SAYING GOOD-BYE

SAYING GOOD-BYE

There are many English expressions for saying good-bye, ranging from informal to formal ones.

· Simple Good-byes

o Bye.

o Good-bye.

o Bye for now.

o See you later.

Talk to you soon.

o See you around. Take care.

o See you real soon.

o See you tomorrow / next week.

o See ya. (informal)

o See you later, alligator. (slang)

· More Formal Good-byes

o (It was) nice to see you. Good-bye.

o (It was) good to see you. Good-bye.

o (It was) nice talking to you. Bye.

o Take care. See you again.

· Saying Goodbye to Someone You Have Just Met

o Nice meeting you.

o It was a pleasure meeting you. (formal)

o It's a real pleasure to have met you. (formal)

o It's been a real pleasure. (formal)

SAMPLE DIALOGS

Situation 1:

Ngan was shopping with Hng at a bookstore where she ran into Nga (met Ichiro by chance). They hadn't seen each other for a while.

Ngan: Hey! What a surprise to see you here!

Nga: Yeah! Haven't seen you in ages! How've you been?

Ngan: Fine. How about you?

Nga: Well, just plugging along.

Ngan: Oh, have you two met?

Nga: I don't think so.

Ngan: Hung, this is Nga. Nga, Hung.

Nga: Nice to meet you.

Hung: Same here.

(They chatted for a while)

Nga: Listen, I gotta go. It was nice seeing you again, Ngan.

Ngan: Nice seeing you, too. Let's get together again soon.

Nga: Yes. Let's do that. Nice talking to you, Hung. Take care.

Hung: Nice meeting you, Nga. See you.

GREETINGS

GREETINGS

There are many English expressions for greetings, ranging from informal to formal ones. 　

· Informal Greetings

o Hi!

o Hello!

o What's up?

o What's new?

o How's it going?

· More Formal Greetings

o Good morning. How are you today?

o Good afternoon. How's everything?

o Good evening. How have you been?

· Greeting Someone You Haven't Seen for a while

o I haven't seen you in ages! How have you been?

o How're things going?

o How are you getting along?

o Long time no see! (Informal)

· Greeting Someone You Are Surprised to See

o Fancy meeting you here!

o Never thought I'd see you here!

o What a surprise to see you here!

Functions Of English

OFFERING HELP

There are a number of formulas used when offering help in English. Here are some of the most common:

• May I help you?
• Can I help you?
• Are you looking for something?
• Would you like some help?
• Do you need some help?
• What can I do for you today?

Speaking Skills

ASKING SOMEONE FOR THEIR OPINION ABOUT A TOPIC

I. Yes/No Questions

• Do you believe in horoscopes?


• Do you believe in a God who rewards good and punishes wrong-doing?


• Do you think we should be tougher on crime?


• Do you think we should maintain our traditions or make way for change?


• Do you think the Government should act to curb the power of media barons....?


• Do you think everybody should be trained to use computers?


• Do you think that public sector workers such as teachers, doctors, nurses and fire fighters should be allowed to strike?


• Do you think that the young have anything to learn from the elderly and vice versa?


• Would you consider sending your child to a grammar school?


• Would you ever consider taking out private health insurance?
  

OR Questions

• Are you for or against self-sufficiency?


• Would you prefer your child to be educated privately or by the state?


• Would you rather go to a mixed or single-sex school?


• Which should be the official world language - English or Esperanto?

WH Questions

• What do you think of fox hunting?


• What do you think of British food?


• What do you think of package holidays?


• What do you think is the problem between the English and the Americans?


• What do you think are the causes of the increase in violence in our society?


• What are the advantages and disadvantages of getting married?

Negative Yes/No Questions

• How about boarding schools? Don’t they teach children how to live together?


• What are the advantages and disadvantages of getting married?


• Don’t you think it’s better to stay single?

Functions Of English

WELL-OFF & BETTER-OFF

well-off

Well-off relates mainly to money matters. If you are well-off, you may not be rich exactly, but you have enough money to live well and comfortably:

By central European standards they are quite well-off They have their own flat and drive new cars.

well-off for

However, if you say you are well-off for something, this means that there are many of them:

We’re well-off for coffee shops in this town. There’s one at every corner in the High Street.

better-off

The comparative form of this adjective is better-off which is used to talk about the varying degrees of wealth different people have:

We’re not as well-off as the Jones’s. They’re definitely better-off than we are. Just look at the way they dress!

To be better-off, as you suggest, Mariano, also has another meaning of being in a better situation and is used mainly in conditional patterns as follows:

If you’ve got heavy bags to carry, you’d be better-off taking a taxi.It says on the sign that the motorway ahead is blocked. You’ll be better-off if you leave the motorway at this junction which is coming up now.

the better-off

The better-off is sometimes used as a noun to describe a category of people, cf the rich / the poor:

The rich and the poor live side-by-side in this part of town.The better-off should pay a higher rate of income tax, while those who are worst-off should pay no tax at all.

Functions Of English

ANALYZING PROBLEMS

I. Focusing on the main problem/issue

1. What is the main problem?
2. What is the real issue (here)?
3. (I think) the major problem is . . .
4. Our primary concern is . . .
5. The crux of the matter is . . .
6. (As I see it), the most important thing is . . .
7. The main problem we need to solve is . . .
8. We really need to take care of . . .
9. It all comes down to this:

II. Asking for input

1. What should we do about it?
2. What needs to be done?
3. What do you think we should do?
4. What are we going to do about it?
5. Do you have any suggestions?
6. Any ideas?

III. Making Recommendations

1. I recommend that . . .
2. I suggest that . . .
3. I would like to propose that . . .
4. Why don't we . . .

Functions Of English

GIVING ADVICE

There are a number of formulas used when Giving Advice in English. Here are some of the most common:

• I don't think you should work so hard.
• You ought to work less.
• You ought not to work so hard.
• If I were you, I'd work less.
• If I were in your position, I'd work less.
• If I were in your shoes, I'd work less.
• You had better work less.
• You shouldn't work so hard.
• Whatever you do, don't work so hard.
  

Functions Of English

MAKING COMPLAINTS

There are a number of formulas used when complaining in English. It's important to remember that a direct complaint or criticism in English can sound rude or aggressive. It's best to mention a problem in an indirect manner. Here are some of the most common:

• I'm sorry to have to say this but...
• I'm sorry to bother you, but...
• Maybe you forgot to...
• I think you might have forgotten to...
• Excuse me if I'm out of line, but...
• There may have been a misunderstanding about...
• Don't get me wrong, but I think we should...

Ex:

• I'm sorry to have to say this, but I think we need to take another approach.
• I'm sorry to bother you, but I think you need to refine this layout.
• Maybe you forgot to include his name and number.
• I think you might have forgotten to finish the report on time.
• Excuse me if I'm out of line, but your work has not been adequate lately.
• There may have been a misunderstanding about what I expected from you.
• Don't get me wrong, but I think we should concentrate on the Smith account for the moment.
  

Functions Of English

AGREEING AND DISAGREEING

Agreement

• There are many reasons for …
• There is no doubt about it that …
• I simply must agree with that.
• I am of the same opinion.
• I am of the same opinion as …
• I completely/absolutely agree with …
  

Qualified Disagreement

• It is only partly true that...
• I can agree with that only with reservations.
• That seems obvious, but …
• That is not necessarily so.
• It is not as simple as it seems.
• Under certain circumstances …
  

Disagreement

• There is more to it than that.
• The problem is that …
• I (very much) doubt whether …
• This is in complete contradiction to …
• What is even worse, …
• I am of a different opinion because …
• I cannot share this / that / the view.
• I cannot agree with this idea.
• What I object to is …
• Unlike … I think …

Functions Of English

ACCEPTING AND REFUSING

Accepting and refusing politely may depend on what you are asked. For example

1. Would you like some cake?

• Yes, please.


• Sure.


• Thanks


• Okay. Thank you


• No, thank youI'd better not.


• No, but thanks for offering.
  

2. Would you like to go see a movie?

• Okay. Sounds good.


• Sure. I'd love to.


• Yeah. Good idea


• No, I'd rather not.


• I'm sorry, but I can't.


• No, but thanks for inviting me.
  

3. How about some more pie?

• All right. Thanks


• Looks good.


• Thanks


• Don't mind if I do.


• No, thanks.


• I'm really full.


• Thanks anyway.


• Looks delicious, but I'll have to pass.
  

4. How about going skiing this weekend?

• Great. What time?


• Sounds like fun.


• All right. When and where?
  Sorry. I'm busy this weekend.


• I don't think I can.


• How about some other time?
  

Function of English

ENCOURAGING WORDS

Expressing Goodwill

. . .when someone is arriving
- Welcome
- Welcome back!
- Come in.
- It's good to meet you. (first time only)
- It's good to see you again. (after the first time)

. . . when someone is leaving
- It's been nice talking with you.
- Have a good/nice day.
- Have a nice weekend.
- Have a nice trip.
- Have fun.
- Keep in touch.

Encouragement

- Good luck!
- Good luck on your test.
- You can do it!
- Do your best.
- Do the best you can.
- Work hard.
- Keep up the good work.

Reassurance

- Take it easy.
- Don't worry.
- That's okay.
- It's going to be all right.
- Everything will be fine.
- No problem.

Responses to good news

- Wow!
- That's great!
- That's wonderful.
- That's really good news.
- I'm glad/happy to hear that.
- Congratulations!
- Good for you!
- Good job!

Responses to bad news

- That's too bad.
- That's really sad.
- That's terrible!(for really bad news)
- I'm sorry to hear that. (for sad news)

Function of English

ASKING FOR INFORMATION

There are a number of formulas used when asking for information in English. Here are some of the most common:

- Could you tell me...?
- Do you know...?
- Do you happen to know...?
- I'd like to know...
- Could you find out...?
- I'm interested in...
- I'm looking for..

Ex:


- Could you tell me when the next train leaves?
- Do you know how much this shirt costs?
- Do you happen to know where Anna lives?
- I'd like to know what you think about my presentation.
- Could you find out when she is going to arrive?
- I'm interested in finding a suitable course.
- I'm looking for my girl friend. Do you happen to know where she is?

These two forms are used for asking for information on the telephone:

- I'm calling to find out...
- I'm calling about...