Lesson 4 - Polite Requests

TEACHERS’ GUIDE LESSON 4 - POLITE REQUESTS

Miriam Rabelo

The objective of this lesson is to supply students with different forms of using Polite Requests as well as using refusals properly.

An essential characteristic a driver must have in order to have a lot of clients is politeness. It would be a good idea to conduct a conversation on this subject with your students before starting teaching the lesson.

DIALOGUE 1:

The first dialogue aims to providing learners with good examples of how Polite Requests may be used within a conversation.

AT THE HOTEL

Driver: Excuse me, ma’am. Are you Mrs. Franco? Client: I sure am. Driver: Good morning, I am the driver who will take you. My name is Wilson. Client: Oh, Good morning Wilson! This is my luggage. Could you please help me with it? Driver: Sure!

GETTING TO THE CAR

Driver: You have your hands full. I can open the door for you, if you like. Client: Oh, thank you very much. Driver: You’re welcome!

Practice text comprehension and reading with your students. The tips below may be helpful:

 Firstly, ask the learners to get the main message of the dialogue.  Then, have them identify unknown words and expressions.  MAKE THEM SPEAK, maybe asking them a billion questions on the subject “Polite Requets” or having them create conversations with their peers.  You might want to use the part “Understanding the Dialogue - Oral discussion” to expand your discussion. As soon as you feel your students have acquired a good command of the first new forms and structures shown in the first dialogue, ask them to read the dialogue aloud, assigning roles. Do not forget to use corrective techniques with your students. Do not let them fossilize a mistake.

CHART:

After students practice some kinds of polite requests in the first oral phase, you may present them the chart with other kinds of polite requests that can be used. Ask them to come up with sentences using the new structures taught. The more examples they create and practice, the more they will internalize the subject.

Polite Request Chart

DEGREE OF POLITE REQUEST EXAMPLE FORMALITY

I would be I would be grateful if you could get here Formal before five. will I will open the door for you, if you like. Can be used in both situations may May I have a look at your paper? Formal can I can help you, if you like. Informal Can you check if your door is closed, please? could Could I have something to drink, pease? Can be used in Could I borrow your pen,please? both situations Could you take me to the church, please??

Do you think you Do you think you could take me to a Formal – you could nightclub? don’t know if your request will bother the listener

Would it be all right / Would it be all right if I picked you up at 7? Formal – you ok if don’t know f your request will bother the listener.

Would you mind Would you mind taking me downtown today Formal - you instead of tomorrow? don’t know if your request will bother the listener. It is important to remind them about the importance of using PLEASE and THANK YOU.

Be careful with the intonation. Make students aware that stress, intonation and rhythm are essential for communication.

ENGLISH IN USE

EXERCISE 1:

This exercise is a good form of contextualizing the knowledge they have just acquired and making them use the structures in real life situations. They must get the sentences from the box, and complete each situation with the proper sentence.

ANOTHER DIALOGUE FOR YOU

In this phase, your students might be quite used to the use of polite requests. This dialogue aims to making them observe the use of some other requests as well as learning new vocabulary.

At first, ask students to read the dialogue silently. Then ask them to discuss it with their peers and, at last, ask them to read it out loud correcting intonation, stress and rhythm.

In the car:

Teen client: Wow, Brazil is really hot. Would you mind opening the window? Driver: Of course not. Is it the first time you come to Brazil? Teen client: Yes. In fact, it’s the first time I travel abroad. Driver: I hope you enjoy your trip. Brazil is a beautiful country. You should go sightseeing. I am sure you will like Belo Horizonte. There are interesting things to see and do. Teen Client: I intend to. I like nightlife, so I would really appreciate having some fun besides studying. Can you drive slower,please? I want to see the people and the stores. Driver: Sure! You speak very fast! Can you speak slower, please? Teen client: Oh, sorry. I will try. Driver: The hotel you are staying is on the next street. We’re almost there. I will take you to the receptionist and help you with the baggage, if you like. Teen client: That would be very kind of you. Thank you a lot. Teach your students about the degrees of formality when using Polite Requests. Tell them that, depending on the person they deal with, they need tobe more formal! Provide them with rich examples

EXERCISE 2

Now that your students know that there are degrees of formality when using Polite Requests, ask them to practice their use according to the situations presented in exercise 2. This is a good speaking exercise and you must take advantage of it to make your students practice the language.( It might be a good idea to ask them to give an in-class-presentation, in pairs, telling the whole class the suggestions and/or solutions they found to each problem given.) Afterwards, have the whole class choose or vote to decide the best solution. To each problem.

EXERCISE 3

This is an exercise focused on grammar, especially. Tell students to use the chart presented previously in order to discover which forms to use to complete the blanks properly.

FOCUS ON INTONATION

Again, insist with students that they use the correct intonation. Tell them that politeness does not lie only in the words you choose, but especially in the way you use them to express what you wish.

PRACTICING INTONATION:

There are some sentences in the students’ book to practice intonation. They are:

Could you help me with my bag? Would you mind speaking lower? May I use your pen? Why don’t you visit our restaurants?

Practice the questions with them and ask more examples.

The chart below gives students an example of how to express one word in a range of different meanings, depending on the intention of the speaker. Practicing the different forms of speaking and understanding one single word may be positive for learners. REFUSALS

The same way drivers need to be polite to talk to a client, they also need to be polite in order to refuse a ride for any reason. This situation is kind of delicate, and requires a good deal of sound sense from the driver.

DIALOGUE 1

The dialogue use here illustrates an embarrassing situation between a client and a driver and shows the way the driver dealt with it. A conversation about this topic might be a good idea. It is a chance they will have to share experiences in English about a meaningful issue.

On the phone: Driver: Hello? Client: Good evening Wilson. I would like to book a trip for 10 pm tonight. Could you pick me up a the hotel? Driver: I’m awfully sorry, but I have a trip booked for the same time. I can pick you up earlier, if you like, or maybe send another driver that I trust in to pick you up. What do prefer? Client: I am afraid I really have to go at 10 pm. I would really appreciate if you could send another driver. Driver: Don’t worry. I will ask a good one to pick you up. Client: Thank you very much.

Wrap up the discussion by using the Oral discussion questions.

In the end of the lesson, students will have the chance to practice writing by relating the experiences they shared among themselves during the discussion they had. They might also write about other ways to refuse rides. The teacher must give the feedback about what they wrote.

TEACHER’S KEY

EXERCISE 1:

SITUATION 1: Would you mind opening the window, please? SITUATION 2: Could you please speak more slowly? I didn't understand. SITUATION 3: Could you tell me again what your hotel is, please? SITUATION 4: Would you mind spelling your name please? SITUATION 5: Can you lend me a pen, please?

EXERCISE 2:

Oral activity. Personal answer

EXERCISE 3:

a) Would you mind driving me one more block? b) Would it be OK If I paid you in dollar? c) Ma’am, could you speak slower, please? d) Can you close the windows? It’s really cold today. e) Would you mind if I used your pen, sir?

* This exercise accepts some different answers. Teachers must analyze them carefully.

PRACTICING INTONATION

EXERCISE 1: Oral exercise on intonation. No written answer available.

WRITTEN EXERCISE: Personal Answer. List of sites researched and used in Lesson 4: http://accurapid.com/journal/Firat/Firat1.jpg http://www.usingenglish.com/articles/english-pronunciation.html http://www.entec.co.uk/images/Cartoon%20Gifs/contact.gif http://www.writeexpress.com/refusal.htm http://www.skyline-english.com/PDFs/Grammar/4/U1Lesson2.pdf http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/713257/2/istockphoto_713257_taxi_driver.jpg http://www.barton.edu/Studentlife/cab/cab3.jpg http://www.pspcloud9.com/images/tubeplaatjes/people_elegant%20lady2.jpg http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/SCCWebsite/SCCWSImages.nsf/WebLookupImageByUNID/docid9E7B78 D0B7357FAE8025701F003CFEB6/$FILE/Teenagers.jpg HTTP://WWW.SONYERICSSON.COM/DOWNLOADS/BLUETOOTH_HEADSET_HBH_GV4 35_DRIVER.JPG HTTP://WWW.ENGLISH-ONLINE.ORG.UK/INT2/ASKI1.HTM HTTP://HTAYLOR.WORDPRESS.COM/2007/03/28/A-CHAT-ABOUT-VICES/ http://www.esljunction.com/esl-efl-flashcards/images/big/taxi-driver.gif HTTP://WWW.OFFTHEMARKCARTOONS.COM/CARTOONS/1992-10-22.GIF http://www.usingenglish.com/articles/english-pronunciation.html http://accurapid.com/journal/Firat/Firat1.jpg http://www.skyline-english.com/PDFs/Grammar/4/U1Lesson2.pdf http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/713257/2/istockphoto_713257_taxi_driver.jpg http://www.barton.edu/Studentlife/cab/cab3.jpg http://www.pspcloud9.com/images/tubeplaatjes/people_elegant%20lady2.jpg http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/SCCWebsite/SCCWSImages.nsf/WebLookupImageByUNID/docid9E7B78 D0B7357FAE8025701F003CFEB6/$FILE/Teenagers.jpg