Consider the examples below illustrating different ways of further intensification. Think of more examples possible for some other functions of English.
Task 15. Make the following sentences more polite (indirect). (Choose any 5 sentences).
1. I don’t mean to be nosy, but can you tell me who sang that piece?
2. Oh, it was Jill! She was nice, wasn’t she?
3. That’s what I was thinking. I like her voice.
4. She says she can’t do without singing.
5. Well, she was good in Carmen last spring.
6. I enjoyed the opera.
7. I remember you also sang there. I like your voice. You can sing nicely.
8. No, I’m a bad singer. Besides, singing classics is not my strong point.
9. I was very surprised when they offered me that part.
Task 16. Use overstatement to
a) express your positive opinion on smb’s presentation / a film you’ve seen,
b) compliment your friend praising the way s/he looks / does smth.
EXPANDING MONOSYLLABIC REPLIES
The strategy of keeping the conversation going is aimed at constantly reacting politely to what you are being said so that the talk would not unexpectedly end. Most “dangerous” in this respect are short answers which - incautiously used - might put a full stop to all the previous efforts, and the ensuing silence might cause embarrassment. Monosyllabic yes/no answers should be made more polite by expanding devices based on different ways of emphasising and softening.
Expanding devices
| Emphasising with: | Softening with: | |
| a) degree adverbs | a) verbs of thinking | c) conditional and subjunctive phrases |
| b) verbs of thinking | b) hedges and phrases of reservation |
The tactics is quite common for the following functions:
accepting, explaining, (dis)agreeing, refusing, apologising, expressing an opinion etc.
Emphasising positive replies
Expanding devices could mainly be reduced to set formulae for emphatic agreement with adverbs and phrases with verbs of thinking. Consider the examples below illustrating different ways of expanding short answers. Think of more examples possible for some other functions of English.