You may have noticed that many people sound rude while speaking in English when they don’t intend to be.
So, why does it happen?
It’s because people don’t know different polite expressions and grammatical tips in English to sound polite.
They will cram the list of words, such as the “Adjectives starting with J” list, to enhance their vocabulary but don’t know how to use them politely.
So, this article will tell you how to be polite in different situations and how to twist a sentence to make it sound polite.
So, let’s start with the discussion.
Making requests in English:
In daily life, you need the help of people or want them to do something for you. In this case, you have to request them politely.
To make a polite request, you should use modal verbs such as could, might, would, can, may, and should.
It is better to turn the request into a question form and add please to sound polite.
It would be best if you also lowered the tone at the end of your request.
There are certain expressions that you can use at the beginning of your sentence before explaining your issue:
- I need some help…..
- I’m afraid I don’t understand….
- I’m having a problem…
- I don’t understand….
- I have got some issues….
Saying No:
Declining someone’s request politely is a tricky thing to do. We all have to say no to someone but don’t wish to hurt other people’s feelings.
For it, there are certain polite expressions that you can use to say no.
Some of them are:
- I’m afraid I can’t….
- I’m sorry, but it is not possible.
- Thank you, but not this time.
- Unfortunately, I can’t. Maybe next time.
- I would love to, but…
- That sounds great, but…
Disagreeing with Someone’s Opinion:
There will be a lot of instances in life in which you have to disagree with someone.
There is no issue with it, but you should ensure you don’t sound rude.
For it, you should show your respect for their opinion before disagreeing with them.
Certain expressions will help you disagree with other people. Use these expressions before stating your opinion.
- I understand what you say, but..
- I respect your opinion, but….
- Maybe you are right, but I think….
- I see your point, but….
Giving Orders and Feedback:
In the office, you have to give suggestions and feedback to your colleagues and bosses. You have to share your opinions and have to give orders to your employees.
In these situations, you should remain polite with your co-workers and employees.
For it, you should replace your commands with questions.
For example, instead of saying, “Bring me the coffee” to your secretary, you can say, “May I have a coffee” or “Could you please bring me a coffee?”
For giving feedback, you can use negative questions or sentences.
For example, instead of saying, “You should type this document,” you can say, “Wouldn’t it look better if it was typed?”
You should use passive voice when pointing out the mistakes of other people.
For example, instead of saying, “Jonathan broke the printer,” you can say, “Printer was broken.”
You should add some explanation to your request to sound polite.
For example, you can say, “We have a scheduled meeting tomorrow, so I would like you to finish your presentation today” instead of saying, “Finish your presentation today.”
It would be best if you keep these rules in mind to give orders and feedback.
Asking to repeat the Question:
Someone is talking to you, and you miss a piece of information or question because you zone out or get distracted, or there is a lot of noise around you, or the person is sputtering.
Now, how would you ask them to repeat their question or information?
Luckily, there are certain polite expressions that you can use to ask them to repeat themselves.
These expressions are:
- Pardon me.
- Excuse me?
- Could you please repeat that?
- I am sorry, I don’t understand…
- Would you mind repeating….
Key Takeaways:
So, these are different expressions and tips to sound polite.
Many think that saying thank you and please is the only way to sound polite. They will add different greetings in their sentences to display politeness.
But, in this article, we have seen that there are a lot of ways and tips which you should follow to sound like a polite native speaker.
I hope this article will help you remain polite in different situations.
