Offering help to someone
Expressing trust in someone
Expressing encouragement
Encouraging someone to try something
Encouraging someone to stop stalling and do something
Expressing dissatisfaction with someone’s efforts
Asking someone to wait
Encouraging someone to be patient and take things slowly
Encouraging someone to be prudent—cliches
Advising someone whose life is too busy
Giving instructions to someone you’ve lent something to
Introducing a secret Instructions about keeping a secret
Promising to keep a secret Forgetfulness
When you are in trouble When someone is in trouble
When you are out of money
When someone is in debt
Expressing stress or anxiety
When you are overworked and doing too much
When someone is anxious and under stress
Encouraging someone not to be offended
Encouraging someone not to be excited
Encouraging someone to relax
Encouraging someone to be less aggressive
When someone is cold and unfeeling
What to say to a smoker?
A smoker s response to a non-smoker’s complaint
Questions a smoker might ask
Disputes
Criticism of someone with whom you disagree
Calling someone crazy
Questioning someone's sanity
Asking about the alertness of someone
Encouraging someone to be more sensible
Asking in disbelief or disagreement
When someone says something outrageous
Discussion and Resolution
Asking for an explanation
Encouraging an explanation
When you do not understand someone
When someone does not understand you
Criticizing someone’s misunderstanding
Attempting to put an end to a misunderstanding
Encouraging someone to believe you
Asking to be trusted
Stating that something is settled
Claiming that something is easy to understand
Showing disbelief
Expressing ignorance
Expressing reluctance
Making the best out of a bad situation
Blaming something on fate or destiny
Knowing something alter the fact
Expressing indifference
Polite Encounters
A preface to asking a question
A preface to making a statement
Asking if someone speaks a particular language
When you do not speak a particular language
When you do not understand what was said
When you do not understand what a foreign visitor has said
Telling Time
Asking the time of day
When you’re moving about may bother someone
Offering to let someone enter in front of you
Apologizing to someone you have bothered
Returning someone’s good wishes
Agreeing to something—polite
Explaining that you will attend to someone soon
Asking for permission to leave a place
Saying good-bye
Business Pleasantries
Announcing your arrival for an appointment
Being assertive
Sincere apologies
Offering a very polite apology
Accepting the blame for something
Admitting your errors
Promising never to repeat a particular mistake
Offering to make amends
Asking for forgiveness
Simple forgiveness
Forgiveness—informal
Encouraging someone to end a dispute
Saying "thank you”—formal
Saying ‘thank you"—informal
Topic and Situation
Acknowledging someone’s thanks
Seeing a new baby
Asking about a new baby
Congratulating someone for doing a good job
Wishing someone well
Expressing sympathy at a funeral or wake
When someone is conceited or vain
When someone is overhearing
When someone has been insolent or rude—a shocking response
When someone has been insolent or rude—a firm response
When someone has been insolent or rude—a rude response
Encouraging a timid person
Insulting a coward
When someone argues too much
When someone is being annoying
Inviting an annoying person to leave
When someone is very annoying or hurtful
Getting someone to stop doing something
When someone is making you angry—rude
Asking to be left alone
Describing a bothersome person
When someone has done something wrong—polite
When someone has done something wrong—amazed
When someone has done something wrong—sarcastic
When someone makes an unwelcome intervention
Telling someone to stay away or keep us
Asking someone’s intentions Starting a fight
Asking someone to leave your property alone
Asking someone to stay out of your affairs
When someone is harassing you—angry and direct
When someone is harassing you—rude
When someone is presumptuous
When someone has underestimated your intelligence
When someone interrupts with an opinion
Apologizing—sarcastic
When someone overreacts
When punishment is in store for someone
Explaining harsh justice
Threatening retaliation
Requesting silence
Requesting someone to stop needless talk
When someone is not doing enough
When someone starts trouble
Expressing mock sympathy
Expressing mock sympathy—sarcastic
When you are helpless to help—rude
Guests and Hosts
Asking to visit someone
When you are invited to an informal meal in a home
Asking about an invitation you have received
Apologizing for being late
Explaining why one is late
When you finally arrive after being late
Greetings for visitors
Inviting a visitor to come in
After greeting a visitor
Making a visitor feel welcome and comfortable
Inviting a visitor to stay for dinner
Encouraging a guest to feel at home
Offering a guest, a seat
Steering a guest to a particular room
Encouraging a guest to be independent
Mingling with other guests
What a guest says to a host or hostess
Starting a conversation using the topic of weather