‘Say what you mean and mean what you say.’
30. August 2010 - 08:42 UhrThis may be some very good advice but we English-speakers can sometimes be a sensitive crowd of people and we tend to beat around the bush a bit, especially when it comes to saying no.
When it comes to disagreeing with something or even criticizing someone we use certain phrases like ‘I’m afraid’ or ‘well, actually…’ to soften the blow.
When you say these words at the start of your sentence, you are preparing us for something negative.
I see what you mean, but…
Ah, you want to disagree with me. You think it would be better if we just all spoke plainly.
I’m afraid I don’t agree with you there sounds a lot better than ‘no way’, which is what we probably mean. Other words which can be used to soften the impact are ‘not very’ or ‘a bit’ and ‘not really’.
I’m not sure I agree with your proposal.
To be honest, I don’t really think that that is the option we should go with.
Unfortunately, you are not really qualified for the position.
I’m not really sure about that.
Well, actually, I’m not sure I agree.
It’s not really what I was hoping for. Perhaps you could work on it a bit.
Perhaps you’re thinking it would all just be easier if we could say exactly what thoughts were in our head. I’m afraid that might be just a bit too direct for our delicate ears.
| Sensitive | easily damaged or distressed or offended by slight changes. |
| Beat around the bush | talk around a subject, not come straight to the point |
| Soften the blow | make it easier to cope with a difficult change or upsetting news |
| Speak plainly | speak simply and directly |
| Unfortunately | used to convey the idea that something is sad or disappointing |
| Delicate | easily damaged, fragile. Requires careful handling |
Kind regards
Laura
Erfahrungen mit Englischer Höflichkeit: http://sarahjoyk.wordpress.com/2009/09/13/englische-hoflichkeit/trackback
