Asking for information

Sometimes you want to ask English people for information. In English it is not very polite to start a
conversation with a direct question. For this reason we have a number of phrases

10 expressions to Use In Speaking And How To Use These Phrases In Your English:
Writing:
1. Can you tell me...? Phrases 1 - 10 are all followed by indirect questions.
So 'What's the time?' becomes 'Can you tell me
what the time is?'.
2. Could you tell me...? Phrase 2 is a little more formal and polite than
phrase 1.
3. I'd like to know... Phrases 3, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 are polite and are good
to use if you are asking a stranger or you are asking
at a public information desk.
4. D'you know... Phrase 4 is more informal.
5. (Got / Have you) any idea...? Phrases 5 and 7 are more informal if you say them
with out the part in () brackets.
6. Could anyone tell me...? Phrases 9 and 10 are very formal and in an informal
situation some people may react strangely if they
think that you are being sarcastic.
7. (Do / Would) you happen to know...? By using phrases 1 to 10, we make it easier for the
listener to say 'Sorry I don't know'.
8. I don't suppose you (would) know...?
9. I wonder if you could tell me...?
10. I wonder if someone could tell me...?
 Asking people to wait

Sometimes when you are very busy and somebody asks you do do something, you need to ask them to
wait. Here are ten phrases for asking people to wait.

10 expressions to Use In Speaking And How To Use These Phrases In Your English:
Writing:
1. Hang on a moment / a mo. 1. Phrases 1, 2, and 3 are quite informal but
polite in tone. You are busy and expect to be able to
help them quite soon.
2. Give us a second. 2. Phrase 4 is especially useful in customer
service situations where you want to ask a customer
to wait for a few minutes.
3. Half a moment / a mo. 3. Phrase 5 is really saying how busy you are
but at the same time you are asking people to wait.
It is quite polite.
4. I'll be right with you. 4. Phrase 6 is refusing to tell somebody
something about the near future. We often use it
when we are preparing a surprise for somebody.
5. Sorry, I'm a bit tied up right now. 5. Phrases 7 and 8 are less polite and are
suggesting that you think the other person is being
too impatient.
6. Wait and see. 6. Phrase 9 is more impolite and you are
actually directly criticising the other person for being
impatient.
7. You'll just have to be patient. 7. Phrase 10 is a formal announcement that
you might hear on a train or plane in the UK. It is
followed by a noun phrase.
8. Give me a chance.
9. Don't be so impatient.
10. We wish to apologize for the delay to...

Asking somebody's opinion

It's a good idea to ask another person about their opinion before you tell them your opinion loudly
and strongly. Maybe they completely diagree with you. Here are ten ways to ask.

10 expressions to Use In Speaking And How To Use These Phrases In Your English:
 Writing:
1. What do you think of...? 1. Phrases 1, 2, 3,4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 are followed
by a noun or gerund (-ing form).
2. What do you think about...? 2. Phrases 1 and 2 are general phrases for
asking for an opinion. We can use them both
formally and informally. In informal speech, 'do you'
becomes 'd'you?'.
3. How d'you feel (about...)? 3. Phrases 3 and 4 are more informal. We can
use them with 'about' and a noun or gerund phrase
e.g. 'How d'you feel about having a class outside in
the garden?'
4. What d'you reckon (about...)? 4. We use phrase 6 (with that) after another
sentence (e.g. They're going to build a new
supermarket here. What do you think of that?).
5. What's your opinion of...? 5. Phrases 7 and 8 are more formal. You could
use them in a business meeting and you might hear
them on interviews on the news.
6. (What do think about) that? 6. Phrase 9 is asking the other person's
opinion of an idea or proposal. We follow 'to' with a
noun or gerund and follow 'if we' with a sentence
with a past verb.
7. What are your views on...? 7. Phrase 10 is an indirect way of asking for an
opinion. We ask if the other person knows about the
situation. They are then are expected to react with
an opinion.
8. Where do you stand (on...)?
9. What would you say to... / if we...?
10. Are you aware of.....?

Attitude to the future

10 expressions to Use In Speaking And How To Use These Phrases In Your English:
Writing:
1. I'm (really / so) looking forward to.. 1. Phrases 1, 2, 3, and 4 are showing a very
positive feeling about something that is going to
happen in the future.
2. I can't wait until... 2. Phrases 5 and 6 are talking about things
 that the speaker wants to happen. The speaker is
actively trying to make these things happen.
3. I'm counting the days till... 3. Phrase 7 is something the speaker thinks
she / he will do one day in the future. She / he is not
very interested in doing this.
4. Roll on... 4. Phrase 8 is a little more negative but the
speaker still expects he or she will do it one day.
5. I've set my heart on... 5. Phrases 9 and 10 are things that the
speaker doesn't want to do at all but in the end will
have to do them.
6. I'm saving up to... 6. We follow phrases 1, 5, 7, 9 and 10 with a
gerund (-ing form) e.g. 'I'm so looking forward to
going on the school trip to Stonehenge'.
7. Sooner or later I'll get round to... 7. We follow phrases 2 and 3 with a sentence
or clause e.g. 'I can't wait until I pass FCE'.
8. One day, I'm going to have to... 8. We follow phrase 4 with the day or time of
an event (e.g. 'Roll on next Monday. It's the day of
the school pancake party.)
9. I'm trying to put off... as long as I can 9. We follow phrases 6 and 8 with an infinitive
verb e.g. 'I'm saving up to come back and do anothe
10. I'm (really) dreading...