Making Requests / Asking for Permission/ Offering Helps

Compiled by: Widyarini Susilo Putri

DIII English Program
Universitas Merdeka Malang
Asking for, Giving and
Refusing Permission
by Using the Modals Can/Could
Permission Asking for, Giving and Refusing
If someone is given permission to do something, they are allowed to do it; if
someone is denied permission to do something, they are not allowed to do
it. You can use the modal verb 'can' to ask for and give permission.

A: Can I ask you something? B: Yes, of course you can.

'Can't' is used to refuse permission. 'Can't (cannot)' is the negative form of

the modal verb 'can'.
     
A: Can I go to the cinema with my friends, Dad? B: No, you can't.

Refusals can often be softened with other words. For example:

A: Can I ask you something very personal? B: No, I'm afraid you can't.

You can also use the modal verb 'could' to ask for permission; it is more
polite than 'can'.
A: Could I ask you something? B: Yes, you can. (NOT ... Yes, you could. / No, you couldn't.)

Do not use 'could' to give or refuse permission. To give permission, use

the modal verb 'can'. To refuse permission, use 'can't'.
 1.
When you make a request,
Expressing, you ask someone for
something or ask them to
Granting do something. The
simplest way to ask for
and Denying something is to say 'Can I
have...?' You can also add
Requests the word 'please' to be
2.
If you want to make your
request more polite, use
the modal 'could'.
·        A: Could I have another
cup of tea? B: Yes, you can. /
No, you can't. (NOT ...Yes,
you could.)

more polite.
by Using the ·        A: Can I have my book
Modals back, please? B: Yes, of
course you can.
Can/Could ·        A: Can you help me lift
this chair? B: Sure I can.
Asking for, Giving and Refusing Permission
by Using the Modals May/Might
'May' and 'might' are used for permission mostly in a formal style. They are much more formal, tentative and
polite than their siblings 'can' and 'could'.

1 ·        Can I leave work a bit earlier today? (more informal, casual)
·        Excuse me, may I leave work a bit earlier today? (formal)

'Might' is even more formal and polite than 'may'. It is mostly used in indirect question structures.
2
·        I wonder if I might leave work a bit earlier today?;

You can also say

3 · Might I leave work a bit earlier today?
but the above indirect question structure sounds more natural.

'May not' is used to refuse permission.

4 · A: May I borrow your lipstick? B: No, you may not!

5 A note: Speakers of American English often prefer to use the modal verb 'may'
(instead of 'can' or 'could') to ask permission.
You can also make requests with the modals 'may' and 'might'.
Requests with 'may' or 'might' sound very polite and formal. In
less formal or casual situations, you should use 'can' or
'could'.

·        Excuse me, may I have a look at your newspaper? (very

polite, formal)
·        Can I look at your newspaper for a moment? (casual,
informal)
·        Excuse me, I wonder if I might have a look at your
newspaper for a moment? (very polite, formal)
·        Might I have something to eat? (very polite, formal) Expressing,
Requests with 'might' sound a little bit old-fashioned. Some Granting and
English speakers find 'might' to be too distant for making
requests.
Denying
Requests
'May not' is used to deny a request.

·        A: May I borrow you car? B: No, you may not. by Using the Modals
·        A: Excuse me, I wonder if I might have a look at your May/Might
newspaper for a moment? B: No, you may not!.
 Language for Asking Permission
Language for asking permission
Question head subject verb phrase with base infinitive
Can I borrow your pen?
Could he use your phone charger?
she take the day off tomorrow?
they ask you something?
have one of your sandwiches?

Language for asking permission 2

Question head subject verb phrase with present simple
Would it be OK if I borrow/s your pen?
Would it be alright if he use/s your phone charger?
she take/s the day off tomorrow?
they ask/s you to help me?
have/has one of your sandwiches?

Language for asking permission 3

Question head subject verb phrase with past subjunctive
Would it be OK if I borrowed your pen?
Would it be alright if he used your phone charger?
she took the day off tomorrow?
they asked you to help me?
had one of your sandwiches?
 A Word About Politeness
A word about politeness
When asking for permission to do something we usually use the word 'please' to make the request sound more
polite. It's not grammatically necessary to use 'please' but you may sound rude if you don't use it. 'Please' can
be put in different places in the sentence; at the start, end or before the verb:

Please can I borrow your pen?

Can I please borrow your pen?
Can I borrow your pen, please?

A more important way of showing politeness is the tone of voice and intonation. Even if you use the word
'please' you can sound rude if your pronunciation is not correct.

Generally the longer an expression is the more formal and polite it sounds. However remember that
pronunciation is always very important in a spoken request for permission.
 Requesting Permission
MORE FORMAL

Would, could, please + verb are used to request permission.

May I leave early?

Might I leave early? (excessively formal)

Would you mind if I left early?

Would you mind my leaving early?

I would like to ask you if I might leave early?  (formal!) 

LESS FORMAL

Can and other expressions are used informally in speech to request permission.

Can I leave early?

Is it a problem if I leave early?

We're leaving early, you don't mind, do you?

I need to leave, do you mind?

Is is OK if I leave early?
 Conversations
Conversation 1 Conversation 2
John and Sandra are a couple on holiday in Paris and John Paul needs to ask his boss for permission to leave work early
goes up to a stranger: the next day:

John       :  ‘Excuse me, sorry to bother you, Paul       :  ‘Mr Clark.’

                 would you mind taking our picture?’ Mr Clark :  ‘Hi Paul, is everything OK?’
Stranger : ‘No not at all. Where would you like to Paul       : ‘Yes thanks. It’s just, do you mind if
                 stand?’                  I leave early tomorrow? I need to
Sandra    : ‘Here’s fine. In front of the Eifel                  take my sister to the airport.’
                 Tower.’ Mr Clark :  ‘No, of course not. That’s fine.
Stranger  :  ‘Great, say cheese.’ Paul       :  ‘Thanks.’

 
Conversation 3 Conversation 4
Harry needs to make a call but his phone battery is flat. He’s Pat and Anne are classmates. Pat’s pen runs out:
with his friend Bill.
Pat    : ‘My pen’s run out. Could I borrow one
Harry   : ‘Oh no, my phone’s dead. Is it OK if I             of yours?’
               use yours? To phone Carol.’ Anne : ‘Sure. Here you are.’
Bill       : ‘Yeah sure. Go ahead. How are you Pat    :‘Thanks.’
               and Carol getting on?’
Harry   : ‘Cheers. Not bad, not bad at all.’
 
 
Offering Something to Someone
There are several ways of offering something to someone in English. A polite way of
offering something that most learners are familiar with is to use the expression
'Would you like...?' For example:
·        Would you like a cup of tea? / Would you like a biscuit or something?

When you're talking to someone you know well, you can use the less polite form 'Do
you want...?' For instance:
·        Do you want a cup of tea? / Do you want a biscuit?

When you know the person well, and you want to be more persuasive, you can use
the imperative form have:
·        Have some more coffee. / Have another slice of cake.
In VERY INFORMAL SITUATIONS you can also use just a noun group, making it sound like a question:
·        A: Black coffee? B: Yes, please. / A: Tea? B: No, thanks.
A note: British people often use the verb fancy as a way of informally offering something. For example:
·        Fancy a drink? meaning Do you want a drink?
·        Fancy some coffee? / Fancy a biscuit?
Sometimes you are OFFERING SOMETHING THAT IS NOT IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE. In such situations
you can use the expression 'Can I get you something?' For example:
·        Can I get you something to drink? / Can I get you something to eat? / Let me get you something to
drink. / Let me get you something to eat. / Can I get you anything? A cup of tea or coffee? Some juice? / Sit
down and let me get you some cake.
If you want the other person to take what they need, you should use the expressions 'Help yourself' or 'Help
yourself to something':
·        A: Do you suppose I could have a glass of wine? B: Of course. You know where everything is. Help
yourself.
·        Please help yourself to some coffee. / Help yourself to sugar.
When you are offering help to someone, you can say…

‘Shall I...?’:
·        Shall I fetch a nurse? / Shall I fetch the doctor?
 Confident vs. Less Confident Offers
Confident Offers
If you are fairly sure that the other person wants to have something done for them, you can say 'Let me...' :
·        Let me buy you a drink. / Let me carry your briefcase. / Let me help.

Less Confident Offers

If you are not sure whether the other person wants you to do something, you can make a less confident offer.
You can say 'Do you want me to...?', 'Should I...?' or, more politely, 'Would you like me to...?'. For example:
·        Do you want me to help you with your homework?
·        Should I help you find a good doctor?
·        Would you like me to take your shoes off?
Another way of making a less confident offer (when you are not sure that it is necessary) is to add '...if you
want' or '...if you like' after using 'I'll...' or 'I can...'. For instance:
·        I'll drive you back home if you want.
·        I can show you my new house right now if you like.
'Can I...' is also used to make a less confident offer:
·        Can I give you a lift anywhere?
Sometimes you can also use the verb need to make an offer. For example:
·        Do you need anything?
 Offers to a Customer
Shop and company employees sometimes say 'Can I ...' or
'May I...' when they are politely offering their help to a
customer on the phone or in person:
·        Flight information, can I help you?
·        Dorsey & Whitney, Jamie speaking, how may I help you?
 Replying to an Offer
ACCEPTING AN OFFER
The most usual way of ACCEPTING AN OFFER is to say 'Yes, please' or
'Thank you/Thanks'. For example:
·        A: Would you like some coffee? B: Yes, please.
·        A: Have a banana. B: Thank you. / Thanks.
When you want to show that you are very grateful for an offer, especially an
unexpected one, you can say something like 'Thank you, that would be great' or
'Oh, thank you, that would be lovely'. You can also say 'That's very kind of you',
which is a more formal alternative. For example:
·        A: Shall I run you a bath? B: Yes, please! That would be lovely/great.
·        A: Shall I help you carry the shopping? B: Thank you. That's very kind of
you.
 REFUSING AN OFFER

The usual way of REFUSING AN OFFER is to say 'No, thank you' or, informally, 'No, thanks'. You
can also say something like 'No, I'm fine, thank you', 'I'm alright, thanks', or 'No, it's alright'. For
example:
·        A: Do you want a lift? B: No, I'm alright, thanks. I don't mind walking.
·        A: Shall I cook dinner tonight? B: No, it's alright.
If someone says they will do something for you, you can also refuse their offer politely by saying
'Please don't bother':
·        A: I'll get you some water. B: Please don't bother.
If you have read the article carefully, you may have noticed the use of modal verbs in many of the
above expressions. Modal verbs are a type of auxiliary (helping) verbs, and they are used to indicate
the necessity or possibility of an event, and to make offers, requests, and suggestions. The modals
used in the above expressions are will, would, can, shall, should, and may.
Conversation 1: Offering Help
A: Would you like me to help you on your new
    project?
B: I would love the help! Would you prefer
    helping with the writing part or is programming
    more your thing?
A: I would enjoy helping with the writing portion.
B: Perfect! You'll be working alone on that
     portion. Do you like to work alone?
A: That is OK sometimes.
B: Our first meeting is next Monday. Could you
     meet with us at that time?
A: No, I can't be there.
B: Please send me your background information    
     before the meeting so I can look at it.
A: I can send that information to you.
B: OK. I look forward to working with you. Enjoy
     your week!
Conversation 2: Offering Help
A: Could I help you on your new project?
B: I have a need for help with writing and also a
    need for help with the computer work. Which
    would you prefer?
A: I want to help with both.
B: That would be wonderful. Sometimes we will
     be working together and sometimes
    independently. Would that be OK?
A: Most of the time that is what I prefer.
B: We start on Monday. Can you be there?
A: I am not sure yet.
B: I need your background information before the
    meeting.
A: I will do that.
B: I'll enjoy working with you. Have a great day!
 SPECIAL FOOD

Thank you
Universitas Merdeka Malang