Asking for information or help is
a very common and necessary activity, especially when we visit a foreign
country. So knowing how to ask for information politely is important. In
English, "Where are the restrooms?" and "Could you please tell
me where the restrooms are?" are similar requests—both
are correct English, but the first could sound rude. It's important to use
correct language, but sometimes this alone is not enough—we need to learn how to be polite when we make requests.
In English, just like in Chinese,
we change the way we speak when talking with different people. The expressions
you use might depend on whom you are speaking to or how well you know them. If
you say to your teacher, "Where is my book?" this will sound rude.
But if you say, "Excuse me, Mr West. Do you know where my book is?"
your question will sound much more polite. On the other hand, it might be
alright to say "Where is my book?" in some situations, perhaps with
people you know well.
And you would not usually say,
"Peter, lend me your pen. " A very direct order like this can sound
rude in English. Usually in English polite questions are longer and include
extra language, such as "Could you please...?" or "Can I
ask...?" It sounds more polite to say, "Peter, could you please lend
me your pen?" Sometimes we might even need to spend some time leading in
to a question or request. For example, if you stop a stranger in the street, we
might first say, "Excuse me. I wonder if you can help me. " or
"I'm sorry to trouble you but," before asking them for help.
It might seem that speaking
politely is more difficult than being direct, and in a way this may be true.
However, in order not to offend people, learning about the language etiquette
is just as important as learning grammar or vocabulary. And doing this will
also help you become better at English, or any other language you wish to
speak.
1. It's important to know how to_
_in English when we visit a foreign country.
2. When you talk with different
people, you need to__ _.
3. Extra words are used to help__
___.
4.._
_is as important as learning language structure.
5. How do you say " Don't
smoke here. " politely? "_
__*