How to ask for permission, how to ask people for a favour, make suggestions and being polite to others.
1) You want to open a window on a bus. What do you say:
a) ‚Do you mind opening a window?‘
b) ‚Do you mind if a open a window, please?‘
c) ‚I’ll open a window, shall I?‘
2) You are on a street and want to know the time:
a) ‚Excuse me, what’s the time, please?‘
b) ‚Hey, what’s the time !‘
c) ‚Do you know the time, please?‘
3) You are calling a restaurant to book a table:
a) ‚Hello. Can I book a table for 4 people for 8 o’clock, please?‘
b) Book me a table for 8 o’clock, will you?‘
c) Hi. Any chance of a table for 4 for 8pm?‘
4) Phone’s ringing. It’s a friend of yours but you are busy at the moment:
a) ‚ Sorry, can’t talk. Call me later.‘
b) You don’t answer the phone.
c) ‚ I’m sorry but I’m a bit busy at the moment. Shall I call you back later, please?‘
5) You want to suggest a night out to your friends:
a) ‚I’m going clubbing and what about you?‘
b) ‚I want to go clubbing. What do you think?‘
c) What about going clubbing?‘
6) You came to work by car and your colleague by bus. You both live in the same part of town: What do you do:
a) ‚Do you fancy a lift back home?‘
b) ‚Come on. I’ll take you.‘
c) You say nothing.
7) You’re planning to go out with a friend to the cinema and you want him to buy a ticket for you:
a) ‚You get the tickets.‘
b) ‚Can you buy the tickets, please?‘
c) ‚I can’t get the tickets.‘
8) You are in a restaurant and you were invited by the other person. The waiter brings the bill. What will you do:
a) You offer: ‚Shall we share this?‘
b) You say: ‚Sorry, I left my wallet at home‘
c) You ignore the whole situation.
9) You are on an escalator and in a hurry. There is somebody standing in front of you. What will you do?
a) You say: ‚ Sorry, I’m in a hurry‘, and you push past.
b) You say nothing and just push him aside.
c) ‚Excuse me, can I get past, please?‘
10) In a restaurant. You finished your meal and would like to settle the bill.
How do you ask for it:
a) ‚Where is my bill?‘
b) ‚Get me my bill, now!‘
c) Excuse me, can I have the bill, please?‘
11) You walk into a pub and there’s only 1 seat available. What do you say to the people at that table:
a) ‚Is it OK if I sit here, please?‘
b) ‚I’ll take this seat!‘
c) ‚Now it’s mine.‘
12) In the cinema. Someone next to you is talking on a phone during the film. What do you say:
a) ‚Can you shut up? I’m trying to watch a film here.‘
b) ‚Excuse me, can you stop it, please? I’m trying to watch a film here.‘
c) You say nothing; you take that person’s mobile phone and throw it away.
13) At the train station. You want to get to Coventry and there’s a train at the platform but no sign. You seek the conductor and ask:
a) ‚Is this the train to Coventry, please?‘
b) ‚I want to go to Coventry!‘
c) You don’t ask; you just get on the train and hope for the best.
14) You want to buy a train ticket; you come to the ticket booth and say:
a) ‚A ticket to Coventry!‘
b) ‚Return ticket to Coventry.‘
c) ‚Can I have a return ticket to Coventry, please?‘
15) You’re calling a friend but he says he’s busy right now. What do you say:
a) ‚OK. Bye.‘
b) ‚Call me back, will you?‘
c) Shall I call you again later?‘
16) A friend is in trouble. You want to help him/her. How do you suggest that:
a) ‚Is there anything I can do for you?‘
b) ‚ I can help you‘
c) ‚ What do you want from me?‘
17) Someone said something and you didn’t understand. You want to ask for repetition:
a) ‚What was it you said?‘
b) ‚Can you repeat it, please?‘
c) ‚Sorry, I can’t hear you!‘
© www.swotting.eu
Results:
1) You want to open a window on a bus. What do you say:
a) ‚Do you mind opening a window?‘
b) ‚Do you mind if a open a window, please?‘
c) ‚I’ll open a window, shall I?‘
2) You are on a street and want to know the time:
a) ‚Excuse me, what’s the time, please?‘
b) ‚Hey, what’s the time !‘
c) ‚Do you know the time, please?‘
3) You are calling a restaurant to book a table:
a) ‚Hello. Can I book a table for 4 people for 8 o’clock, please?‘
b) Book me a table for 8 o’clock, will you?‘
c) Hi. Any chance of a table for 4 for 8pm?‘
4) Phone’s ringing. It’s a friend of yours but you are busy at the moment:
a) ‚ Sorry, can’t talk. Call me later.‘
b) You don’t answer the phone.
c) ‚ I’m sorry but I’m a bit busy at the moment. Shall I call you back later, please?‘
5) You want to suggest a night out to your friends:
a) ‚I’m going clubbing and what about you?‘
b) ‚I want to go clubbing. What do you think?‘
c) What about going clubbing?‘
6) You came to work by car and your colleague by bus. You both live in the same part of town: What do you do:
a) ‚Do you fancy a lift back home?‘
b) ‚Come on. I’ll take you.‘
c) You say nothing.
7) You’re planning to go out with a friend to the cinema and you want him to buy a ticket for you:
a) ‚You get the tickets.‘
b) ‚Can you buy the tickets, please?‘
c) ‚I can’t get the tickets.‘
8) You are in a restaurant and you were invited by the other person. The waiter brings the bill. What will you do:
a) You offer: ‚Shall we share this?‘
b) You say: ‚Sorry, I left my wallet at home‘
c) You ignore the whole situation.
9) You are on an escalator and in a hurry. There is somebody standing in front of you. What will you do?
a) You say: ‚ Sorry, I’m in a hurry‘, and you push past.
b) You say nothing and just push him aside.
c) ‚Excuse me, can I get past, please?‘
10) In a restaurant. You finished your meal and would like to settle the bill.
How do you ask for it:
a) ‚Where is my bill?‘
b) ‚Get me my bill, now!‘
c) Excuse me, can I have the bill, please?‘
11) You walk into a pub and there’s only 1 seat available. What do you say to the people at that table:
a) ‚Is it OK if I sit here, please?‘
b) ‚I’ll take this seat!‘
c) ‚Now it’s mine.‘
12) In the cinema. Someone next to you is talking on a phone during the film. What do you say:
a) ‚Can you shut up? I’m trying to watch a film here.‘
b) ‚Excuse me, can you stop it, please? I’m trying to watch a film here.‘
c) You say nothing; you take that person’s mobile phone and throw it away.
13) At the train station. You want to get to Coventry and there’s a train at the platform but no sign. You seek the conductor and ask:
a) ‚Is this the train to Coventry, please?‘
b) ‚I want to go to Coventry!‘
c) You don’t ask; you just get on the train and hope for the best.
14) You want to buy a train ticket; you come to the ticket booth and say:
a) ‚A ticket to Coventry!‘
b) ‚Return ticket to Coventry.‘
c) ‚Can I have a return ticket to Coventry, please?‘
15) You’re calling a friend but he says he’s busy right now. What do you say:
a) ‚OK. Bye.‘
b) ‚Call me back, will you?‘
c) Shall I call you again later?‘
16) A friend is in trouble. You want to help him/her. How do you suggest that:
a) ‚Is there anything I can do for you?‘
b) ‚ I can help you‘
c) ‚ What do you want from me?‘
17) Someone said something and you didn’t understand. You want to ask for repetition:
a) ‚What was it you said?‘
b) ‚Can you repeat it, please?‘
c) ‚Sorry, I can’t hear you!‘
