Person 1: Would you like a tea or coffee?.This is what the situation would look like if you just said ‘no’. If someone asks if you want something, and you don’t want it I appreciate you thinking of me, but no thank you.However, in some situations, if you simply reply with ‘no’, you could offend the person you’re talking to, so here are some other ways to say no: You usually use the word ‘no’ when you want to give a negative answer to a question or to a request. Question from our readers: What is the best way to refuse / reject someone’s company which we don’t want to encourage? Polite ways of saying NO Person 1: Will you go on a date with me?.Person 1: Will you be going to the party later?.Person 1: Can I use your phone to call my mum?.There are lots of other ways of saying ‘no’ strongly: Absolutely not synonyms ( Formal) However, in an informal context they’re perfect for answering ‘no’ very strongly. These forms shouldn’t be used when you’re trying to be polite, as they can often be interpreted as rude. In these situations, you can use definitely, or absolutely not. Sometimes you want to say ‘no’ very strongly to answer a question. Person 2: Not quite, but if we make a few small changes we can send it over.Person 1: I’ve finished this piece of work.It can also be used to give someone feedback, to make them feel positive about their work even though it hasn’t reached the standard you were expecting. You can use ‘not quite’ and ‘almost’ when something is very nearly finished. Person 1: Was he sorry that he ruined the party?.However, it can also be used to mean ‘not very much’: Person 1: Did you like my friend Sarah?.‘Not really’ can be used to say ‘no’ when you want to say ‘no’ softly. Not really / Not particularly /not especially Sometimes you want to say no, but either you’re not sure or you want to soften your answer, because the person you’re answering will be offended by a negative answer. Person 1: Do you want to go to the shops today?.Or if you can’t be bothered to do something: Nah is often used when someone asks if you want / need anything, for example: Although it’s also only used to answer yes or no questions, it’s used in a different context. Like ‘nope’, ‘nah’ is an informal way of saying ‘no’. You can use ‘nope’, as your answer isn’t particularly significant to them. Person 1 is looking for something at work. Person 2: I’m so sorry but I fell asleep and didn’t make anything, but let me order a pizza! What do you want on yours?.Saying ‘nope’ will only make them angrier. You know person 1 will be very angry that you didn’t do what they asked. It’s 8 o’clock at night and you were supposed to have dinner on the table, but you fell asleep and haven’t made dinner. ‘Nope’ can never be used in the middle of a sentence, and shouldn’t be used if the person who asked the question is going to be annoyed or upset by you giving a negative answer.
0 kommentar(er)
