Lesson No. 89- How to Ask a Polite Question Explanation (Lesson Posted on August 26, 2017):
Amira, I appreciate you submitting your question on how you would ask Mr. Smith for the reason of his unexpected visit. It was a very good response.
The main thing is to embed the question in several additional words to make it less direct.
How to ask and answer a question politely:
Sometimes you may be in the position of having to ask a question in a polite way. By the same token, you may be in a position to have to answer a question in a polite way.
Keep in your mind that not all questions can be answered politely and some questions shouldn’t be asked. Some questions are difficult to answer truthfully which requires the use of euphemisms.
There are different types of questions which mean you have to answer accordingly. A question many times is a request to receive something such as, “Can I use your ink pen?” For example:
1. General Requests Questions
“Can I use your ink pen please?” or “Can I please use your ink pen?”
In this case, simply adding the word “please” makes the question polite.
2. Euphemistic Questions/Answers
Some questions require the use of a euphemism which is substituting a softer indirect word instead of a direct, harsh word.
For example, “I’m sorry that your mother passed away” instead of “I’m sorry that your mother died.“
3. Direct Questions/Answers
Some questions you’ll have to be creative in answering, for example:
A wife asked her husband, “Do I look fat?”
Husband replies, “Fat? Are you kidding? You look good to me!” or if she’s undeniably fat, he could say, “Just more to love!”
If he wanted to be funny, he could say, “It would be easier to hug a Volkswagen Beetle.”
4. Loaded Questions
Some questions are called “Loaded Questions” which mean that there is no good answer. For example:
“Have you stopped beating your wife?”
If he answers, yes, then he’s admitting that he previously beat his wife.
If he answers, no. then he’s admitting that he is still beating his wife.
This type of question you don’t answer, you just say I’ll pass on this question.
5. Compelled Questions
This lesson contains what I call a “Compelled Question” because Mr. Smith came to his daughter Jill and her husband Bill’s house unexpectedly which required Bill to politely ask Mr. Smith what was the reason of his visit,
Amira’s answer was very good because she asked the question in a positive welcoming sense and avoided any feeling of causing Mr. Smith to justify his unexpected visit.
Julito’s answer was also very good if their relationship was a close-knit casual one.
Below are some additional responses from me:
Mr. Smith, what a pleasant surprise, come on in!
Oh my goodness, Mr. Smith, please come in.
Glad to see you Mr. Smith, come on in.
Informal Greetings
Now, if the relationship is not formal such as an old friend or co-worker, then you can have fun with your greeting like Julito did. For example:
“Hey Jill, look what the wind blew in!”
“Dude, don’t just stand there, come on it!”
“Well, well, well, if it ain’t the Midnight Rider, come on in to the crib, man.”
“Man you look hungry, you’re just in time for dinner, come on in.”
Conclusion
As you can see, you can either ask a question concerning the reason of the unexpected visit, or you can turn it into a statement and bypass asking the reason in a question form.
If you have any questions about the lesson or any phrase meaning, please feel free to ask.
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