Cambridge Grammar of English Hardback with cd-rom a comprehensive Guide

REQUESTS

416

Requests are speech acts where the speaker desires a particular course of action

from the listener, but where, unlike commands, the listener has a far greater

choice whether to act in the way indicated. Requests and commands occasionally

overlap, as a command may be softened by making it seem more like a request.

696 | Speech acts

Cambridge Grammar of English

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Interrogatives with can, could, will and would

416a

Interrogatives with can, could, will and would are very common in requests.

Could

is generally heard as more polite than can, and would is heard as more

polite than will:

A: 

Can you do a receipt in the name of Mrs M.A. Peters, please

?

B: What name?

A: Mrs M.A. Peters.

B: [writes]

[in a car; passenger to driver]

A: 

Can you drop me off at the garage on Long Road

?

B: Yeah, sure.

The + sign indicates an interrupted turn which continues at the next + sign

[on the phone]

A: Before you move on+ 

B: Yeah? 

A: +is my watch anywhere in your house? 

B: Er, I haven’t seen it but I haven’t really looked for it. 

A: 

Could you have a look

? 

B: What, now? 

A: Well er where are you speaking? 

B: In the kitchen. 

A: Are you on your mobile? 

B: Yeah. 

A: 

Can you go and see whether it’s in those jeans

? 

B: Ah, jeans. Where are they then? 

A: They’re hanging up on the rail. 

B: Oh okay. 

A: 

Will you get me a glass of water

?

B: Yeah.

A: Thanks.

[talking of a ‘haunted’ house]

The thing is, right, this woman had lived there before us called Sue and she lived

there for eight years. And she said that the best way to control the ghost was to

talk to it and just say ‘Look. Look. 

Would you please be quiet

, I’m trying to sleep.’