Making Requests

Will Would Can Could

you

repeat that again, please? close/ open the door/ window, please? tell me the time? help/ show me ...?

Do Would

you mind telling me about ... ? / saying that again?

Note 1: A request ends with a rising intonation. “Please” makes your

request more polite and it comes at the beginning or the end.

Note 2: “Will you/ Can you” are more used between friends and family members to make a simple request. “Would you/ could you” are used amongst friends when the request is more demanding, and with strangers.

Refusing a Request

I’m sorry (really very sorry), I can’t help you.

I’m sorry, I haven’t got time to ... .

Accepting a Request

Yes, certainly. Anything else?

Yes, of course.

Sure, I will. (esp. AmE)

Exercise 11. Work in pairs. Make requests and respond to them as in the model.

Model: You are at home. You want the TV on.

Will you turn the TV on?

Yes, of course.

1. You are in a library. You want the librarian to show you a few

books on economics.

2. You are very busy. You want someone to post the letter for you.

3. You are taken ill with influenza. Your neighbour is going

shopping. You want some bread and milk.

4 You are short of money. You want to borrow 100,000 roubles

from your acquaintance.

I must pay back my debt.

5. You are on a train. You want the window open.

6. You are on holiday. You want someone to take your photograph.

7. You want someone to show you the way to the Rector’s Office.

Exercise 12. You are at an airport travelling with a friend. You need your friend’s help in a number of ways: with the luggage (baggage – esp. AmE), checking in, flight information, etc. Ask your friend to do these things, in varying degrees of politeness. When you have finished talking, write down in dialogue form the conversation you have had. Use the words and expressions below as prompts.

1) a check-in desk

2) flight number

3) departure gate

4) departure gate number

5) at which departure gate my flight is boarding

6) how to get to the check-in desk

7) to announce the flight over the public address system

8) check-in clerk

9) boarding card

10) seat number

11) to listen for destinations and the relevant flight and gate numbers

Expressing Personal Opinions or Personal Points of View

An opinion can be expressed

in a strong way	I’m sure that ... I am convinced that ... There is no doubt that ... It’s perfectly clear to me that ...
in a neutral way	I think you are ... I believe (that) ... It’s my opinion that	As I see it ... From my point of view The way I see it is that ...
in a tentative way (with some hesitation or reservation)	It seems to me that ... I’m inclined to think that ... To my mind ... I see your point but ... I agree up to a point but… I suppose you are right but ...

When talking to somebody or interviewing somebody one can put direct questions expecting direct answers. Putting direct questions often alternates with expressing personal opinion in a conversation.

e.g. - Are you interested in the job of a bank accountant?

- I believe/ As I see it/ It seems to me you are interested in the job of

a bank accountant. Do you have the necessary qualifications?

Note: Tentative opinions are very typical of British people.

Americans would usually be more positive.

TASK 3

Work in pairs. First read through the questionnaire below and check for the comprehension of vocabulary and structures. Then interview your classmate about his/her past, present and future making use of the questionnaire.

Alternate direct questions and expressions of your personal opinion or personal point of view about your classmate’s life, education, hobbies, working experience etc. Fill in the missing information or complete the questions where necessary.

place of birth, family, marital status	When were you born? Have you got a ...? How many ... are there in your ... ? Where do you live? How long have you lived in ... ? Are you married? When did you get married?
education	When did you go to school? (from ... to) Why did you enter the university? What marks (grades - AmE) did you get in ... ? Have you ever failed an exam? What exams have you passed so far ... ? Have you ever read ... ?
educational and social interests	Do you like to ... ? Are you interested in ... ? Are you good at ... ? (N, Ving after “at”) What/ who is your favourite...? Have you ever been to...? Are you good at organizing...? How much time do you spend...? (Ving after “spend”) Can you use a personal computer? What do you find easiest to learn?
working experience, abilities and skills	Have you ever got a job? When exactly was that? Have you ever been dismissed from a job? What job are you going to apply for after graduation? Which do you prefer: a very high salary for a boring job or a modest salary for an interesting and exciting job? Are you quick to seize opportunities and develop them? Are you fairly resourceful, can you make your own decisions? Are you exceptionally cooperative and dependable? Do you make efforts to overcome difficulties? Do you have distinctly high intellectual powers? Are you highly skilled in use of hands?
sports and hobbies, leisure-time	Do you play...? How do you spend...? Have you ever played...? Have you ever been top of the class at school in any sport? What hobbies do you have? Do you often arrange an evening out with your friends? How often do you go to a disco or a nightclub? Can you drive a car? Do you enjoy watching television quiz shows? How often do you go to museums...? Can you enjoy art? Do you collect anything? What do you collect?
learning English	What is the most ... in learning English? What helps you in...? ? Do you want to learn English for...? Are you a good language learner? What helps you understand and remember what you learn? In which areas of language learning do you need to work hardest?

Exercise 13. Work in pairs. Express your opinion about the situations in which the following proverbs and idiomatic expressions with the words “money”, “pence”, “pound”, and “dollar” can be used. What are the corresponding Russian proverbs and idiomatic expressions?

1. Look after the pence and the pounds will look after themselves.

2. Lend your money and lose your friend.

3. Money is a good servant but a bad master.

4. Be rolling in money. (E.g. He must be rolling in money!)

5. Marry (into) money.

6. Look like a million dollars.

7. (One’s) bottom dollar.

8. Money doesn’t grow on tree.

9. Hush money.

10. The almighty dollar.

TASK 4

Work in pairs. Make up and act out conversations on the topic “At a students’ scientific conference”. Make use of the topical words and expressions given below. Making use of expressions of agreement and

disagreement, like and dislike, opinion and comment is recommended.

The list of verbs denoting SPEECH ACTS (performatives):

1) mention	– упоминать
2) report	– сообщать, делать сообщение/ доклад
3) point out	указать, подчеркивать (в речи, сообщении)
4) stress	– подчеркивать, делать акцент на ...
5) describe	– описывать, охарактеризовать
6) explain	– объяснять
7) to present a paper/ report on ...	– представить доклад (на тему) ...
8) the subject-matter of a report	– предмет сообщения/ доклада
9) to listen to a report	– заслушать доклад
10) an abstract of a report	– тезисы доклада
11) to attend a conference/ to participate in a conference	– принять участие в конференции
12) participants (in a conference)	– участники (конференции)
13) to speak at a conference	– выступать на конференции
14) to discuss the most important points of the report	– обсудить наиболее важные моменты доклада
15) to meet a deadline	– успеть к установленному сроку
16) reprint and Xerox copies of a paper/ a report	– репринты и ксерокопии доклада/ сообщения
17) ... your report abounds in statistical data	– в вашем докладе широко представлена статистика
18) to make remarks	– делать замечания
19) my report deals with...	– мое сообщение касается ...
20) to show slides at a conference	– демонстрировать слайды
21) to revise one’s point of view	– пересмотреть точку зрения
22) I greatly appreciate your advice/ suggestions	– я высоко ценю ваш совет/предложения
23) I want to make my point clear	– я хочу объяснить суть вопроса
24) the results of the survey/ the data enabled me to arrive at these conclusions	– результаты обследования/ данные позволили мне сделать эти выводы