Shock and disbelief

Expressing shock and disbelief

It is sometimes difficult to say how you feel in unexpected situations, such as natural disasters, bad news .., especially when you feel sad.

Here's a list of some common expressions to help you express

• shock
• and disbelief.

Shock:

I was	shocked to hear… stunned by... taken aback by…
... came as	a complete shock.
I'm in

Examples:

• I was shocked to hear the news.
• I was stunned / taken aback by the news
• I was completely taken aback by his behavior.
• I was just stunned by her clothes.
• The news came as a complete shock.
• We're all in complete shock.

Telling The Time

How to tell the time in English?

There are two common ways of telling the time in English. For 2:40 you can use one of these two ways.

• Digital: the easier way - "Two forty "
• Classical: you say the minutes first then the hour - "twenty to three"

Here are the different ways to ask for and tell the time.

Asking about the time:

What	time is it?
	time do you make it?
	's the time?
Have you got	the right time?

Making Offers

How to make offers in English?

It is common that English speakers make offers in conversations in order to be polite and helpful. When they do so they use these expressions:

Can I… ?

Shall I… ?

Would you like … ?

How about ...?

English learner must be able to make offers as well as accept or reject them. The following are useful expressions to do so.

Making offers:

Can	I	help you?
Shall		get you some juice?
Would you like		a glass of water ?
How about		some pizza?

Examples:

• "Can I help you?"
• "Shall I open the window for you?"
• "Would you like another cup of coffee?"
• "Would you like me to clean the board?"
• "How about a juice? "

Remember:

• Shall, can and will are followed by the verb without to. 
  Example:
  "Can I help you?"
  "Shall I bring you the mobile phone?
• Shall is more formal than can.
• Would you like… is followed either by a noun, or by the verb with to.
  Example:
  "Would you like some tea ?"
  "Would you like to drink some coffee?

Talking About Favorite Things

Talking about favorite things

When you talk about your favorite things you talk about the best liked or most enjoyed things.

Examples:

• "What's your favorite color?" "Green."

Study the dialogue:

Leila is talking to her new friend Cathy:

Leila:	What kind of films do you like best?
Cathy:	Science fiction. And you?
Leila:	Comedy. And who's your favorite actor?
Cathy:	Tom Cruise.
Leila:	I like Robert de Nero most.

Asking about favorite things:

• What's your favorite sport?
• What sport do you like best?
• What sport do you like most?
• What kind of sport do you like best?
• Who's your favorite football player?