Welcome to this episode in our new series on pragmatics. In today's lesson
we look at making and responding to invitations. Inviting someone to do
something can be a challenging task as it can impose a face threatening
encounter for both the person making the invitation and the person being invited.
When we invite someone we risk the embarrassment of rejection
while they may feel uncomfortable at getting an unwelcome invitation.
Invitation sequences can unfold in several predictable ways. These are
generally dependent on whether the invitee is willing to either accept or
decline the offer made by the inviter.
When you accept an invitation directly - usually not always but usually - you're
doing what the other person suggested so you don't have to be careful.
You can answer immediately, you can give a short answer and you don't need to explain.
However, to say no to an invitation we need to be more careful not to appear
ungrateful or insensitive. To politely decline use some of these strategies
Pausing before answering or taking an end breath. Showing appreciation,
apologizing, giving a reason, making an alternative suggestion
Now, look at the following invitation and reflect on the different responses provided.
In the first instance, the invitation was accepted so the response was quick and immediate.
In the second response, the invitee declined the invitation using
all five of the strategies provided earlier.
When making a casual invitation involving a small thing then a simple invitation can be used. If the invitation
is accepted quickly the interaction moves ahead.
However, at other times the invitation may not be accepted immediately.
Watch the following interaction from the first episode of the Skippers Pass drama series.
In this scene Sophie makes a direct
invitation to Emma.
Emma's first reaction is to hesitate.
When Sophie hears Emma hesitate she tries to reassure her by
trying to eliminate the cause of the hesitation.
The reassurance is successful and Emma accepts the invitation.
Now watch another example from Skippers Pass.
In this scene Sophie is inviting Emma to
jump into the water.
Emma's first reaction is to decline the invitation.
When Sophie hears Emma decline she tries to persuade her by questioning the choice
in a gentle way.
The follow-up is successful and Emma accepts the invitation.
As we all know from experience, making invitations is not always an easy thing to do.
The same applies for when you receive an invitation and must decide whether to
accept or decline. However, by following the suggestions provided in this lesson
we hope it makes your interactions a little bit easier. Thanks for watching.
Remember, you can find more of our lessons on our Chasing Time English TV YouTube
channel and we'll see you next time.