More Formal

Informal

Saying No

More Formal

Informal

Replying to a Request for Information

Formal for More Complicated Questions and Asking Important People Questions

More Formal for Everyday Simple Questions

Very Informal - for Friends and Family

Structures Used when Asking for Information

Simple Question: Wh? + Helping Verb + Subject + Verb

If you are asking a friend or family member for information, use a direct a question.

How much does it cost?
Where does she live?

Use these forms for simple, everyday questions in stores, with colleagues at work, and in other informal situations.

(Pardon me, Excuse me) Can / could you tell me + wh? + S + verb?

Can you tell me when the train arrives?
Pardon me, could you tell me how much the book costs?

Use these forms when asking complicated questions that require a lot of information, as well as asking information questions of important people such as your boss, on a job interview, etc.

I wonder if you could + tell me / explain / provide information on...

I wonder if you could explain how health insurance is handled at your company.
I wonder if you could provide information on your pricing structure.

Would you mind + verb + ing...?

Would you mind telling me a little bit more about benefits at this company?
Would you mind going over the savings plan again?

If you would like to provide information when asked for information, start your reply with one of the following phrases.

Sure
No problem.
Let me see...

I'd be happy to answer that.
I should be able to answer your question.
It'd be a pleasure to help you.

When providing information people will sometimes also offer to help in other ways. See the example conversations below for an example.

If you do not have the answer to a request for information, use one of the phrases below to indicate that you are unable to answer the question.

Sorry, I can't help you out.
Sorry, but I don't know that.
That's beyond me.

I'm afraid I don't have the answer to that question.
I'd like to help you. Unfortunately, I don't have that information / don't know.

Saying 'no', is never fun, but sometimes it's necessary. It's common to offer a suggestion as to where someone might find out the information required.

Role play

Group work. Split into groups.

Group A presents job vacancies for students offered by youth centres/state/business/non-porofit organizations.

Group B (students ). a sks questions about job requirements, employment and working conditions, salary.

Reading for Information

Culture clip

Are Britain’s teenagers the worst in Europe?

New research, conducted by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), shows that British young people are the worst behaved in Europe!

‘HANGING OUT WITH MATES’ is what teenagers do in the UK. In England and Wales, 45 % of 15-year- old boys spend most evenings out with their friends. In Scotland, the number is 59%. But in France, only 17 % of teenagers go out with their mates at night. In Portugal this figure stands at just 7%.

Only Ukraine ranked higher than Scotland, with 60% of boys and 40% of girls spending four evenings or more a week with their friends.

Lots of British teens don't sit down for meals with their parents. In Italy, 93% eat regularly with their families. In France, 89% eat at home. But only 64% of British teenagers eat meals at home.

According to IPPR, British teens get drunk more often and get involved in more fights than teens in other countries. They are also more aggressive and more anti-social.

Researches think that teenagers in Britain are more out of control because they have less contact with adults, especially parents, than in the rest of Europe.

Police in Britain have tried to control troublesome teens through anti-social behaviour orders, known as ASBOs. These orders are a special set of rules which are given to someone whose behaviour is causing problems. The orders can be handed out for graffiti, noise, throwing things, being with known gang members. Kids and teenagers who receive ASBOs can have their names made public — on ‘walls of shame’! However, for many teens earning ASBO attention is a matter of pride.

There have also been attempts to control what young people wear. Many shopping centres in the UK have banned hoodies because 'it's a fashion worn by potential criminals who don't want to be recognized on surveillance cameras.' The government and the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, have publicly backed the decision. But teenagers and civil liberties groups say that this is discrimination and that the government 'confuses fashion with behaviour.' They take part in all sorts of protests and continue to wear hoodies. And they DON'T AGREE that they are the 'worst in Europe'!

Would you believe it?

A 16-year-old boy from Manchester has been given an ASBO that bans him from wearing a hooded top for five years! The ASBO also bans him from meeting more than two people at once, apart from his family.

In February 2006, a 58-year-old teacher who was wearing a hooded top was asked to take it off when he entered a big supermarket in Swindon. “I was wearing the hood because my hair was a mess,” he said. The shop said it was taking action to 'make sure this doesn't happen again.'

Lady Sovereign, a famous British rapper, has started a campaign called 'SAVE THE HOODIE'. 'Wearing a hoody doesn't make it a criminal or gang member,' she says. If someone commits a crime it's not about what they wear, it's about a person wearing it. A criminal is a criminal no matter what they wear... Don't blame the hoody; you should be able to wear what you want!

Notes

to hang out - болтаться, околачиваться

matter of pride предмет гордости

attempt [a'tempt] - попытка

to ban - запрещать

hoodie ['hudi] - рубаха или футболка с капюшоном, «балахон»

potential criminal [pa′tenjl 'krımınl] - потенциальный преступник

surveillance [sз:'veiləns] - camera камера наблюдения

civil liberties group- организация no защите прав человека

Speaking

Дата добавления: 2014-12-23