Polite Form of Questions
When you meet someone new, we are taught to ask the standard questions – what is your name? how old are you? – but these question can be impolite.
Here you will see and practice how to ask questions, in a polite way.
polite question + a noun
polite question + a question
polite question + a noun
To ask in a polite way we should use the following with a noun:
*remember to use “please“ at the end of the question*
| can I know … | your name |
| can you tell me … | your age |
| may I know … | your place of birth |
| could I know … | your place of residence |
| could you tell me … | your job / profession |
| your height | |
| your weight | |
| your contact details | |
| your star sign |
step one
practice asking and answering the questions.
step two
practice again, this time inverting the questions by changing the pronoun – like in lesson “questions: are, can, do.”
example:
A: can I know your name, please?
B: can you know my name?
A: yes, can I know your name, please?
B: my name is …!
A: your name is …!?
B: that is right, my name is …
*repeating the question helps you to understand the question. repeating the information of the other person helps you to remember the information.*
polite question + a question
The first part (above) shows how to make a polite request by adding a noun.
This part will show you how to use the polite request with a question.
example: how do we use “can I know,” with “what is your name?”
Do this lesson before you continue – “questions: are, can, do”.
Here you will see and practice changing original questions into statements, and into polite questions.
examples:
name:
– what is your name?
– can I know, what your name is, please?
*see that the verb has moved from before the pronoun (question), to after the pronoun and the noun (statement).*
*when we use ‘do’ we simply remove the ‘do’.*
can I know …
can you tell me …
may I know …
could I know …
could you tell me …
*don’t forget the magic word – PLEASE!*
| name | age |
| what is your name | how old are you |
| what your name is | how old you are |
| from | live |
| where are you from | where do you live |
| where you are from | where |
| job | star sign |
| what do you do / is your job | what is your star sign |
| what | what your star sign is |
| height | weight |
| how tall are you | how much do you weigh |
| how tall you are | how much |
step three
practice this form of questions.
step four
add the extended dialogue from previous steps.
example:
A: can I know what your name is, please?
B: can you know what my name is?
A: yes. can I know what your name is, please?
B: certainly. my name is …!
A: your name is …!?
B: that is correct. my name is …!
step five
think of some other questions you can ask.
