12/07/16 Asking for help
Yes/No Questions
We usually ask people to do things for us by making yes/no questions. (This is because a yes/no question appears to leave people free to refuse.) Some typical structures used in requests:
Could you possibly help me for a few minutes? (very polite)
Would you mind helping me for a few minutes?
Would you like to help me for a few minutes?
Could you help me for a few minutes? (more informal)
Do you think you could help me for a few minutes?
You couldn’t help me for a few minutes, could you? (informal)
Indirect yes/no questions are also used in polite requests.
I wonder if you could (possibly) help me for a few minutes.
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