Practice saying the following:

1. Thank you so much for …

Thank you so much for the nice gift.

Thank you so much for driving me home.

Thank you so much for helping me with the exercises.

2. I really / do appreciate …

Thank you so much. I do appreciate it.

Thank you so much. I do appreciate your great help.

Thank you so much. I really appreciate you giving me what I need.

Thank you so much. I really appreciate you cleaning up my bed.

3. Excuse me,…

Excuse me sir, your zipper is not done properly!

Excuse me, may I request you put the seatback upright, please?

4. I am sorry for…

I am sorry for being so late.

I am really sorry for not handing the paper earlier.

I am really sorry for not having cooked a good meal for you today.

I am really sorry (that) I didn’t cook a good meal for you today.

I am sorry (that) I didn’t clean up the sink after use.

5. What do you think? / What would you say?

We’ve got to make a decision whether to go now or wait until tomorrow morning. What do you think?

We’ve got to make up our mind for the plan tonight. What do you think?

There are three ways to get there. First of all, we can take Uber. That takes five minutes. Moreover, we can always take the bus. It’s going to take like half an hour, but it’s definitely cheaper. What would you say?

6. How does that sound?

That sounds great!

That sounds fantastic!

That sounds wonderful!

You cook dinner and clean the kitchen while I am doing your homework for tomorrow. How does that sound?

You buy a new laptop, and I’ll set it up for you. How does that sound?

7. Could you repeat it please?

Could you say that again please?

8. Thank you. That helps a lot.

Hey, I just turned the light on for you to read.

Thanks. That helps a lot.

9. What does … mean?

What does it mean?

What do you mean?

What does “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” mean?

What does “Curiosity kills the cat” mean, by the way?

10. How can I help you?

[Telephone] Hi. Good morning. This is Anna from Sheraton. How may I help you?

11. Uhm… Actually, I think… (instead of saying a straight ‘no’)

Excuse me, are you an attendant on this flight?

Uhm… Actually, I am just one of the passengers.

12. I am about to…

I am about to go pick up some food at Swiss Chalet. Do you want to come?

Can I finish the study session now?

Yes. I am just about to say it.

13. It feels good to…

It feels good to be the top employee of the month, eh?

It feels good to have three days off in a row, doesn’t it?

14. I couldn’t have done it without you!

Thank you so much for helping me get everything ready for the trip. I couldn’t have done it without you!

15. You did a great job.

Hey, Jenny. You did a great job! Don’t you know that?

You did an amazing job!

You did a wonderful job on the assignment I gave you last week.

You did a good job fixing the broken computer that has been sitting in the corner of the room for so long.

 16. I would appreciate it if …

I would appreciate it if you would wake me up at 6:00 am tomorrow. I want to get myself ready for the shuttle bus to the airport.

I would appreciate it a lot if you could reschedule my appointment to Saturday afternoon, please.

I would appreciate it if you stop making that terrible noise.

I would appreciate it a lot if you could stop repeating that nonsense over and over.