PRESENTATION

ENGLISH
We are describing the making and asking requests
 ‫َّ‬ ‫ب ل حَّ‬
‫‪ِ  ‬سْم ا ل ِه الر ْم ِٰن الرحِ ْيم‬
‫ِ‬ ‫ِ‬
 GROUP MEMBERS
AHSAN MUKHTIAR
IMRAN HAMEED
M HASNAIN
ALI HASNAIN
ROUF KHAN 
REHMAN ATTA
TOPIC
MAKING REQUEST AND ASKING
QUESTION TO RECEIVE SPECIFIC IN
DIFFERENT CONTEXTS
MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR REQUEST

To ensure you receive the information you are looking for, it can be a good
idea to spend a little bit of time thinking about your request to get it right.
The better you can describe the information you're looking for, the easier it
will be for the public authority to find it for you.
TYPES OF REQUEST

1. Is the information already published?

2. Is the information you want suitable for general publication?
3. Keep it simple, specific and focused
4.  Seek advice and assistance from the public authority
5. Be polite!
6. Check before sending
1. IS THE INFORMATION ALREADY PUBLISHED?

Before submitting an FOI (Freedom of Information) request, it's a good idea to

check whether the information you're looking for is already published. If it is,
you'll be able to access it straight away, and won't have submit a request or wait
for a response.
2. IS THE INFORMATION YOU WANT SUITABLE FOR GENERAL
PUBLICATION? 

• The aim of the FOI (Freedom of Information) is to make information available to the
general public.
• Some information, such as records about a dead relative, or documents you need for
legal purposes, may not be available under the Act but you may have a right to see the
information you want under other legislation [laws].
• The public authority holding the information you want should be able to advise you.
3. KEEP IT SIMPLE, SPECIFIC AND FOCUSED
• Try and be as specific as you can when describing the information you want.
• Help the authority find the information you're looking for quickly by focusing
your request as much as you can on the information you really need.
• Specifying the issue that you're interested in (e.g. the closure of the school
playground)
• Specifying the types of information that you're interested in (e.g. information
contained in reports, minutes, or email correspondence relating to the issue)
4. SEEK ADVICE AND ASSISTANCE FROM THE PUBLIC
AUTHORITY

• Every public authority has a duty to advise and assist people who are making
requests for information.
• If you're not sure how to word your request, or what might be held by the
authority, you can contact them for advice.
• It can often be helpful to have a quick chat with the authority before putting in
your request or if you have questions about the information that is sent to
you in response.
5. BE POLITE!
• You may feel strongly about the subject of your request, but try and be as
polite as you can when requesting information.
• Use everyday language, and avoid using any language that could be
considered inappropriate or abusive - this could lead to your request
being refused because it is "vexatious".
6. CHECK BEFORE SENDING

• Read through your request before you send it.

• Try and put yourself in the shoes of the member of staff receiving your
request.
• Is the information you're looking for clearly described? Is the information
you've asked for likely to be recorded?
HOW TO ASK QUESTIONS
DURING LECTURE
 HOW TO ASK QUESTIONS DURING LECTURE

• Do you ever feel stuck on how to ask questions during lectures? Have you
felt nervous about how to create a question because you
are very confused?  
• Being confused is an opportunity to ask questions so your instructors can
support your understanding. Here, I will outline Bloom’s Taxonomy and how
to use it to formulate questions.  
HOW TO ASK QUESTIONS DURING LECTURE
 HOW TO ASK QUESTIONS DURING LECTURE
Below are some sentence stems to help create questions: 
• Remember 
• How many...? 
• What is...? 
• Where can I find...? 
• Understand 
• What happened after...? 
• What is the difference between...? 
• How would you describe...? 
MAKING REQUESTS
MAKING REQUESTS
There are many ways to form an appropriate request in English depending on
the context. First, look at the following examples of requests.
MAKING REQUESTS
Can you guess which ones are very indirect, and which ones are more direct?
a. Let me see your notes.
b. Do you think I could see your notes?
c. I seem to have lost my notes
d. I want your notes.
e. Can I borrow your notes?
f. Please show me your notes.
g. Would it be alright if I borrowed your notes for a bit?
USING THE PAST TENSE
To make a request less direct (and therefore, more polite), there are a couple strategies.
The first one is to use the past tense, such as the simple past or past progressive. By
phrasing requests in the past tense, a sense of distance is created between the speaker
and the thing being requested. In this way, the request is seen as being less direct, and
therefore, less confrontational toward the speaker. Look at the following examples:
I was hoping to leave work a little early today.
I wondered if I could leave work a little early today.
MODAL VERBS
Another way to increase the politeness of a request is to add modal verbs
(might, would, could, should, etc.). Look at the following examples:
• Might I take a look at the report?
• Could I take a look at the report?
• Would you be able to show me the report?
SOFTENING
Softening is a pragmatic strategy that helps you make your requests sound
softer, or more polite. There are three common strategies for softening:
1. using common “softener” phrases that precede a request;
2. inserting hesitation markers; and
3. omitting “you.”
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS WHEN MAKING A
REQUEST
Some phrases commonly precede or follow requests that affect the context in
which the request is made.
For example:
1. Checking on availability (If you’re free this evening,… / If you don’t have
anything going on,…)
2. Getting a pre-commitment (Would you mind doing me a favor? / Could you
help me for a sec?)
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS WHEN MAKING A
REQUEST (CONTINUE)
3. Giving background (It was too heavy for me to carry by myself. / Sorry, I
seem to have lost the assignment guidelines.)
4. Complimenting (Wow, your notes are so much more organized than mine. /
You seem like you have a good handle on your section.)
5. Disarm (Please let me know if this is an issue… / I hope this doesn’t sound
too forward of me, but…)
THANK YOU 