Communication

1. Permission

Could is more formal and polite than can.

May is the most formal way of asking or giving permission

2. Requests

We can make requests using the following modal verbs:

Can I ask you something?

Can you help me with this letter, please?

Will you get me some milk, please?

More formal ways of making requests:

Could I borrow your camera?

Could you make me a coffee, please?

Would you pass me the salt, please?

3. Offers

We can make offers in different ways:

Shall I open the door for you?

Can I get a cup of tea for you?

Would you like to have something to eat?

Would you like me to help you?

Why don’t I go and get a sandwich for you?

I can write the report, if you’d like me to.

I will take you to the airport.

4. Suggestions

Ways of making suggestions:

Shall we order a pizza?

Let’s go the cinema tonight.

Why don’t we go out for a walk?

How about watching a movie?

What about watching a film?

We can go to Paris or to Rome.

We could go out tonight.

5. Orders and instructions

We can give polite orders by using one of the following expressions:

You must fill in the form immediately.

Can you, please, finish the report by tomorrow?

Could you post this letter, please?

Would you mind telling me the truth?

Another way of giving an instruction is to use the imperative:

Stand up.

Sit down.

Open the door.

6. Advice

We can ask for advice the following ways:

Shall I tell him the truth?

Should I talk to him?

Would you buy this car if you were me?

We can give advice in many different ways:

You must go and see the doctor.

You should/ought to eat more vegetables.

You shouldn’t smoke.

You had better drive carefully.

You had better not arrive late.

You could call him.