Nama : Tabitha C Nalle

Kelas : XII-AKL

Mapel : Bahasa Inggris

May I Help You?

“ May I Help You?” is the most common and frequently used Offering Help Interrogatives
expression. The use of "May" is formal so that when offering help to others it has a more
polite impression.

A. Definition Offering help

Offering help is an expression to offer help to someone. The purpose is to offer assistance
for someone who is doing something politely. There are two kinds of offering help: informal
offers and formal offers.

B. Offering help in formal situation

 Would you like some help?
 May I Help You?
 Could I help you?
 May I offer my assistance?
 What shall I do for you?

Sample conversation

Nika: “Hi, Nat are you not coming home yet?”

Nat: “No, I’m waiting for my brother to pick me up”

Nika: “May I help you to call your brother?”

Nat: “Sure, thank you”

Nika: “Of course, no problem”

C. Offering for Help in Informal situation

 Can I help you?
 Need any help?
 Do you need a hand?
 Can I give you a hand?
 Do you need any help?
 How can I help you

Sample conversation :

Sissy: Uh, I have a stomachache.

Randy: What happened, Sissy? Are you little bit unwell?

Sissy: Yeah, I think so.

 Randy: It sounds bad, do you need any help to take some medicine?

Sissy: That’s very good of you. Please take some medicine in my bedroom.

Randy: Oke, wait a minute.

D. Accepting Offering Help

Example :
 How kind of you! Thank you very much.
 That’s very good of you.
 Yes, please do.
 What a good idea!
 Thanks. That would be excellent.
 It’s sound so good, yes please.

E. Refusing for Offering Help

Example :
o No, you don’t need to.
o Don’t bother yourself, thanks.
o No, thank you.
o That’s very kind, but I can manage myself
o That’s very good of you, but I can handle it

F. Construction of Offering help

Formula Verb form

May I help you? Use ‘May I’ or ‘Can I’ the base form or the
verb in a statement

Are you looking for Use ‘Are you looking for’ something or
something? anything in particular or specific object

Would you like Use ‘Would you like’ some help or some
some help? advice or a recommendation

Do you need some Use ‘Do you need’ some help or some
help? advice or a recommendation

What can I do for Use ‘What can I do for’ you/her/him/etc

you? today or this morning, this afternoon, this
evening, this night.