Yes, I suppose so. By the way, it does stop at Brighton, doesn’t it?

6. Shall I look after your bag for you?

7. Yes, please.

8. Excuse me, is this seat taken?

9. No, that’s quite all right. I think, I’ll just go for a cup pf coffee.

10.Yes, it is, isn’t it? I suppose it’s because it’s Friday.

b) read the dialogue you have made up and answer the following questions:

1. Do the speakers know each other? 2. How did the speakers develop the

conversation after answering? 3. Do the two speakers sound friendly and

polite? If so, what language shows they are? 4. What sorts of developments

did the first speaker use? 5. What other sorts of developments do you think

might have been used in this situation?

IV. Make a natural response to the following remarks, remembering that

you should both answer and develop the conversation:

1. You’ve been to London, haven’t you? 2. Have you seen the paper today?

3. You’re not English, are you? 4. You work a lot, don’t you? 5. You haven’t got minute to spare, have you?

V. Make short conversations in the following situations.

1. Ask the person sitting next to some personal questions politely. Try to

sound interested when listening to her/him.

2. You meet a nice girl/boy outside your University. Strike up a conversation with her/him to find out whether: 1) she’s/he’s a student of your University; 2) she’s/he’s fond of history. 23

3. Your teacher has explained something, but you still don’t understand it

very well. Politely ask for clarification.

4. It’s your first day in a new group and you don’t know where to sit. Ask

one of the other students politely about the seating arrangements.

5. Some students come to your door to talk to you about a New-Year party.

You are not well. You have a lot of work. Get rid of them politely.

6. Someone who has started work in your organization asks you what the

boss is like. You don’t want to discuss him/her.

UNIT 4

Requests and Permission

Read the text and do exercises given after it.

Requests in English are usually made in the

form of general questions with the help of the modal

verbs May, Can, Could, Will, Would. Requests are

pronounced with rising intonation at the end of the

question. Adding “please” to a request makes it more

polite. As a rule, polite requests are not asked in the form of negative questions.

The modal verbs May, Could, Will, Would are used in making polite requests in speech and writing, in communications with strangers and

with people you know. Can in requests is considered to be less polite than

the other modals in this group. Can is generally used in informal requests

mostly in conversation with friends and family. Note the use of the pronouns “I, you”. In requests, May is used in the form “May I”; “Will and

Would are used in the forms “Will you” and “Would you”; Could and

Can are used in both variants.

e.g. “May I speak to Tom Lee, please?” May I borrow your pen, please?”

“Could I speak to Tom, please?” “Could you lend me thirty dollars till

Wednesday, please?” “Can I borrow your pen, please?” “Can you tell me

where the bank is, please?” “Will you please be quiet?” “Would you please

ask her to call me?” 24

Note: The modal verb Might can be used in making polite requests in the

same way as May, but is rarely used in this function and is not discussed

here.

Typical responses to requests

If you want to respond to a request positively, use the following typical responses to requests.

Formal style: I’d be glad to. / I’d be happy to.

Less formal: Yes, of course.

Informal: Sure. / No problem. / Uh-huh.

Examples:

1. Could you tell her that Roy James called? – I’d be glad to.

2. Could you help me with this report? – Yes, of course. / Certainly.

3. Could you tell me where the bank is, please? – Sure. It’s right around

the corner on Fifth Street, next to the post office.

4. Could I borrow your calculator for a minute? – Sure, here it is.

If for some reason you want to respond to a request negatively, use the following typical responses.

Formal style: I’m afraid it’s not possible. / I’m very sorry, but … / I’d like

to, but … / I wish I could (help), but …

Less formal: Sorry. / Sorry, I can’t.

Examples:

1. Could you lend me a hundred dollars? – I’m afraid it’s not possible. /

I’m sorry, but I can’t lend you a hundred dollars now. / I wish I could help

you, but I’m afraid I can’t.

2. Could I use your phone? – I’m sorry. I’m waiting for a phone call.

3. May I speak to Mr. Brown, please? – Sorry, he is not in.

4. Would you please ask him to call me at seven o’clock?- I’d like to, but I

won’t see him.

5. Can I borrow your CD player? – Sorry, I need it today.

Note: It is often incorrect to respond to requests using the same modal verb

in short answers. Modal verbs form requests in the form of questions, and

the meaning of the same modal verbs in statements is often different and 25

might not be logically. Compare the meanings of modal verbs in the following requests and incorrect responses to them.

Examples:

Could I borrow your pen? (request) – Yes, you could. (possibility)

Could you open the window, please? (request) – Yes, I could. (possibility)

May I speak to Mr. Brown, please? (request) – Yes, you may. (permission)

Would you please pass the salt? (request) – Yes, I would. (supposition)

Requesting permission

The structures "Could you, Can you, Will you, Would you" are

used in requests to do something, while "May I, Could I, Can I" are used