Learning English – Lesson Four (Response to Please Thank You)

You know the world of English is a fun and exciting place to be. I’m so glad you could join me for another lesson.

Hi everybody…this is Misterduncan in England!

How are you today? Are you OK? I hope so!

Are you happy? I hope so!

In my last lesson, I talked about saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’. Today we will look at the different ways of replying to these sentences. Making you response. When a person asks you a question, you will normally give a reply. A sentence with the word ‘please’ in it, normally needs a response. The reply can be either..yes, no, or maybe. They could also be much longer sentences, including a reason for the reply or an added condition.

• ‘Please can I watch some TV?’
• ‘Yes, but only for an hour.’
• ‘No, you can not, you have to do your homework.’
• ‘Maybe after dinner you can.’

• ‘Can I please go out to play with my friends?’
• ‘Yes you can.. but be home before it gets dark.’
• ‘No you can not, it is too late.’
• ‘Maybe, after you have done you chores.’

• ‘Please may I leave the room?’
• ‘You may.’
• ‘No, sorry you may not.’
• ‘Maybe after you have finished eating your food.’

• ‘Could I please have some ice cream?’
• ‘Yes you can, but not too much.’
• ‘No you can’t, you’ve had some already today.’
• ‘Maybe later, if you are good.’

Of course you can just reply with a simple…’Yes’, ‘No’, ‘Maybe’. But if you do say ‘no’, then the other person will probably ask…‘Why not?’. Saying ‘no’ to someone can be a very difficult thing to do.

There are many different ways of responding to a request, which we will be taking a closer look at in a later lesson.

Replying to ‘thank you’. After you have said ‘thank you’, the other person may offer you a response.

• ‘Thank you very much for the meal.’
• ‘It’s my pleasure.’

• ‘Thanks a lot for letting me stay with you.’
• ‘You are very welcome.’

• ‘Thank you for the special award.’
• ‘You deserve it.’

• ‘That was a great meal…cheers!’
• ‘It’s quite alright.’

• ‘I appreciate your kindness..thank you so much.’
• ‘The pleasure is all mine.’

• ‘Oh thank you for the lovely birthday present, it must have been expensive, oh you shouldn’t have.’
• ‘That’s OK..You are worth it!

Saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ are very simple actions, and by using them, you are showing that you are a polite person, who is willing to show respect to other people, which..is quite a nice thing really.

Well another lesson has…flown by. Please come back real soon for another one. Before I finish today, I would like to say a special ‘hello’, to one of my online English students. Diego, and also a big ‘hello’ to his family watching in Canicatti, which is in Sicily. That is definitely it from me, until next time, this is Misterduncan in England, saying…thank you for watching me, teaching you…and of course…ta-ta for now.