Reading
Could you please lend me your pen?
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 restroom?” 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 aloneis 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 onwhom you are speaking to or how wellyou 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 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 Englih.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 am 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 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.
