I.
READING
Way to say No
There are an infinite number of reasons you may find yourself have to say NO to
requests from family, friends and work. NO seem to be a very difficult word for some
people to say. Compared to men, women tend to have trouble saying NO and of course,
whether you are male or female, saying NO nicely can have a huge impact on any kind of
relationship.
It is often better to say NO in polite way than direct one. English speakers often use
more words than yes or no if necessary because they usually add polite words to the
simple messages they are trying to get across. If you are too direct in saying no in
English, it can be considered rude. Lets take a look today at some different, polite ways
to say NO. You might want to practice these new expressions often, so you dont have
to worry about appearing rude when speaking English to native people.
There are some polite ways to say NO
1. Vague but effective: Thank you for asking, but that isnt going to work out for
me.
2. Its not personal: Thank you for asking, but Im not doing any interviews while
Im writing my book.
3. Ask me later: I want to do that, but Im not available until April. Will you ask
me again then?
4. Let me hook you up: I cant do it, but Ill bet Shelly can. Ill ask her for you.
Way to say NO |
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Wednesday Night at 6.00pm to 8.00pm
5. Keep trying: None of those dates work for me, but I would love to see you.
Send me some more dates.
6. Try me last minute: I cant put anything else on my calendar this month, but
Id love to do that with you sometime. Will you call me right before you go again?
7. Just No: Thanks, Ill have to pass on that.
8. Gracious: I really appreciate you asking me, but my time is already
committed.
9. Im Sorry: I wish I could, but its just not going to work right now.
10. My Family is the Reason: Thanks so much for the invite, thats the day of my
sons soccer game, and I never miss those.
11. I Know Someone Else: I just dont have time right now. Let me recommend
someone who may be able to help you.
12. Im Already Booked: I appreciate you thinking of me, but Im afraid Im
already booked that day.
13. Not No, But Not Yes: Let me think about it, and Ill get back to you.
Situation 1: Your neighbour is moving to a new apartment and comes over at the
last minute asking for help moving her furniture. You have to prepare for a big
presentation so you are too busy to help.
Situation 2: Your boyfriend offers to pick you up from work, but you already have
plans to have drinks with your co-workers and so you dont need a ride home.
Situation 3: You are invited to a party at a co-workers house, but you dont really
like the co-worker and dont want to go.
II. WORDS
Infinite /nfnt/: v tn, v vn, v hn
take a look: nhn
Requests /rkwst/: (n,v) li yu cu,
li ngh
work out: thc thi, thc hin, tin hnh,
pht trin,
A number of = a plenty of = a lot of=
lots of
impact on (n) /mpakt/ (v) /mpakt/:
tc ng, nh hng
get across: i ngang qua, lt qua,
get across an idea: trnh by kin mt
cch r rng, mch lc
Vague /ve/: m h, l m, mp m,
l ng
hook you up: li cun, b li cun, lm
cho thch th
put something on somebodys calendar:
xp lch
Way to say NO |
Contact us at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SEE.EnglishClub/
Wednesday Night at 6.00pm to 8.00pm
III. QUESTION
1. How often do you have to say No with other people? Which ways you usually
use to say No? What will you do when they are disappointed about what you
said?
2. One day, your friend invite you come to her/his house and spend a lot of time
making some shrimp cakes for you. However, you are allergic to shrimp and
cant eat them. What will you do?
3. While you are playing game with your friends, your neighbour asked you to
help her lift her heavy bags. What will you do in this situation?
Way to say NO |
Contact us at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SEE.EnglishClub/
Wednesday Night at 6.00pm to 8.00pm
