Suggestions in English

(September 15, 2010)

The following English words and expressions are all used to make suggestions and give advice
to people.
Should
"You should try to practice English."
"You shouldn't translate too much."
Why don't you
"Why don't you join an English club?"
Ought to
"You ought to read more."
If I were you, I'd
"If I were you, I'd watch more television."
*All these expressions are followed by a verb, without to. For example: "He should visit the
Eiffel Tower." (Not "he should to visit the Eiffel Tower.")
suggest and recommend
Either use a verb + ing
"I suggest visiting the Eiffel Tower." (We should all go.)
OR use that + a verb without to
"I suggest that you visit the Eiffel Tower." (I'm not going.)
OR use a noun
"I recommend the lasagne." (It's a very good dish to choose in this restaurant.)
advise
"I advise you to buy a good dictionary."
advice
Advice is an uncountable noun. This means that we can't say an advice. Instead, we say some
advice or a piece of advice.
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"Let me give you some advice."

"She gave me a very useful piece of advice: to buy a good dictionary."
Speaking tip
Many people don't like getting advice if they haven't asked for it! To avoid giving the wrong
impression, you can try some of these expressions:
"You could always"
"Have you considered"
"Perhaps we could"
"Do you think it's a good idea to"

(September 17, 2010)

There are a number of expressions you can use to show your hopes and preferences.
Hopes
I'm hoping for (noun) ("I'm hoping for a new cell phone.")
I'm hoping to get ("I'm hoping to get a new phone.")
I would like
I really want (Using "want" can be impolite unless you are talking to a close friend or family
member.)
Something I've always wanted is
I'd be delighted / over the moon if ("I'd be delighted if you gave me a new watch.")
What I'd like more than anything else is
On my Christmas wish list is
Preferences
I'd rather have (noun) ("I'd rather have tickets to the opera.")
I'd rather you (simple past) ("I'd rather you saved your money.")
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I'd prefer (noun) ("I'd prefer some money for the new house.")
I'd prefer it if you (simple past) ("I'd prefer it if you gave some money to charity.")
.. would be more suitable / would be better
If I had a choice, I would go for
If it's all the same to you, . ("If it's all the same to you, I'd like some book tokens.")

(September 20, 2010)

Useful phrases for making and changing appointments.
Asking to meet
"Are you available on the 17th?"
"Can we meet on the 16th?"
"How does the 3rd sound to you?"
"Are you free next week?"
"Would Friday suit you?"
"Is next Tuesday convenient for you?"
"What about sometime next week?"
Agreeing on a date
"Yes, Thursday is fine."
"Thursday suits me."
"Thursday would be perfect."
Suggesting a different date
"I'm afraid I can't on the 3rd. What about the 6th?"
"I'm sorry, I won't be able to make it on Monday. Could we meet on Tuesday instead?"
"Ah, Wednesday is going to be a little difficult. I'd much prefer Friday, if that's alright with you."
"I really don't think I can on the 17th. Can we meet up on the 19th?"

Setting a time
"What sort of time would suit you?"
"Is 3pm a good time for you?"
"If possible, I'd like to meet in the morning."
"How does 2pm sound to you?"
Changing the arrangement
"You know we were going to meet next Friday? Well, I'm very sorry, but something urgent has come up."
"I'm afraid that I'm not going to be able to meet you after all. Can we fix another time?"
"Something has just cropped up and I won't be able to meet you this afternoon. Can we make another
time?"

(September 22, 2010)

When complaining in English, it helps to be polite. This page will help you with this important
English speaking skill.
In a shop
You're in a shop and the assistant gives you the wrong change.
"Excuse me, I think you've given me the wrong change", or "Sorry, I think this change is wrong.
I gave you $20, not $10."
In a hotel
"Excuse me, but there's a problem with the heating in my room."
"Sorry to bother you, but I think there's something wrong with the air-conditioning."
"I'm afraid I have to make a complaint. Some money has gone missing from my hotel room."
"I'm afraid there's a slight problem with my room the bed hasn't been made."
When people apologize, they normally say "sorry" and offer to put the situation right.
"Excuse me, but there's a problem with the heating."

"I'm sorry I'll get someone to check it for you."

Or "Sorry to hear that I'll send someone up."
Speaking tip
Although you may find it strange to use the word sorry when you complain, English speakers
consider it polite. It will help you get what you want!

(September 23, 2010)

English speakers make offers all the time in conversation.
They say things like:
Can I ?
Shall I ?
Would you like me to ?
Using these common English phrases and being able to accept and reject offers will make
you sound polite and helpful.
"Can I help you?"
"Shall I open the window for you?"
"Would you like another coffee?"
"Would you like me to answer the phone?"
"I'll do the photocopying, if you like."
Shall, can and will are followed by the verb without to.
Shall is more formal than can. Would you like is followed either by a noun, or by the verb
with to.
Responding to offers
These English dialogues show you ways to accept or reject offers made to you.
"Can I help you?"
"Yes please. I'd like to know what time the train leaves."
"Can I help you?"
"No thanks, I'm just looking." (In a shop.)
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"Shall I open the window for you?"

"Yes please. That would be very kind of you."
"Would you like another coffee?"
"No thanks." Or, "No thank you."
"Would you like another coffee?"
"Yes please, that would be lovely." Or, "Yes please, I'd love one."
"Would you like me to answer the phone?"
"If you wouldn't mind." Or, "If you could."
(Don't answer "Yes, I would", as this sounds like you expect someone to do it for you.)
"I'll do the photocopying, if you like."
"It's OK, I can do it." Or, "Don't worry, I'll do it.
"Or, "Thank you, that would be great."
English speaking tip
With a little practice, you'll find it easy to use these English expressions. They'll help you sound
both natural and confident.
(September 24, 2010)
When we want to say what we think will happen in the future in English, we can either use will
followed by the verb without to, or going to followed by the verb.
"What do you think will happen next year?"
"Next week is going to be very busy, I think."
"There won't be a rise in house prices next year."
"He isn't going to win the election."
Because we also use will to talk about intentions and strong decisions, we often use going to to
sound less emotional.
"He won't help us" can mean that he has decided not to help us. But "He isn't going to help us"
doesn't have this negative implication. It sounds more like a prediction and a simple, nonemotional fact- perhaps he isn't able to help us.
Predictions based on what you know now
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We can make predictions based on what we can see now. To do this, we use going to and the
verb (not will).
For example:
"Watch out! You're going to hit that car in front."
"It's going to be a lovely day today not a cloud in the sky."
Have a nice day !!!

(September 26, 2010)

There are many ways of saying that something will probably or possibly happen.

Probable
bound to = certain: "They are bound to succeed!"
Sure to = certain: "He is sure to win the championship."
Likely to = probable: "We are likely to win the contract."
Definite = sure: "He's a definite frontrunner for the job!"
Probable: "It's probable that we will be on holiday around then."
Likely: "An election is likely next year."
will definitely happen: "There will definitely be a storm later."
will probably happen: "They will probably take on more staff."

Possible
may: "We may be able to help you."
might: "There might be a holiday next month I'm not sure."
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could: "There could be a bug in the system."

is possible: "Do you think he will resign?" "Yes, that's possible."
is unlikely: "It's unlikely that she will move."
will possibly: "She'll possibly tell us tomorrow."
probably won't: "They probably won't hear until next week."
definitely won't: "I definitely won't go to the party."
is highly unlikely: "It's highly unlikely that the company will expand."
Note: Be careful of the word order.
"Definitely" and "probably" come after "will" (in positive sentences) and before "won't" in
negative sentences.

Variations

You can add words to alter the strength of probability:

highly likely / unlikely (= very likely / unlikely)
quite likely / probable / possible (= more likely, probable or possible)
could possibly / probably
most definitely won't (= even more unlikely)

(September 26, 2010)

English Reading: Man climbs skyscraper without equipment
48-year old Alain Robert, affectionately known as the 'French Spiderman', has climbed a 57storey Sydney skyscraper without any equipment in 20 minutes. The purpose of Alain Robert's
actions was to raise awareness of global warming. Following the previous like events in other
cities, he was arrested and will possibly be fined.
When Robert was 12, he climbed eight storeys to get into his flat instead of waiting for his
parents to return. Since then, he has climbed over eighty buildings around the world, including
the Eiffel Tower, The New York Times building, and Sydney Harbour Bridge. His hobby has,
however, led to him being arrested and fined on multiple occasionshe was fined USD 750 after
climbing the 41-storey Royal Bank of Scotland building in central Sydney.
His most recent climb, which he completed in twenty minutes, began at the bottom of the
Lumiere building in Bathurst Street at 10:30am AEST on Monday morning. About 100 passersby gathered to watch Robert, dressed in red trousers, a grey top, and a baseball cap, climb the
building. Eleven-year-old Rachel Pepper was surprised when he saw Robert, who suffers from
permanent vertigo after two accidents in 1982. "I think it's amazing to climb that high without
falling. He's got superhuman strength." His mother Wendy Pepper agreed, "It was a nice surprise
when
we
turned
the
corner
and
got
to
see
him."
Upon reaching the top of the building, the Frenchman unfurled a banner advertising the website
of The One Hundred Months campaign, which argues that 100 months after August 2008,
climate change will reach an irreversible point, as onlookers applauded his feat. Robert was
subsequently taken into custody at the top of the skyscraper, and charged with trespassing.
Robert was granted conditional bail to appear at the Downing Centre Local Court on Friday.
Robert's agent, Max Markson, described the climb as a "wonderful achievement. He's the best at
what he does. I'm sad he's been arrested, but hopefully he'll get out soon."

*****English Vocabulary Notes*******

passers-by = people walking past
unfurled = opened
feat = achievement
taken into custody = arrested by police
trespassing = going onto someone else's property without permission

(September 27, 2010)

When you ask someone to do something for you, or ask if you can do something, it's important
to sound polite. Here are some of the common ways that you can do this.
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Asking someone to do something for you

" Could you open the door for me, please?"
"Would you mind opening the door for me, please?"
"Can you open the door for me, please?'
Speaking tip: could and can are followed by the verb without to. Would you mind is followed
by the verb and -ing.
Asking if you can do something
"Can I use your computer, please?"
"Could I borrow some money from you, please?"
"Do you mind if I turn up the heating?"
"Would you mind if I turned up the heating?"
Speaking tip: Could is more polite that can.
Do you mind if" is followed by the verb in the present tense, but would you mind if is
followed by the verb in the past tense.
When you're using these two sentences, don't use please. It's already polite enough!

(September 29, 2010)

Sometimes you need to say how important things are to you. These are all common ways of
telling someone what your priorities are.
In a job interview
"The most important thing for me is that the job is challenging."
"What's really important to me is being able to learn something new."
"The most crucial thing for me is to be valued by my colleagues."
"The most vital thing is knowing that I am doing a good job."
"What really motivates me is learning about new ways of doing something."
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"I'm extremely interested in learning more about the market."

"In terms of priorities, I am most interested in getting results. In addition, I would like to develop
my marketing skills."
"As far as my priorities go, getting results is the most important."
"At the top of my list of priorities is feeling appreciated."
"The least important thing is salary."
have a nice day :)

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