English speaking - Conversational structures

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English speaking - Conversational structures

I'm sorry to

You can use this structure to express a feeling of sympathy or regret. Here are some examples:

• I’m sorry to hear about your Dad’s illness.
• I’m sorry to have disturbed you.
• I’m sorry to offend you.
• I’m sorry to be so late.
• I’m sorry to see you go.
• I’m sorry to reject your offer.
• I’m sorry to hear that you are unwell.

Note that in this structure, we use a to-infinitive after I’m sorry.

I’m sorry for + (noun / -ing form)

• I’m sorry for hurting your feelings.
• I’m sorry for being late.
• I’m sorry for wasting your time.
• I’m sorry for disturbing you.
• I’m sorry for behaving rudely.
• I’m sorry for breaking the glass.
• I’m sorry for the interruption.
• We are sorry for the delay.

 

I'm calling to + (verb)

This structure is used to talk about the purpose of calling somebody by phone. After I’m calling, we use an infinitive with to. Here are some examples:

• I’m calling to tell you that I’m interested in the offer.
• I’m calling to invite you to our party.
• I’m calling to accept your invitation.
• I’m calling to reserve a table for four for 8 pm.
• I’m calling to complain about a problem I’m having with my camera / TV / computer / etc.
• I’m calling to thank you for your support.
• I’m calling to apologize for the mistake.
• I’m calling to tell you that I have received a better job offer.
• I’m calling to inform you that I cannot accept the job.
• I’m calling to file a complaint. 

I'm working on

You can use this structure to talk about something that you are doing at the moment. Here are some examples:

• I’m working on a prestigious project.
• I’m working on reducing my accent.
• I’m working on improving my English.
• I’m working on my communication skills.
• I’m working on my computer.
• I’m working on something exciting.
• I’m working on another website.

Usage note: Instead of I, you can use other pronouns or nouns as well.

• He is working on a project.
• John is working on his website.

Note that after working on, we use a noun or an –ing form.

• He is working on improving his pronunciation skills. (NOT He is working on to improve his pronunciation skills.)
• She is working on her language skills.

Could have + past participle

The structure could have + past participle is used to say that somebody was capable of doing something, but did not try to do it.

• He could have married anybody he wanted to. (But he didn’t.)
• I could have run the race if I had run a bit faster.
• I could have won but I didn’t go in for the race.

Could have + past participle can also be used to criticize people for not doing things.

• You could have asked me before borrowing my car.
• You could have helped him.

Couldn’t have + past participle can be used to say that somebody would not have been able to do something even if they had tried to.

• I couldn’t have passed the test even if I had tried. 

Conversational structures with let

Let can be used to introduce suggestions and orders. We can use let us to make suggestions to a group that includes the speaker. Note that let is followed by object + infinitive without to.

• Let us go. (Formal) (Let + object + infinitive without to)
• Let’s go. (Informal)
• Let us go for a walk. (Formal) (Let + object + infinitive without to)
• Let’s go for a walk. (Informal)
• Let us pray. (Let + object + infinitive without to)

The structure let + object + have + noun is also possible.

• Let us have a drink. (Formal) (Let + object + have + noun)
• Let’s have a drink. (Informal)
• Let us have a chat. (Let + object + have + noun)

Giving instructions to oneself

Let me is used to give instructions to oneself. The expressions Let me see and Let me think are very common.

• Let me just finish my homework and I will play with you.

Giving instructions to a third person

Let can also introduce a suggestion or order for someone or something else, not the speaker or hearer.

• ‘Your boyfriend is going out with another girl.’ ‘Let him. I don’t care.’

Grammar notes

Shall we? is used as a question tag. Let’s is used as a short answer.

• ‘Let’s go for a walk, shall we?’ ‘Yes, let’s.’

There are two possible negatives, with let us not (let’s not) and do not let us (don’t let us).

• Let us not despair. OR Do not let us despair.
• Let us not forget those who came before us. OR Do not let us forget those who came before us.

Conversational structures with need

Need not + have + past participle

If we say that somebody need not have done something, we mean that he or she did it, but it was not necessary.

• You need not have woken me up. I don’t have to go to work today.
• I needn’t have cooked so much food. Nobody was hungry.
• They need not have come all this way. (= They came all this way, but it was not necessary.)
• We need not have waited for his approval. (= We waited for his approval, but that was not necessary.)
• You need not have bought a new car.
• You need not have paid for that call.

Note that need not have does not mean the same as did not need to. When we say that somebody did not need to do something, we are simply saying that it was not necessary (whether or not it was done).

Compare:

• I need not have bought it. (=I bought it, but it was not necessary.)
• I didn't need to buy it. (=It was not necessary for me to buy it.)

Need + participle

In British English it is possible to use an –ing form after need. It means the same as a passive infinitive.

• Your hair needs washing. (= Your hair needs to be washed.)
• The carpet needs cleaning. (= The carpet needs to be cleaned.)
• The roof needs repairing.

A structure with need + object + present/past participle is also possible in some cases.

• You need your hair cutting/cut.
• You need your car cleaned.

Conversational structures with used to

Used to + infinitive

The structure used to + infinitive is used to say that something happened continuously or frequently during a period in the past.

• I used to smoke.
• I used to read a lot.
• I used to write stories.
• He used to play football when he was a boy.

Be used to + noun/-ing forms

Be used to can be followed by nouns or –ing forms. If you are used to something, it is familiar to you; you have experienced it so much that it is no longer strange or new.

• I am not used to living in the city.
• She is used to working with old people.
• He is used to working hard.

Get/become/grow used to … ing etc.

Get, grow and become can also be used before used to + …ing.

• She took quite some time to get used to living in the country.
• It took them a long time to become used to getting up in the middle of the night.

Conversational structures with had better

We use had better to tell people what we think they should do.

• You had better turn that music down before dad gets angry.
• You had better consult a doctor.

Had better is also used to give advice to ourselves.

• It is seven o’clock. I had better put the meat in the oven.

Had better may suggest a threat. It is not used in polite requests.

Compare:

• Could you lend me some money? (Request)
• You had better lend me some money. (If you don’t, there will be trouble.) (Order/threat)

Grammar Notes

Had better refers to the immediate future, but the form is always past. Have better is impossible. After had better we use the infinitive without to.

• It is late – you had better hurry up. (NOT You had better hurried up.)

In British English, better can come before had for emphasis.

• ‘I promise I will pay you back’. ‘You better had’.

Conversational structures with Feel

Feel + adjective/ noun complement

Feel can be used with a personal subject (I, you, John etc.) to mean ‘experience the condition of one’s own mind or body’.

• I feel fine.
• Do you feel happy?
• He was beginning to feel sleepy.

Feel like

Feel like can mean ‘want’ or ‘would like’. In this sense, feel like is often followed by an –ing form.

• I feel like dancing. (I would like to dance.)
• I felt like laughing, but I didn’t dare. (= I wanted to laugh, but I didn’t dare.)
• I felt like crying. (= I wanted to cry.)