The basic rule for 'Excuse me' and Sorry is: we say 'Excuse me' before we do something, we say 'Sorry' after we do something. But there are some exceptions to the basic rule.
| If you are late you should apologise, saying:
|
| (informal)
I’m sorry I am late.
| (formal)
Excuse me being late. Excuse me for being late.
|
| If you interrupt somebody, you could say:
|
| (informal)
Sorry to interrupt you.
| (formal)
Excuse my interrupting you.
|
A few words about some language problems.
I do agree it’s quite embarrassing when you don’t speak the language of the country you are staying in. Although I believe we shouldn’t feel unhappy about it. Can I share my experience with you? As a rule, native speakers appreciate the effort learners of their language are making to master it. They usually try to encourage language learners and help them. Anyway, if you are not fluent in the language it would be nice to say so.
| How to apologise for not knowing a foreign language
| How to encourage a language learner
|
| Sorry, my English isn’t very good.
I’m not a fluent speaker.
I’m afraid my English is a little rusty.
My English needs brushing up.
| You speak English very well.
You speak fluent English.
You’ve made good progress.
Your English is perfect.
You speak English perfectly well.
|
| What to say when you don’t understand the speaker.
|
| Pardon? Sorry? (USA) Pardon, could you say it (that) again? Sorry, I didn’t catch what you said. Sorry, I didn’t get you. (USA) Could you repeat it, please.
|
| What to say when you don’t know the English for something.
|
| What do you call this thing? What do you mean by ‘rusty’? What is the English for ‘... ’?
|
|
|
Chapter four
WHEN YOU ARE INVITED...
| Host/Hostess:
| Hello. Nice to see you. Come in, please.
|
| Guest:
| Hello. How are you? I’ve brought you a small present.
|
| That’s very kind of you. Thanks a lot, really. But you shouldn’t have bothered
|
|
| In the Sitting-Room
|
| Host/Hostess:
| This way, please. Come into the sitting-room. Make yourself comfortable, please.
|
| Guest:
| Thank you. Oh, it’s lovely here! What a nice room you’ve got! What a nice picture you’ve got!
|
| Host/Hostess:
| Thank you. Why don’t we sit down at the fire-place and chat a little? What would you like to drink: whiskey, gin and tonic, martini?
|
| Guest:
| Could I have some juice, please?
|
As you remember Dr Zunin doesn’t recommend discussing something unpleasant at the beginning of the meeting. We should start our conversation with some pleasant and neutral topic which everybody is familiar with and feels relaxed when speaking about.
It’s common knowledge that in Britain one of the most popular small talk topics is weather. Some people say that it’s because the weather in this country is so changeable.
Might be, I really don’t know. Anyway, talking about the weather is very good to start a conversation, isn’t it?
WHAT TO SAY ABOUT WEATHER
| When the weather is good
| When the weather is bad
|
| It’s
| fine beautiful lovely wonderful marvellous
| today, isn’t it?
| It’s
| awful nasty terrible miserable dreadful
| today, isn’t it?
|
| | | | | | |
| When it’s warm and sunny
| When it’s cold and cloudy
|
| It’s
| warm rather warm hot too hot today hotter today than yesterday sunny dry hotter today than yesterday
| It’s
| cold chilly cool windy cloudy foggy wet
|
| | | | |
| It’s a lovely day today, isn’t it? It’s clearing up. The sky is clear.
| I hope it keeps up, don’t you? It is clouding over. I’m afraid the weather is changing for the worse.
|
| When it’s rainy
It looks like rain. It’s likely to rain. It is drizzling. It often rains in autumn. It is raining heavily now. It’s pouring down!
| When it’s snowy
It looks like snow. It’s likely to snow. It rarely snows in London. It is sleeting now. It is frosty. It is slippery.
|
What's the temperature today?
| abov
| - It’s 5 degrees above zero in London.
|
| zero
|
|
| below
| - It’s 5 degrees below zero in Moscow.
|
| What’s the weather forecast for the coming weekend?
| They promise fair weather.
|
I hope now it won’t be too difficult for you to speak about the weather. While giving you my weather ‘recommendations’ I remembered another story by George Mikes in which he mocks at the English weather talk. Read it, please, and say if there is anything in the story which reminds you of weather forecasts in your country.
THE WEATHER § § §
This is the most important topic in the land. On the Continent, wanting to describe someone as exceptionally dull people say: 'He is the type who would discuss the weather with you.' In England it is an ever-interesting, even thrilling topic, and you must be good at discussing the weather.
EXAMPLES FOR CONVERSATION
For Good Weather.
| 'Lovely day, isn't it?' 'Isn't it beautiful?' 'The sun...' 'Isn't it gorgeous?' 'Wonderful, isn't it?' 'It's so nice and hot...' 'Personally, I think it's so nice when it's hot, isn't it?' 'I love it, don't you?'
|
For Bad Weather
| 'Nasty day, isn't it?' 'Isn't it dreadful?' 'The rain... I hate rain...' 'I don't like it at all. Do you?' 'Fancy such a day in July. Rain in the morning, then a bit of sunshine, and then rain, rain, rain, rain, all day long.' 'I remember exactly the same July day in 1936.' 'Yes, I remember too.' 'Or was it in 1928?' 'Yes, it was.' 'Or in 1939?' 'Yes, that's right.'
|
Now observe the last few sentences of this conversation. A very important rule comes from it. You must never contradict anybody when discussing the weather. If it hails and snows, if hurricanes break the trees along the road, and if someone says to you: 'Nice day, isn’t it?' - answer without hesitation: 'Isn’t it lovely?'
Learn the above conversation by heart. If you are a bit slow in picking things up, learn at least one conversation, it would do wonderfully for any situation.
If you do not say anything else for the rest of your life, just repeat this conversation, you still have a fair chance of passing as a remarkably witty man of sharp intellect and extremely pleasant manners. English society is a class society, strictly organised almost on corporate lines. If you doubt this, listen to the weather forecasts. There is always a different forecast for farmers. You often hear statements like this on the radio: 'Tomorrow it will be cold, cloudy and foggy; long periods of rain will be interrupted by short periods of showers.'
And then: 'Weather forecast for farmers. It will be fair and warm, many hours of sunshine.'
You must not forget that the farmers do grand work of national importance and deserve better weather.
It happened on many occasions that nice, warm weather had been forecast and rain and snow fell down all day long, or vice versa. Some people jumped to the conclusion that something must be wrong with the weather forecasts. They are mistaken.
I have read an article in one of the Sunday papers and now I can tell you what the situation really is. All troubles are because of anti-cyclones. I don’t quite know what anti-cyclones are, but this is not important: I hate anti-cyclones and am very anti-cyclone myself. The two worst anti-cyclones are the Azores and the Polar anti-cyclones.
The British meteorologists forecast the right weather - as it really should be - and then these awful little anti-cyclones interfere and mess up everything.
That again proves that if the British kept to themselves and did not mix with foreign things like Polar and Azores anti-cyclones they would be much better off.
Now it's time to go to the dining-room and have a meal. Look at the phrases you might need in such a situation.
Inviting Guests to the Dining-Room
| Hostess
| Guests
|
| Would you like to come to the table, please? I think everything is ready.
| Will you sit here, Dinah? Peter, could you sit next to Dinah, please?
|
| Would you like some green salad? Help yourself to chiken, please.
| Thank you. Oh, it looks lovely! Yes, with pleasure.
|
TABLE MANNERS
| Help youself to the mushrooms, please.
Would you like some salad?
Thank you. I’m glad you like it. Would you like some more?
| Thank you. Just a little then, please.
Yes, please. The salad is absolutely delicious!
I’m fine. (I’m OK). No, thank you. I’m full.
|
Asking for something
Could I have some more cake, please?
Could you pass the bread, please?
Saying you don’t want much
| Have another helping.
| Well, yes, please, but only a little.
|
Refusing something
| Help yourself to chocolate pudding, please.
| No, thank you. I’m afraid chocolate doesn’t agree with me.
|
Attention!
1. Try not to say directly to your host(ess) “I don’t like it”.
2. Don’t expect the British host(ess) to offer you the same thing several times. Say ‘yes’ if you
really want something, you might not be offered it another time. Accordingly, if you are
treating your British guest to something and receive a ‘no’ answer, don’t offer it again -
the British mean what they say.
Leaving the table
Thank you.
That was lovely.
That was very nice.
I really enjoyed it.
Now the time has come to speak of how to behave and what to say when you are leaving your friends’ house.
Your visit is coming to an end. You feel like going home. But don’t hurry to stand up and say good-bye. In the British culture it isn’t considered polite to just stand up and say you are leaving at the end of your visit. If you behave like that, your British host(ess) will think that there is something wrong. You should say at least twice that you are going to leave before you actually stand up and say good-bye.
