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At times, you would have to turn down the o Do you think you could……
requests. On those occasions, remember to o I wonder if you could……..
be polite and use kind words to decline the o Could I …..
requests. You need to be polite in your rejec-
tions too, so that the listener would not feel Formal way of making requests
offended.
o May I request you to……
Some instances of declining requests are: o I’d be grateful if you could…..
o If you don’t mind, could you…..
o I’m sorry, I can’t because ………….. o Sorry to bother you, but could you….
o I’m afraid I can’t because …………….
o I wish I could be of some help but ….. When you are requesting someone for

something, you are also asking for permission
Some useful phrases to make requests are: to the person. If you want to use someone’s

o Can I ask you a favour? mobile, you have to ask permission.

Fig 1.3.5 Examples of making requests

In your daily life, you ask permission for suddenly stopping to enjoy the snow-falling on
many things. To borrow a book, to lend some the woods. He resumes his journey when he
money, to take leave, to organise a party at col- thinks about his duties that need to be fulfilled.
lege and for many other purposes, you need
permission. Now let’s read the poem and try to answer
the questions.
1�3�3 Reading Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Reading is part of our everyday life. We read
newspapers, advertisements, charts, letters, Robert Frost
documents, online data, poems, novels, etc. We Whose woods these are I think I know.
need to decode the written data to understand it
wholly. Let us begin with an exercise. His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
The following is a poem titled “Stopping By
Woods On A Snowy Evening” written by the To watch his woods fill up with snow.
American poet Robert Frost. The poem is about My little horse must think it queer
the speaker who is riding past the woods and To stop without a farmhouse near

28 SGOU - FYUGP - SLM - English for Communication