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Being polite: how to soften your English – English Masterclass

BBC Learning English

885K views 9 years ago

Warm-up Questions

When do you need to be more polite in English (for example, at work or with friends)?
What does it mean to “soften” your English?
What polite phrases do you already know for asking for help?

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Being polite: how to soften your English – English Masterclass

Why politeness matters + softening requests (00:00 – 01:44)

Transcript will load here…

1. What is the main topic of this Masterclass?

How to write emails at work
Being polite and softening language
How to speak faster in English

2. Which request sounds more polite and less direct?

“I was hoping you could give me a lift to the party.”
“Give me some of your lunch.”
“Pick me up on your way to the party this evening!”

3. One way to make a request softer is to use…

a negative question with a question tag
only imperative verbs (commands)
slang and jokes

Being polite: how to soften your English – English Masterclass

Softening opinions and introducing problems (01:44 – 03:17)

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1. Which opinion sounds less direct and more polite?

“You're too young to get married!”
“I reckon you're a little young to be getting married!”
“Get married now!”

2. What kind of expressions can make an opinion more vague (and softer)?

“sort of”, “kind of”, “a little bit”
“hurry up”, “right now”, “immediately”
“always”, “never”, “definitely”

3. Which verb is used to soften a problem in the example “You ___ to have made a mistake here”?

promise
finish
seem

Being polite: how to soften your English – English Masterclass

Refusing invitations politely + closing (03:17 – 04:26)

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1. Which refusal sounds less direct?

“I'm not sure I'll be able to make it to your party this evening.”
“No, I'm not coming to your party this evening.”
“You're wrong.”

2. Why do people use tentative language when refusing?

Because it is faster to speak
Because they find it really hard to say no
Because it sounds funnier

3. What does “It's looking unlikely I'll be able to come this evening” basically mean?

“I'm definitely coming!”
“I'm not coming!”
“I already arrived.”

Being polite: how to soften your English – English Masterclass

Transcript will load here…

1. In this video, what is the main purpose of “softening” your language?

To avoid asking questions
To use longer words
To sound more polite and less direct

2. Which is an example of softening a request using a past/continuous form?

“You will help me.”
“Help me now.”
“I was wondering if you could help me.”

3. Which group contains words used to soften opinions in the video?

must / have to / need
shout / demand / order
reckon / guess / feel

Discussion Questions

Discuss the ideas from this video

Being polite: how to soften your English – English Masterclass

In your language or culture, is it common to be very direct? When is it OK, and when is it not?
Which softening method from the video (past/continuous forms, question tags, vague expressions, seem/appear, tentative language) is easiest for you? Why?
Rewrite one direct sentence you sometimes use (e.g., at work) into a softer, more polite one.
Do you think being too polite can ever cause problems (for example, misunderstanding)? Explain.