Five asks and two refusals
Read out your five requests. Your partner numbers each and says which of the four settings it belongs to, without being told.
Six things people say at counters. Match each to the setting it belongs to.
The complaint that is not a complaint
Two ways to say the bill is wrong
Direct: This is wrong. We did not have the wine.
Hedged: Sorry — I think there may have been a mistake with the bill. I do not think we had the wine, but I could be wrong.
Four questions about the two versions.
1. The hedged version says I could be wrong when the speaker is certain. Why?
2. there may have been a mistake — who made it, according to that sentence?
3. Which version is more likely to get the bill corrected quickly?
4. Is the hedged version less certain about the facts?
The four settings, and what each demands
Register by counter
| Setting | Typical level | Because |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant | 4 — could we…, please? | Small asks, staff are busy, it is their job |
| Shop | 3–4 — is there any chance you have…? | Mostly factual questions |
| Hotel | 5–7 — I was wondering whether… | Many asks are favours, not entitlements |
| Doctor’s | 6–7, with an apology first | You are asking for somebody else’s slot |
| A complaint, anywhere | Hedge the blame, not the fact | I think there may have been a mistake with… |
| Refusing an offer | I would rather not, if that is all right. | The customer needs the gradient too |
Five moves of a service exchange from the customer’s side. Put them in order.
Build the four
Task card · Planning · Individual · 5 minutes
Four settings, four exchanges. Notes only — a written sentence gets read aloud and everybody hears it.
A page with four boxes and four lines in each.
- The opener you will use to get attention.
- The request, written at the level the setting needs.
- The hedged version of the complaint you might have to make.
- What you will say if the answer is no.
Two to six words per gap. Match the level to the setting each time.
Restaurant: "Sorry — the bill when you have a second?" Shop: " you have this in a medium?" Hotel: " there was any chance of a later check-out." Doctor’s: "I know it is short notice, but anything earlier at all?" And, to any of them, after a no: " , thanks for checking."
Four counters, twice
Task card · Speaking · Round one · Four role-plays · 3 minutes each
You and your partner play all four settings, swapping sides each time. Notes on the table.
Four exchanges, each at the level its setting demands, and each containing one refusal.
- Restaurant: order, then a hedged complaint about the bill.
- Shop: ask about stock, then ask for a refund without a receipt.
- Hotel: a later check-out, and a room change.
- Doctor’s: an earlier appointment, and a repeat prescription.
- Whoever is behind the counter must refuse in three parts every time.
Listener’s job — record it. One of you records each exchange on a phone. Then, between rounds, listen back to two of the four with the gradient table in front of you.
Number every request you hear yourself make. Hearing your own level is worth more than being told it.
Between the rounds — four minutes. Write down two things: the setting where your level was lowest, and one softener you did not use at all.
Those two are the only changes for round two.
Task card · Speaking · Round two · New partner · Four role-plays · 2 minutes each
The same four settings with somebody new, and a shorter clock. Notes face down.
Four exchanges again, with the level raised where it was lowest.
- No notes. You know the four by now.
- The setting where your level was lowest is the one to watch.
- Use the softener you missed at least twice.
- Record round two as well. The recording that goes into your portfolio is this one.
From the recordings
Five lines from the recordings. Fix each.
1. I want to change my room.
2. Give me an earlier appointment.
3. This bill is wrong.
4. Would you mind to check the stockroom?
5. No, is impossible.
Your lowest counter
Two questions about your own recordings.
1. Your levels were lowest at the doctor’s. Why does that matter most there?
2. I think there may have been a mistake — why say that when you are certain?
Before next lesson. Keep both recordings. Listen to round one and write down every request at level 3 or below, word for word.
Next lesson is built from exactly those, and from the two modals that most often come out sounding like orders.