TESOL/Requests

English provides many ways of making requests with differing levels of politeness appropriate for different situations. Making requests differs from offering suggestions and giving commands.

Direct yes/no questions
Requests are usually made using yes/no questions. Roughly in order of politeness, they include:


 * 1) can you - ?
 * 2) could you - ?
 * 3) would you - ?
 * 4) would you be able to - ?
 * 5) could you possibly - ?
 * 6) would you possibly - ?
 * 7) might you possibly - ?
 * 8) would it be (at all) possible for you to - ?
 * 9) might it be (at all) possible for you to - ?

Question tags
Negative statements with question tags are also used to make informal requests.


 * You couldn't lend me your pen, could you?

Indirect yes/no questions
If a yes/no question is asked indirectly, it can make an even more polite request.


 * I wonder if you could help me carry this.
 * I don't suppose you have some spare change.

If a question tag is added to this type of request, it is still very polite.


 * I don't suppose I would be able to use your computer, would I?
 * I don't suppose you could lend me your phone, could you?

Mechanics
Requests made using yes/no questions are polite only if the question is positive. If the question is negative, the question sounds more like a complaint than a request.


 * Can you leave me alone for a few minutes? Can't you leave me alone for a few minutes?
 * Could you get me some tea? Couldn't you get me some tea?

Quiz
Change the following commands to polite requests.

{ Come here! { Could (i)|Can (i)|Might (i)|Would (i) } you come here?
 * type="{}"}

{ Bring me a towel! { I don't suppose|I wonder if } you could bring me a towel.
 * type="{}"}