Speaking for intermediate

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PrivateProperty of ESC Family
1. Making Offers
How to make offers in English?
It is common that English speakers make offers in conversations in order to be polite and
helpful. When they do so they use these expressions:
Can I… ?
Shall I… ?
Would you like … ?
How about ...?
English learner must be able to make offers as well as accept or reject them. The following
are useful expressions to do so.
Making offers:
Can
I
help you?
Shall
get you some
juice?
Would you like a glass of water ?
How about some pizza?
Examples:
 "Can I helpyou?"
 "Shall Iopenthe window foryou?"
 "Wouldyoulike anothercupof coffee?"
 "Wouldyoulike me to cleanthe board?"
 "How abouta juice?"
Remember:
 Shall,can and will are followedbythe verbwithout to.
Example:
"Can I helpyou?"
"Shall I bring you the mobile phone?
 Shall ismore formal than can.
 Wouldyou like… isfollowedeitherbyanoun,or by the verbwith to.
Example:
"Wouldyoulike some tea ?"
"Wouldyoulike to drinksome coffee?

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Responding to offers
Accepting Declining
Yes please. I'd like to.
That would be very kind of you.
Yes please,thatwouldbe lovely.
Yes please, I'd love to.
If you wouldn't mind.
If you could.
Thank you,that would be great.
It's OK,I can doit myself.
Don't worry, I'll do it.
No, thanks
No, thank you
Examples:
"No thanks, I'm justhavinga look."(Withashop assistant.)
"Do youknowwhere the postoffice is."
 "Shall Ihelpyouwithyour mathsproblem?"
"Yes,please. Thatwould be very nice of you."
 "Wouldyou like a cupof tea?"
"No thanks." Or,"No thank you."
 "Wouldyoulike anotherpiece of cake?"
"Yesplease,that would be nice ."
"Yesplease,I'dlove one."
 "Wouldyoulike me to dothe the ironingforyou?"
"If you wouldn'tmind."
"If you could."
 "I'll do the washing,if youlike."
"It'sOK, I can do it."
"Don't worry, I'll do it."
"Thank you,that wouldbe great."

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2.Expression of Regrets
Expressions:
I’m regretful of making you sad
I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean ( to do) that.
I do apologize.
Much to my regret. I had to …..
Sample in daily conversation:
At home
Khadis : “Sarah, did you break the vase?”
Sarah : “Yes, Dad. I broke it this morning. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean that.”
Khadis : “It’s OK. Just be careful when you play in the living room.”
At school
Sarah : “Farhan, I do apologize that I couldn’t come to your birthday party
yesterday.”
Farhan : “No problem. I know you were so busy in your boarding house.”
Sarah : “Yeah, I got so much paper to finish.”
Farhan : “It’s alright.”
The words “It’s OK” and “No problem” are the samples of responding to someone who
express his / her regret about something.
So, is it quite simple for you?
Actually, expression of regret is used when you did something nasty, naughty, embarrassing,
and other unintentionally acts and then you feel uneasy, and you say sorry. Expression of
regret is just the same as expression of asking and giving apologizes. But “regret” has deeper
meaning than ordinary “sorry”.
Part 1 (Expression of Possibility)
I never guess that this month, my blog has reached more than 6000 visitors (thanks for all
visitors). Hope you and all visitors could take benefit from this blog.
Well, to make this blog “consistent” as its first mission (as a place to learn English, not only
for publishing my writing about my interests or my experience in doing something), today I
post some materials related with “language focus”. For this part, some materials here could
be applicable for 3rd grade (year XII) students.
OK. First, I will tell you about “Expression of Possibility”. This expression is used to express
whether something could happen or not. For example:

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1. Is it possible that we can win that competition?
2. Is there any possibility of finishing these assignments tomorrow morning?
3. Do you think that the school will dismiss earlier today?
The phrases in bold are phrases that commonly used to express possibility. Then, what about
responding a possibility? To respond a possibility sentence, we can use phrases below:
1. Maybe / perhaps / possible / of course.
2. It could be so / I think so / I don’t think so.
3. That’s possible.
4. I’m sure.
5. I’m optimistic.
3. Expressing Indifference , Shock and disbelief
How to express indifference?
Sometimes you may have no particular interest or concern about something and you want to
express indifference during a conversation. Here are some expressions you can use:
Expressing indifference
 So what?
 Who cares!
 I don’tcare!
 It’sall the same to me.
 I have no preference.
 I suppose so.
 I don’tmind.
 It doesn'tmatterto me
Expressing shock and disbelief
It is sometimes difficult to say how you feel in unexpected situations, such as natural
disasters, bad news .., especially when you feel sad.
Here's a list of some common expressions to help you express
 shock
 and disbelief.
Shock:
I was
shocked to hear…
stunned by...
taken aback by…
...came as
a complete shock.
I'm in
Examples:
 I was shockedtohearthe news.
 I was stunned/takenaback bythe news
 I was completelytakenabackbyhisbehavior.
 I was juststunnedbyherclothes.
 The newscame as a complete shock.
 We're all in complete shock.
Disbelief:
I (just)
can't believe…
can't imagine…
 Whatever(youwant).
 Whateveryoudo?
 I don’tmind.
 It’syour decision.
 Who knows!
 Why shouldIcare?
 It makesnodifference tome

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It's
unbelievable.
incredible.
Examples:
 I justcan't believe he wonthe race.
 It's unbelievable thattheygotmarried
 I just can't imagine they were able to get along with each other.
4. Preferences
Talking about your preferences:
Questions about preferences
 Whichdo you preferteaor coffee?
 Whichdo you preferdrinkingscience orphysics?
 Whichdo you prefertodrinkjuice ormineral water? (Notice:preferto+ presentsimple)
 Whichdo you like betterbasketballorfootball?
 Do youpreferpizzaor spaghetti?
 Wouldyoupreferto eata cake or a fruit?
 Wouldyourather eata cake or a fruit?
Replies
 I preferbaseball.
 I'd prefertodrinkjuice
 I'd ratherdrinkmineral water
 If I hada choice,Iwouldeata sandwich.
 A cup of coffee wouldbe suitable.
Things to remember about preferences
1. "I'd prefer"+ to + verb
2. "I'd rather"+ verb
5.Describing people and things
Describing:
What are some good ways to describe
 people?
 things?
 feelings?
 yourself?
 personality?
See the phrases below for examples of descriptions in English.
Questions:
What
does Leila / the house look like?
can you tell me about Leila / the house?
is Leila / the house like?
Tell me about Leila / the house!
Responses:
Well, she's old, young, middle aged, fat, overweight, slim, thin, skinny,

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blonde, red-head, well-built, tall, dark, beautiful, funny, cute,
really rich, gorgeous ...
She has got
oval face, square face, round face, long, black hair, straight hair,
curly hair, blue eyes, round face, long nose, fair skin , bushy
eyebrows, regular teeth, crooked teeth, rosy cheeks...
She's kind
of
chubby,thin,slim, obese,tall,skinny,short,intelligent, silly, nice,
naughty...
It's big, small, comfortable, clean ...
Short dialogues:
Martha wants Liza to describe the new secretary:
Martha: What's the newsecretarylike?
Liza: She'scute.She'sgot longhair anda roundface.
Martha wants Liza to describe the new apartment:
Martha: Tell me aboutyour new apartment!
Liza:
It's big.It has got three bedrooms,acomfortable livingroom, anda
spaciouskitchen.
6.Expressing obligation
Expressing obligation
When it is necessary or obligatory to do something, you express obligation.
Obligation in the present:
 I have to finishmyworkbefore thisevening.
 I have got to learnEnglishif I wantto live inthe USA.
 I must see the doctor soonbecause I don'tfeel well.
 It is obligatorythat I stop whenthe trafficlightturnred.
 It is necessarythat I take a taxi.I'm late.
Obligation in the past:
 I had to workextrahoursto pay my bills.
Obligation in the future:
 I'll have to borrow money.
Things to remember:
1.The difference between "Have to" and "must" is that "have to"indicates that someone
else has imposed conditions on us.
2. The simple past of "must" is "had to".
3. The simple future of "must" is "will have to".
4. Should also expresses obligation. But there is a difference between must / have to
and should:
 must / have to = 100% obligation."Whenthe trafficlightturnred,youmuststop."
 should= 50% obligation.It'smore an advice thanan obligation."You looktired.youshould
have a rest."

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Dialogue:
Policeman: Don't youknowthat you must stop whenthe trafficlightsare red?
Driver:
Sorry sir.I was soabsent-mindedthatIdidn'tpay attentiontothe traffic
lights.
Policeman: Well sir,you'll have to pay a fine!
7.Expressing Prohibition
Expressing prohibition
To express prohibition the following expressions are used.
To express prohibition you can use:
 It is prohibitedto ...
 You aren’t allowedto ...
 You mustn’t ...
 You aren’t permittedto ...
 It is forbiddento...
Examples:
 Parkingisstrictly prohibitedbetweenthese gates.
 Students aren'tallowedtocome toolate to school.
 Drivers mustn'tpark theircars here.
 It is forbiddentowalkon grass.
 Smokingisn'tpermittedinhospitals.
 People aren'tpermittedtothrow rubbishhere.
Dialogue:
Notice how prohibition is expressed in this dialogue
The securityagent:
Hey,you.What are youdoinghere? Youaren't allowedto enterthis
building.
Mr O'Brian:
Sorry,but I have an appointmentwithDrLeilaO'Biran.She'smy
daughter.
The securityagent: Showme your ID card please.

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Mr O'Brian: Here you are,sir.
The securityagent:
Well...ThatsoundsOK.DrLeilaO'Brianisin the 3rd floor.You can take
the liftsir.
8. Asking for and Giving advice
Expressions
Asking for advice:
 I've got a bad toothache. What do you suggest?
 What do you advise me to do?
 What should I do?
 What ought I to do?
 What's your advice?
 If you were me what would you do?
Giving advice
 If I were you, I would go to the dentist.
 Why don't you go to the dentist?
 You'd better brush your teeth regularly.
 You ought to/should avoid eating sweets.
 If you take my advice, you'll go to the dentist.
 It might be a good idea to brush your teeth on a regular basis.
 I advise you to brush your teeth on a regular basis.
 Have you thought about seeing a dentist.
Declining to give advice
 I don't knowwhatto advise,I'mafraid.
 I wishI couldsuggestsomething,butIcan't.
 I wishI couldhelp.
 I'm afraidI can't reallyhelpyou.
Things to remember about asking for and giving advice:
1. "Advise" is a verb.
Example:
"I advise you to learn English. You will undoubtedly need it in your higher studies"
2. "Advice" is a noun.
Example:
"My father gave me this piece of advice when I was young: never give up"
3. "Ought to" has nearly the same meaning as "should". The only difference is that "ought to
" refers to a moral or external obligation but should is more of an advice.
Example:
"You ought to stop smoking."
"You should stop smoking."

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4. "You'd better" is the short form of "you had better"
Example:
"You'd better see a doctor!" = "You had better see the doctor"
Study the dialogue:
Student:
I'm terrible atEnglishandI thinkI shoulddosomethingaboutit. Whatdoyou
adviseme to do?
Teacher: I think youshouldtry thiswebsite. It's a fantasticwebsite forbeginners.
Student: I've heardabout it,but what doyou think I shouldstart with?
Teacher: You'dbetter start withthe lessons.Then,trythe exercises.
12. Expressing lack of necessity (Absence of obligation)
Expressing lack of necessity
To express lack of necessity (also called absence of obligation), speakers usually use "don't
have to", don't need to", "needn't" .
The form that we use to express lack of necessity could be one of the following:
 He doesn'thave toget up early.
 He doesn'tneedtogetup early.
 He needn'tgetupearly
Expressing lack of necessity in the present:
I don't
have
to take my umbrella. It isn't raining
need
I needn't take my umbrella.Itisn'training
 I don't have to drive fast.
 I don't needtowrite the reportmyself.Mysecretarycan dothat for me.
 I needn'tbuyall these things.
 It isn'tnecessarytotake yourumbrella.Itisn'training.
Expressing lack of necessity in the past:
I didn't
have
to take my raincoat. It wasn't raining
need
I needn't have taken my raincoat
 I didn'thave to tell himaboutmyproject.He alreadyknew everythingaboutit.
Expressing lack of necessity in the future:
I won't
have
to take my jacket. It won't be cold.
need

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 I won'thave to call onmy grandfathertomorrow morning.He'll be atthe doctor's for his
regularmedical checkup.
Things to remember about expressing luck of necessity:
1."Lack of necessity" is also called "absence of obligation".
2. "Needn't" is followed by an infinitive without "to".
Example: " I needn't buy tomatoes".
3. - In the past there is a difference in the negative forms of need:
 didn'tneed= didn'thave to
I didn'tneedtowait,she was juston time.
(Shewason time. I didn't haveto wait.)
 needn't= absence of obligation/lackof necessity
We needn'thave waited,theydidn'tcome.
(Itwasuseless to wait.They didn'tcome)
Dialogue:
A student is asking the teacher about his homework:
Teacher: You don't have to write a long essay; a short one would be ok!
Student: What about the grammar exercise do we need to revise the lesson before we can do it?
Teacher:
No, you needn't do the exercise at home as we will surely do it together in the next
English lesson.
Student: Ok! Good bye sir.
Teacher: Good bye!
9. Making and responding to suggestions
Suggestions
The following English phrases and expressions are all used to make suggestions and give
advice to people.
Making suggestions:
 Let’s revise our lessons.
 What about going to the cinema tonight?
 How about playing cards?
 Why don't we do our homework?
 Couldn't we invite your grandmother to our party?
 Shall we have a walk along the river?
 What would you say to a cup of coffee?
 Don't you think it is a good idea to watch TV?
 Does it matter if we use your car?
Accepting suggestions:
 Ok.Yes, let's.
 Yes,I'd like to.
 Yes,I'd love to.
 What a good idea!
 Why not?
 Yes,withpleasure.
 Yes,I feel like takingawalk.
 That soundslike agood idea.
Refusing suggestions:
 No,let'snot.
 No,I'd rather not.
 I don't feel likeit.
 I dislike goingforawalk.
 What an awful /bad idea!

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Things to remember about suggestions:
1.The verb "suggest" can be followed by either:
 should+ verb = I suggest(that) we shouldgo to the theater.
 a verb(in the subjunctive form)= I suggest(that) we go to the movies.
2."That" is optional:
 "I suggestthat we shouldvisitParis."
 "I suggestwe shouldvisitParis."
Dialogue:
Two friends talking about where to go this evening:
Alice: You knowAlan, whydon'twe go to the cinema to watch Titanic?
Alan:
No,let's not. We've seenthe filmmanytimesbefore. Whatabout
goingto the library? We have to finishourschool project!
Alice: That soundslike agood idea.Butwhenwe finish let'sgoto the cafè.
Alan: Yes,I'd love to.
10.Expressing Your Opinion
How to express your opinion
Expressing opinion
I think...
As far as I'm concerned,..
To my mind,...
According to me,...
As I see it, ...
It seems to me that...
In my point of view / my opinion,....
From my point of view...
I am of the opinion that...
I take the view that. ..
My personal view is that...
In my experience...
As far as I understand / can see/see it,...
Agreeing or disagreeing
Agreeing with an opinion:
I agree with this opinion.
I completely agree with this view.
This is absolutely right.
I couldn't / can't agree more.
Partial agreement:

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I agree with this point of view, but...
This idea is right, but...
I agree with you, but...
Disagreeing with an opinion:
I'm afraid. I can't agree with you.
I disagree with you.
I don't agree with you.
I'm not sure I agree with you
I think you're wrong
11. Complaining - Talking about Complaints
What are complaints?
Complaints are expressions of "displeasure or annoyance" in response to an action that is
seen by the speaker as unfavorable. Suppose you want to complain about the pizza you have
just ordered because it's too salty, what are the expressions needed to express and respond to
complaints?
Complaining:
Here are expressions you can use when complaining:
 I have a complainttomake....
 Sorry to botheryoubut...
 I'm sorry to saythisbut...
 I'm afraidI've got a complaintabout...
 I'm afraidthere isa slightproblemwith...
 Excuse me but there isa problemabout...
 I wantto complainabout...
 I'm angry about...
Examples:
I have a complainttomake.
Your pizza is just too
salty.
I'm sorry to saythisbut your food is inedible.
1. I'm afraidI've got a complaintaboutyourchild.He'stoonoisy.
2. I'm afraidthere is a slightproblemwiththe service inthishotel.
3.Excuse me but youare standingonmy foot.
4. I want to complainaboutthe noise youare making.
5. I'm angry about the wayyou treatme.
Responding to complaints
Positive response to complaints:
 I'm so sorry,but thiswill neveroccur/happenagain.

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 I'm sorry,we promise nevertodo the same mistake again.
 I'm reallysorry;we'll doourutmost/bestnottodo the same mistake again.
Negative response to complaints:
 Sorry there isnothingwe cando about it.
 I'm afraid,there isn'tmuchwe can doabout it.
 We are sorry but the foodisjust alright.
Things to remember about complaints:
When expressing a complaint in English, it helps to be polite. Although "I'm angry about
your pizza. It's too salty" is one possible way of expressing a complaint, it is considered too
rude and you'd better use more polite expressions if you want to get what you want!
16.Expressing Hope
The difference between "wish" and "hope"
How to use "wish"
 Wish is most commonly used in hypothetical (or imagined/unreal) situations:
Example:
I wish (that) you were here. (Unfortunately, you're not, and I miss you.)
 Sometimes wish is used in greeting and expressions of goodwill:
Example:
We wish you a "Merry Christmas."
How to use "hope"
 Hope can also be used in expressions of goodwill, but the grammar is slightly different:
Examples:
I hope (that) you have a Merry Christmas. (some time in the future)
I hope (that) you had a nice Birthday. (some time in the past)
 Hope can be used to specify a desired outcome. For future hopes, the possibilities remain
open, but for past hopes, the outcome has usually been determined already.
Examples:
I hope you can come to the party on Saturday.(future possibility)
I was hoping that you would come to the party.(but you didn't)
I had hoped to see you at the party on Saturday. (but I didn't)
Other ways to express hope
You can also express hope in the following ways:
 I would like to have a car.
 I really want to have a car
 What I really want is to have a car.
Remember:
 "I wish you had done the work" is a regret. You didn't do the work (in the past) and I am
annoyed because of that.

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12. Talking about cause and effect
Cause and effect
When we talk about an effect resulting from a certain cause, we use expressions such as:
because, since, as, owing to, due to...
Examples
 The police arrested him because he broke into a bank.
 The police arrested him since he broke into a bank.
 She can't read the letter as she is illiterate.
 He can't run fast for he is too fat.
 Owing to his intelligence, he managed to solve the problem.
 Due to the bad weather,they didn't go for a picnic.
Other ways to express cause and effect:
You can also express cause and effect as follows:
 The cause of …is…
 …is caused by / is due to …
 Thanks to ...
Examples:
The cause of
global
warming
is pollution.
Global warming
is caused by
pollution.
is due to
Thanks to his hard work , he passed the exam
Is there a difference between due to and owing to?
Owing to and due to are used interchangeably by native speakers although some state that
there is a difference.
a. Due to:
If you can use caused by then you can also use due to:
Example:
"The cancellation of the flight was due to (caused by) high winds."
b. Owing to:

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If you can use because of then you should use owing to rather than due to:
Example:
"The flight was canceled owing to (because of) high winds."
Use of thanks to
People tend to use thanks to in positive situations.
Example:
"Thanks to his intelligence he managed to find the solution to that math problem."
Sometimes thanks to is used ironically in a negative way
Example:
"Did she lose the election?"
"Yeah, thanks to you and to all the others who didn't bother to vote."
"The baby is awake thanks to your shouting."
Things to remember about cause and effect:
a. Due to, because of, owing to and thanks to are followed by a noun.
b. Because, since, as, for are followed by a verb.
Due to
+ Noun
Because of
Owing to
Thanks to
because
Subject + Verb
since
as
for
Examples:
 Due to his laziness,he didn't pass the exam.
 Thanks to her beauty, she attracted the attention of all the guests.
 Because / since /as / they are in love, they forgive each other's mistakes.
13. Making and responding to a request
Making and responding to a request
It's important to be polite when you ask for something.
You can make a request by using:
 can you ...?
 couldyou...?
 will you...?

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 wouldyoumind...?
Here are some examples of how to make a request..
Can you
Will you
Couldyoupossibly
openthe door forme,please?
wouldyoumind openingthe doorforme ?
Making Request:
 Can youshowme yourphotoalbum, please?
 Will youlendme yourbook,please?
 Couldyoupossiblyshowme the wayto the postoffice,please?
 Wouldyouhelpme withthisexercise,please?
 Wouldyoumindlendingme yourpen,please?
Responding to request:
 Sure here youare.
 Okey.
 No,I'm sorry I needit
 I'm afraidI can't.
Things to remember about making a request:
1. "Would you mind..." is followed by a gerund (verb+ing)
Example:"Would you mind lending me your book? "
2. The response to the following request:
A: "Would you mind giving me your book? " is either
 "No,I don't mind."(whichis apositive response tothe request.Itmeansthat I accept to
lendyoumybook)
 or "Yes."(whichis a negative response to the request.ItmeansthatI don'twant to lendyou
my book.)
3. Could is more polite than can.
14. Expressing Probability
Expressing probability or improbability:
See the difference between probability and possibility.
There are many ways to say that something will probably or improbably happen.
Probability / improbability
...
may
might
can
could
...
... will probably

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It's
probable
improbable
likely
unlikely
that ...
I
doubt
suppose
guess
... will ...
'd be surprised if ....
Examples of probability:
 It isprobable thatmy grandfatherrepairsmybike.
 May be / perhapsthe problemwon’tbe serious.
 It will probablyrainthisevening.
 I’mlikelytodothe work myself.
Examples of improbability:
 No,probablynot.
 I don't suppose mygrandfatherwill repairthe bike.
 I doubtmy fatherwill buyme a new computer,either.
 She isunlikelytoreturnhome earlythisevening.
 I'd be surprisedif he gotthe bestscore.
 It's unlikelyhe will findhislostkeys.
Expressing probability in the past:
...
may
might
can
could
have Past Participle
Examples of probability in the past:
-He may have robbed yourcomputerwhile youwere out.
-The criminal mighthave threatenedher.That's why,she wasafraidof him.
-The author mighthave carried a deepresearchonthe subject.That's whyhisbookis sointeresting.
Examples of improbability in the past:
 He may have not livedinthistown.Nobodyseemstoknow him.
 She can't have helpedhiminhiscrime as theyhave nevermetbefore.
15.Making Predictions
Predictions:
When making predictions (what we think will happen in the future) we can either use:
 will followedbythe verbwithout to,
 or going to followedbythe verb
What (doyou think) will happen?

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isgoingto happen?
(I think) ...
will ...
won't ...
is going to ...
isn'tgoingto ...
Examples of making predictions:
 "What do youthink will happennextyear?"
 "Nextweek isgoingto be verybusy,Ithink."
 "There won'tbe a rise inhouse pricesnextyear."
 "He isn'tgoingto winthe election."
Things to remember about making predictions
o "He won'tdo it" isthe short formof " he will not do it.
16. Expressing certainty and uncertainty
Certainty and uncertainty
Certainty is the state of being completely confident or having no doubt about something.
However, uncertainty is when nothing is ever decided or sure.
Expressing certainty
When you are sure that something will or will not happen in the future, use these expressions.
For example to the question:
"Will John pass the exam?"
you may respond as follows
Yes, I'm
absolutelysure
quite sure
certain
he will.

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:
Expressing uncertainty
When you are not sure whether something or someone will or will not happen, use the
following expressions.
For example, to the question:
"Will John follow a career in business?"
you may respond as follows:
Well,
it's possible,
it's impossible,
it mightbe,
it mightnotbe,
it couldhappen,
I suppose, but
I wouldn'tlike tosayfor certain.
I'm not sure
I doubtit.
I have my owndoubts.
it's doubtful.
It's highly/ veryunlikely.
youneverknowof course,
no one can knowfor certain.
I can't tell youfor sure.
17.Expressing lack of understanding and asking for clarification
positive
definitely.
certainly.
of course. No,
I'm
absolutelysure
quite sure
certain
positive
he won't.
definitelynot.
certainlynot.
of course not.

20
Here is a list of useful English phrases you can use to express lack of understanding (that is,
when you fail to understand what has been said to you) and seek clarification from the person
you are talking to.
How to express lack of understanding
When you fail to understand what has been said to you you can use these expressions:
 I begyour pardon?
 I begyour pardon,butI don't quite understand.
 I'm not quite sure Iknowwhat youmean.
 I'm not quite sure Ifollowyou.
 I don't quite see whatyoumean.
 I'm not sure I got yourpoint.
 Sorry,I didn'tquite hearwhat yousaid.
 Sorry,I didn'tget yourpoint.
 I don't quite see whatyou're gettingat.
How yo ask for clarification
When you don't understand what someone has said, you can ask for clarification using the
following expressions:
 What do you mean by...?
 Do you mean...?
 Could you say that again, please?
 Could you repeat please?
 Could you clarify that, please?
 Would you elaborate on that , please?
 Could you be more explicit?
 Could you explain what you mean by...?
 Could you give us an example?
 I wonder if you could say that in a different way.
 Could you put it differently, please?
 Could you be more specific, please?
Clarifying one's point or idea
To clarify your idea you can use the following expressions:
 Let me explain that...
 Let me explain that in more detail...
 Let me put it in another way...
 Sorry let me explain...
 In other words...
 To say this differently...
 To put it 26. Shopping
Shopping expressions
These are expressions used when you go shopping:
 Can / may I help you?

21
 Can I try it / them on?
 What size do you wear? What size are you?
 What color would you like?
 Extra small, small, medium, large, extra large
 How does it fit?
 Where is the changing room?
 How would you like to pay?
 Can I pay by credit card / in cash?
Shopping for a T-shirt
A: Can I help you?
B: Yes, I'm looking for a T-shirt.
A: What size are you?
B: I'm a medium.
A: What color would you like?
B: A blue one.
A: Here you are.
B: Thank you. Can I try it on?
A: Certainly, the changing room is over there.
B: Thank you.
A: How does it fit?
B: It's fantastic. I like it.
A: Yes it looks nice on you.
B: Thank you. I'll buy it.
A: OK, how would you like to pay?
B: Do you take credit cards?
B: Yes, we do.
A: OK, here's my credit card.
B: Thank you. Have a nice day!
A Classifying
18. Giving and Responding to Good and Bad News
Giving news
There are different ways to give news:
Giving good and bad news
 I'm reallypleasedtotell you...
 I've got a bit of good newstotell you..
 I've got some good/ brilliant/great/ wonderful /splendidnewsforyou...
 You knowwhat!I've got a bit of great newsforyou...
 Great newsforyou...
 I'm afraidI've got some bad newsforyou...
 I'm sorry I've got a bit of bad newstotell you..
 I reallydon’tknowhowtosay it,but …
 I’msorry to have to say this,but…
 I reallyfeel badtohave to saythis,but …
Responding to news
Responding to good news
 Wow,that soundsexciting !
 That’s great!
 How fantastic!
 What fantastic/ good/ brilliant/great/ wonderful /splendidnews!
 That's good /brilliant/great/ wonderful /splendidnews!
 That soundslike greatnews!
 Congratulations!
 That’s wonderful/fantastic!

22
 I’mglad to hearthat!
 Great news!
 Incredible!
 Superb!
 Soundsgreat!
 Lucky you!
 Oh,how wonderful!
 I can’t believethat!
Responding to bad news
 I’mawfullysorrythat…
 I’msorry to hear that..
 I’msorry to hear suchterrible news.
 My goodness!
 I can’t believeit!
 Pooryou!
 I do sympathize withyou.
 Please,acceptmydeepestsympathy.
 I knowhowyou mustbe feeling.
 That must be awful
 Oh,dear !
 Too bad !
 That’s awful /a pity/ unfortunate.

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