Here we will see how to ask for information and how to give information. This is a very important skill, because when you are talking to people from another country, you will often need to ask for information, and you will need to explain things clearly.
In this section, we will look at different ways to ask for information, and also how to explain things in a way that is easy to understand.
Remember: When you ask for an explanation, you will often use indirect questions. An indirect question is a sentence which has a question in it, but even if the meaning is a question, the grammar is the grammar of a statement. For example: "Please explain what are you talking about." is wrong. The correct way to say this is: "Please explain what you are talking about." Notice that the "question" part of the sentence has a question word, but the subject ("you") and the auxiliary ("are") are not inverted.
Here are some ways to ask explicitly for information. ("Explicit" is when you actually say the words.)
Can you tell me ..? A question that starts with 'Can you tell me...' is not looking for a "yes" or "no" answer. Instead it tells the other person that an explanation is wanted. After 'Can you tell me...'there is a question word; but the question is indirect so you use the grammar of a statement, and not the grammar of a question for the second part. You still finish with a question mark, because "can you tell me ...?" is a question. For example: "Can you tell me how long we will have to wait?" "Can you tell me who I am supposed to meet?" "Can you tell me why the plane is delayed?"
Why is it that ..? If you need the explanation for a situation, you can start with a question word (usually "how", "what" or "why") and then you add' ...is it that........?'. Again, the sentence is in two parts - a real question, and an indirect question. For example: "How is it that Bill always comes first?" "What is it that I should do?" "Why is it that you are always late?"
(You can also ask for a more general explanation by just asking What is it?, which means "explain this".) For example: "I have a problem." "What is it?"
Does this mean that ..? You use this when you think you understand something, and you want to make sure that you have understood correctly. English people also use this as a way of saying sarcastically that they do not believe your explanation. For example: "Does this mean that our plane will be late?" (You have heard an announcement, and want to check you have understood it.) "Does this mean that you spent all day doing one simple job?" (Sarcastic.)
You can also make implicit requests for information. ("Implicit" is when you make your meaning clear without actually saying the words.)
I don't understand ... Even though saying 'I don't understand' is not a question or an actual request for information, you have told the other person that you do not know what is going on. If the other person knows, he should tell you. For example: "I don't understand where we should go." "I don't understand what they want." "I don't understand why we need our passports."
Sometimes an English speaker will tell you something you already know because he wants you to explain what has happened. For example: "You are late." "Well, I couldn't find your house."
"Your car is in my driveway." "I'm sorry, there was nowhere else to park."
May I explain ... ? This is often used to say why you have done something wrong. It means that there is a good reason for something, and you are sure that the other person will be happier when he has heard it. For example: "May I explain what happened this morning?". "Can I explain? I thought that was my suitcase - it looks the same."
Well, you see ... You use this to show that you are starting an explanation. This is often used before complicated explanations, to let the listener know that he has to concentrate. For example: "I really don't understand how to do this." "Well, you see, first you have to do this part, and then ...." "Why is it that Fred is always late?" "Well, you see, he has to come from London, and after that ..."
It's like this ... This is used to tell someone about the present situation. For example: "Why are you phoning me now?" "It's like this. My car has broken down, and I need a lift urgently." "Why won't Carol speak to Jack?" "It's like this. She used to be his girlfriend until he met Jane."
Because. This is used to answer questions starting with 'why'. For example: "Why did Sam leave the party so early?" "Because he wasn't feeling well." "Why are you looking in your bag?" "Because I want my car keys."
(Words which you use to put your explanation together. )
Null words and phrases. Null words are words which do not have any real meaning in the sentence. People use them while they are thinking of what they want to say, and to signal to a listener that they are going to say more. For example, you can start a sentence with any of these words - "Well" "Actually" "Okay" "You see". None of them really mean anything here, except they tell your listener "Wait for a moment, and you will hear what I have to say."
Going on When you have given the first part of an explanation, you can signal that there is more to come - "And then" "Next" "Also" "After that" "secondly/thirdly etc.". Finishing This signals that you have finished your explanation, and you are going to add just a few words to describe the situation. "So" "That's why" "In the end" "Finally" "As a result" "To cut a long story short"..
So, you see, that is how to give explanations. They are useful for many reasons. Firstly, they let people know what is going on, secondly, you can use them for excuses, and of course they help you to understand how to do things. Okay, now some exercises are coming up. Can you tell me what the right answers are?
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