Speaking activity:Focus on functions

• Invitations

• Apologizing

• Agreeing and disagreeing

Invitations

• Making an invitation

• Accepting

• Refusing

• Offering to bring something and respond

Making an invitation

• I’d like to invite you to dinner this Saturday.

• I was wondering if you’d like to…• We are going to have a few friends over

on Monday, and we’d love you to come.• Are you free on Saturday? Would you like

to…• How about dinner?• Let’s go to our place for a beer.

Accepting

• Thank you. I’d love to.

• That would be wonderful.

• Mmm, that’s a great idea.

• Yes, thank you. What time?

• Sounds great!

• OK/ Alright.

refusing

• I’m awfully sorry, but I have another plans.

• I wish I could, but…

• I’d really like to, but…

• Sorry, I’ve already made plans for Saturday.

• Oh darn! Have to…

Offering to bring something and respond

Offering:I wonder if I might be able to bring something?Let me bring something, won’t you?Is there anything I could bring?What shall I bring?Can I bring the wine?Respond:It’s enough just to have you come.Oh, you don’t need to.Just bring yourself.Well, thankx, if you’d like to.

Apologizing

Usually, you apologize if you have violated a social rule or have done something that hurts on inconveniences another person. The function of the apology is to show regret for the wrongdoing and to offer an explanation or a remedy.

• Apology

• Response

Apology

• Forgive me. I’m terribly sorry about…

• Please accept my apologies for…

• I would like to apologize for…

• I apologize for…

• I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…

• Oh no! Did I do that? I’m sorry!

• Sorry about that.

response

• That’s quite alright.• I understand completely• You don’t need to apologize.• Oh that’s alright. It can happen to anyone.• Oh, well, that’s life.• Don’t worry about that.• Forget it.• It’s OK.

Agreeing and disagreeing

• Complete agreement

• Indirect disagreement

• Direct disagreement

Complete agreement

• I agree completely…

• That’s just what I think, of course.

• In my opinion, you are correct.

• I couldn’t agree more.

• You’re right.

• Sure.

Indirect disagreement

• I’m not sure I can agree.

• I wonder if there’s a mistake.

• In my opinion,…

• Are you absolutely sure?

• I may be wrong, but…

• Really?

• Oh, I don’t know.

Direct disagreement

• I’m sorry, but I have to disagree.

• I couldn’t agree less.

• I refuse to believe that…

• No, that’s wrong.

• You’re dead wrong.

• No way!