Making Offers

Objectives
After completing this lesson, you should be able to:
 offer something to somebody;
 accept an offer;
 refuse an offer.

Dialogue 1

Mr. Harry : “Please come in and sit down.”

Mr. Gultom : “Thank you.”
Mr. Harry : “Can I offer you something to drink?”
Mr. Gultom : “Yes please.”
Mr. Harry : (Mr. Harry takes the drink and puts it on the table.) “Here you are.”
Mr. Gultom : “Thank you.”
Mr. Harry : “Would you like to smoke”
Mr. Gultom : “No, thank you. I’m giving up.”
Mr. Harry : “But, do you mind if I smoke?”
Mr. Gultom : “No, I don’t. Please do.”
Mr. Harry : “Thank you. So, what can I do for you?”
Mr. Gultom : “Well, I’d like to offer you a house for sale. Maybe you are
interested.”
Mr. Harry : “Oh, yes I am. But I need to discuss it with my wife.
Would you like to give me some information about it?”
Mr. Gultom : “Sure. Here’s the brochure of the house.”
Mr. Harry : “Thank you.”

Dialogue 2

Guest : “Excuse me. I’d like to meet the Director.”

Secretary : “I’m afraid he’s engaged at the moment. Would you like to wait?”
Guest : “All right.”
Secretary : “So, please take a seat over there.”
Guest : “Thank you.”
Secretary : “Won’t you have a cup of tea?”
Guest : No, thank you.
secretary : “Anyway, if you’d like something to drink, please help yourself to
it.” The cups and the drink are available over there.”
Guest : “That would be nice. Thank you.

Questions
1. Who is Mr. Gultom?
2. Why does he come to Mr. Harry?
He wants to offer a house to Mr. Harry
3. Does he accept the offer to drink?
Yes, he does
4. Does he accept the offer to smoke?
 5. Where does dialogue 2 take place.
6. What does the guest want?

REMEMBER

To offer something, you say:

 Can I offer you something to drink
Would you like
Won’t you have
Can I get you
Why don’t you have
Please help yourself
To accept an offer, you say:
 Yes please  That would be very nice. thank you
 Thanks very much  Thank you, I would
 Thanks a lot  With pleasure

To decline an offer, you say:

 No, thank you  That’s very kind, but I won’t. Thank you
 Not this time, thanks  No, but thanks very much

Exercise 1

Would Kind No Pleasure Offer

Thanks Won’t Help Yes get

1. Please do sit down.

............................Thanks..................................... very much.
2. Can I .................................................... you something to read?
................................ No ..............................thank you. I have something else to do.
3. ...........................Would.................. you like to drink?
Not this time. Thanks.
4. Please ........................................ 4a ........................ yourself to the meal.
With........................................... 4b................................. Thanks a lot.
5. Would you like to go to the movie with me?
................Yes ......................., I would. Thank you.
6. I wonder if I can .................................. you a snack?
7. It’s very .............Kind................... of you to offer, but I’ve had enough.
8. What if I take you to the zoo?
Exercise 2
Choose the most appropriate verb in form in the brackets. For example:

Would you like to (go – went – gone – going) with me?

You choose the verb go.The other, you must cross out.
1. He (come – comes – came – coming) from the US
2. She is (have – has – had – having) lunch at the moment.
3. I would like to (join – joins – joined – joining) your club.
4. My mother (die – dies – died – dying) last year.
5. Indra has (be – was – is – been) to Bali.
6. Mr. Smith will (visit – visited – visits – visiting) you today.
7. Anne, don’t (open – opens – opened – opening) the window!
8. Did she (buy – buys – bought – buying) the books here.

Exercise 3

Make a dialogue and act it out with your friend based on the following situations.
Number I has been done for you as an example.

1. You are a worker. Your boss has just arrived. Offer him a cup of tea. Your boss accepts the offer.
U : “Good morning, sir.”
Boss : “Good morning.”
U : “Can I offer you a cup of tea, sir?”
Boss : “Thank you, but please don’t make it too sweet.”
U : “All right, Sir.”
2. You are a daughter. A friend of your father comes to you. You offer him a seat and
a drink. He then accepts the offer.
3. You are waiting on a sofa in a hospital. You see a mother with a baby coming. You offer her a seat. She
is very grateful to accept it.
4. It’s your birthday and you are handing out biscuits to your friends. Some friends accept, some do not
accept the offer.
5. You are a secretary. A guest comes to see tha director. The director is busy and you ask him to wait and
offer him a drink and a snack, but he declines the offer. Anyway he thanks for your kindness.
6. You are sitting on a bus. You see an older woman getting on the bus. You offer her a seat. And she is
thankful to you.
7. You are a waiter offering a drink to some guests who have just sat on the table. They accept the offer.
8. You are a wife. Your husband has just arrived from work, you offer him a drink, but he refuses it
alhtough he is very thankful to you. He is very sleepy, so you offer him something else. And he accepts
it.
9. You are an air hosess. You see a sick passenger. You offer her some medicine. He refuses it, bacause
she already has some. Instead, you offer her a drink, and she accepts it.
10. You are a student. The teacher has just arrived in the classroom. You offer her something to write on,
she declines the offer, but she is grateful to you.

Exercise 4

Answer the following questions

I : “Have you ever received a guest?”

U : ...........................................................................
I : “Who is he/she?”
U : ...........................................................................
I : “Did you offer something to him/her?”
U : ...........................................................................
I : “What did you say?”
U : ...........................................................................
I : “Have you ever had a guest from out of town?”
U : ...........................................................................
I : “Did you offer him/her something special?”
U : ............................................................................
I : “What did you say?”
U : ............................................................................
I : “Good. I think you are so kind host/hostess.”

Don’t forget

Can
Would
Won’t
Could
Help yourself to.............
to offer
to drink
to eat
to write
Yes, please.
No, thankyou.
With pleasure.
That’s very kind of you