June, 23, 2020 Making requests and offers	
Conversation: Helping a classmate	
Jim:  Hey, buddy, can I ask you a favor?
Ali:   Sure—what can I do for you?
Jim:  I wonder if you’d be willing to lend me your biology notes. I missed a
couple of classes when I was sick, and now I’m totally lost.
Ali:  OK. Why don’t we go to the library and copy my notebook and then go to
your place and go over the lessons. I’m acing biology this semester, so I’m
sure I can get you back on track.
Later:
Jim:  Oh, man, that will be a load off my shoulders. I can’t thank you enough.
Ali:  Glad to help. As a matter of fact, I have a favor to ask of you.
Jim:  Oh yeah? Don’t tell me you need more advice about your girlfriend!
Ali:  Well, not exactly. It’s that her sister is coming up for the weekend, and I need to find her a date. Any chance you’d go out with her on Saturday night? We’d all four go to the theater and then out to eat.
Jim:  Look, I already agreed to go to the movies with Ben. But how about if I invite her to go to the movies with us instead? Of course, afterward we’d grab a bite to eat, but it won’t be anything fancy.
Ali: That sounds great to me. Let me see what Jessica thinks about it, and I’ll get back to you ASAP.
Jim:  Good. And by the way, thanks again for the help with biology. I think I’m
on top of it now.
Ali:  No problem. Don’t hesitate to call me if you have any questions.
Jim:  Thanks, buddy. See you laterTed: Right. We’ll see you at noon, then. Thank you very much.
	
Improving your conversation	
collocations	explanation	
It’s ( just) that ... дело в том, что	•	It’s (just) that . . . is an expression that precedes an explanation of something just mentioned or questioned. It indicates that the speaker expects the hearer to understand and accept the explanation. Why didn’t you turn your paper in on time? I’m sorry, professor. It’s that I had two exams and three other papers due last week.	
Date- дата, свидание	•	A date is an appointment with someone—often for the prospect of a romantic connection—for a social occasion. I’d really like to go to dinner with you on Friday, Rita, but I have a date with that new guy at work. He invited me to go to the movies with him.	
Totally- полностью	•	Totally means completely, 100 percent, very. Oh, the party was totally awesome. We were totally confused by his explanation.	
Be willing-захотеть, стремиться, быть готовым	•	To be willing means to accept participation in an activity. Are you willing to pick me up at the airport? Sure, what time does your plane land? He can move to Los Angeles if he wants to, but I’m not willing to quit my job and go with him.	
Back on track- в нужное русло, вернуться на круги своя	•	To be back on track means to be back to normal after a difficult period. Tran missed three practices after he sprained his ankle, but he’s been doing extra training, and now he’s back on track with the rest of the team. The divorce was hard, but Phil is now getting his life back on track.	
On top of it- под контролем	•	To be on top of it means to fully understand something or to be able to handle something.
The math course is hard, but I think he’s on top of it. There was a lot to learn in my new job, but now I’m on top of it.	
A load off my shoulders/mind - камень с души упал, груз с плеч 	•	A load off my shoulders/mind is a big relief from responsibility or worry. When Jan offered to take care of my mother, it was a huge load off my shoulders. The other driver admitted that the accident was his fault, and his insurance company paid for my car repairs. That sure was a load off my mind.	
Miss- пропускать,упускать, скучать, 
	•	To miss can mean to not be able to attend an event or participate in normal activities. He missed a week of work when he was sick. You played the wrong card. Now you have to miss your turn.
•	Miss can also mean to arrive too late for a form of public transportation. We got stuck in traffic and missed our plane. Now we have to reschedule.
•	Miss can also mean to feel nostalgic or sad about a person you haven’t seen, a place youhaven’t been to, or an activity you haven’t participated in for a while. I miss you, I miss Arlington, and I miss hanging out with you guys.
•	Miss can also mean failure to answer a question correctly on a test or to connect with a ball (or other object) in a game. She missed six questions on the test and failed it. You’d better get your eyes checked—you missed the ball three times!	
Ace- ас, туз, первоклассный	•	To ace means to get a very good grade with little effort. I didn’t know he was so smart. He’s acing trigonometry.	
Fancy- причудливый	•	Fancy is used to describe something elegant, possibly with intricate details. She wore a very fancy dress with lots of ruffles and bows. It was a fancy party. There were flowers and candles everywhere, and there was a sevencourse, sit-down dinner for more than a hundred guests.	
Any chance . . . ? - какова вероятность? есть ли шанс?	•	Any chance . . . ? is used to ask informally if something is possible or true. Any chance you have a lawn mower I could borrow? Any chance we could get together for a cup of coffee?	
How about if . . . ? - а что если?	•	The expression how about if . . . ? offers a suggestion for action by one or more people.
We have a long weekend coming up. How about if we all go to the beach? I know you don’t have enough money to buy the car. How about if I lend it to you?	
I’ll get back to you- я свяжусь с Вами, я перезвоню 	•	I’ll get back to you is a promise to find information for someone and contact him or her as soon as you have it. I don’t know how much the real estate tax on this house is, but I’ll find out and get back to you right away.	
ASAP- как можно скорее	•	ASAP means as soon as possible. Call me ASAP. I have to make up my mind tonight, and I need your advice.	
Instead- вместо	•	Instead indicates a replacement for something else. It is placed after the word that indicates the replacement. We thought about going to the beach, but went to the mountains instead.
•	Instead of is used before the replaced alternative. He bought a truck instead of a car.
We went to the mountains instead of going to the beach.	
By the way- кстати	•	By the way introduces a new topic or a change in subject in the middle of a conversation. Yes, I really like my new job. By the way, have you heard from Kevin?Sophia said she would take care of the dog while we’re away. By the way, are you still willingto water the plants?	
Don’t hesitate- не сомневайся	•	Don’t hesitate is a way to indicate your willingness to be available for someone. If you have any questions about this contract, don’t hesitate to call me.	
Exercise 1. Match the words or expressions in the first column with those in the second column that have a similar meaning. Note: There may be more than one match for each expression.

1. be willing 
2. ace 
3. mind 
4. be back on track 
5. come over 
6. go over 
7. miss 
8. be on top of it 
 	
a. answer incorrectly on a test
b. be bothered 
c. be happy to 
d. be sad thinking about 
e. get a good grade on a test 
f. get over a difficult period 
g. have under control 
h. lose an opportunity 
i. not arrive on time for public transportation
j. not attend an event
k. not be happy about
l. not mind doing
m. recover from lost time
n. review
o. visit a neighbor	

	
Exercise 2. Choose the most appropriate response to each question or remark.

1. You are ready to order a meal in a restaurant. You say to the server:
a. I want the chicken.               c. Can you bring me the chicken?
b. I’d like the chicken, please. d. Would you bring me the chicken?

2. A woman has just fallen down and cannot get up. You say to someone with a phone:
a. Would you mind calling an ambulance?                                               
b. Could you call an ambulance? c. Would you like to call an ambulance, please?
d. Call an ambulance!

3. Your car has broken down and your cell phone’s battery is dead. You say to a stranger:
a. Would you mind if I borrowed your cell phone to call my mechanic?
b. Hey, can I borrow your phone? c. Let me use your phone! 
d. Give me your phone, please. 

4. You are talking with your academic adviser at the university. You say:
a. How many credits should I get in order to graduate?
b. How many credits may I get in order to graduate?
c. How many credits could I get in order to graduate?
d. How many credits do I need to get in order to graduate? 

5. A tow truck has come to take your car to the mechanic’s garage. You say to the driver:
a. Would you like to give me  a ride to the garage?
 b. Give me a ride to the garage!
c. Can you give me a ride to the garage?
d. I’m willing to ride with you to the garage.

6. A poll is being taken concerning an upcoming election. You say:
a. I need Walters to win. c. I would want Walters to win.
b. I have to have Walters win. d. I want Walters to win.
	
Exercise 3. Write an appropriate question or command for each situation.
1. You want the lady in front of you in the theater to take off her large hat so you can see.
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2. You want to borrow a ladder from your neighbor.
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3. You want a friend to lend you $20.
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4. You want your brother to lend you $20.
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5. You are in Washington, D.C. You want a stranger on the street to give you directions to the
White House.
_________________________________________________
6. You want to borrow a pen from your classmate.
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7. You want the fire department to come to your house to put out a fire.
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8. You want a taxi driver to take you to the airport. 
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Все материалы из  книги "English Conversation" by J. Yates.