Language Functions

2025年09月26日

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Language Functions

Offering Help

We might have many opportunities to offer help to other people in our everyday life.When we are ready to help someone or offer something to others,we can use the following expressions:

Let me get it for you.

How about my getting it for you?

Shall I carry the bag for you?

Any point in my carrying the bag for you?

Can I help you with that?

May I help you?

Do you need some help?

In what way can I help you?

How can I help you?

Would you like me to…?

Won’t you please…?

Is there anything I can do for you?

Do you want me to…?

If you like,I would…

If you want,I could…

Accepting Help

When people offer help to us,we might accept it.Here are some useful ways of accepting such offers:

Thank you so/very much!

Thank you indeed!

Many thanks!

Thanks a lot!

A thousand thanks!

Thank you for your help/time!

That’s very kind/nice/sweet of you!

That would be of great help!

Oh,would you?Thanks!

Really?I truly appreciate it!

I’m very grateful to you!

Refusing Help

Sometimes we don’t need or want help from others,but we should still express our thanks for the kindness offered by saying like:

No,thanks.

No,thank you anyway/all the same.

That’s very kind of you,but Tim is help now.

No,thank you.I think I can manage.

No,don’t bother.I can do it myself.

Thanks a lot,but I’m OK.

Oh,it’s really very kind of you,but…Thanks!

Thanks ever so much,but it’s alright,really.

Asking Permission

Sometimes we need to do more than just offer to do something,i.e.we may ask permission to make sure we are allowed to do it.Here are some useful ways of asking permission.They get more and more polite down the list:

I’m going to open the window.

I thought I might…

I’d like to…

Can I…?

OK if I…?

Alright if I…?

May I…

D’you mind if I…?

Is it alright if I…?

Would it be OK if I…?

Would you mind if I…?

I wonder if I could possibly drive your car?

I hope you don’t mind,but would it be at all possible for me…?

We tend to give permission in just a short phrase,like this:

OK.

Sure.

Yes,go ahead.

Yes,I guess/suppose/think so.

Oh well,alright.

Yes,please.

If we refuse permission,we say like this:

No,please don’t.

That’s not a very good idea.

I’d rather you don’t if you don’t mind.

I’m sorry,but that’s not possible.

I’m afraid that’s impossible.

Expressing Happiness and Unhappiness

Happiness is what everybody seeks,and unhappiness is something that nobody wants.When we are happy,we can express our feelings by using the following words and phrases:

I’m very delighted/happy/pleased to learn/know that…

I’m glad to hear/see/find that you won the first prize.

I’m so lucky that I’m given a full scholarship!

I’m really fortunate that…

It makes me so happy/pleased that…

It delights me a great deal that…

This is really good news!

It’s gorgeous/great!

It’s fabulous/fantastic!

It’s terrific/wonderful!

That’s really marvelous!

Awesome!

When we are unhappy,we can use the following expressions to show our feelings:

That’s too bad!

It can’t be worse!

How unlucky/unfortunate I am!

This is really bad news!

Oh,my God!How could this happen to me!

I am in no mood for the celebration party at all.

I’m not lucky enough to…

I’m so sorry to hear/know/learn that…

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