Faith: Hey John, how are you today?
John: I was doing fine until I realized my car has a flat tire.
Faith: Oh no, that’s awful. I’ve had that happen before… Is there anything I can do?
John :Would you be able to pick me up from the mechanic tomorrow?
Faith: Of course, John! Hey this reminds me of a grammar point!
John: Oh really? How?
Faith: You just asked me for something! A polite request!
John: I did!
Faith: You used the modal verb “would” to create the request. Modal verbs are used to express possibility, ability, necessity, and are used for requests! Do you know how you could make it even more polite?
John: I do! I could have said “please” somewhere in the question!
Faith: That’s right, John! You could have said, “Would you please be able to pick me up from the mechanic tomorrow?” We don’t always have to use please to make a request more polite; sometimes the modal verb is enough.
John: Using the modal verbs “would” or “could” are the most polite modals for requests. Other modals like “will” or “can” are still polite, but a little less formal.
Faith: You can also show your appreciation to make the request more polite. So you could say, “I’d really appreciate the favor, Faith.”
John: I’d really appreciate the ride, Faith. So would you mind picking me up?
Faith: I’d be happy to, John!
John: Let's end with a quiz. Make a very polite request for someone to take you to the train station.
Pause the video tto consider your answer.
Anser:
Would you please be able to take me to the train station?
Originally published at https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a... published at https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a...