Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

erik19283 · Joined: 14 Oct 2005 Posts: 144

Hello,

If, for instance, someone were standing in front of a sign or something else that I wish to read or see, what should I say?

Would "(Could you) Move, please" or "(Could you) Move away, please" be acceptable? What else would you say?

Thank you.

Anuradha Chepur · Joined: 20 May 2006 Posts: 933

You can say: Could you move a bit please?

erik19283 · Joined: 14 Oct 2005 Posts: 144

So, how are "move", "move a bit", "move away" different?

Anuradha Chepur · Joined: 20 May 2006 Posts: 933

You can say move or a politer move a bit.
move away sounds a bit harsh.

erik19283 · Joined: 14 Oct 2005 Posts: 144

Thank you for your precious information.

I was under the impression (Now I kow it was the "wrong" impression!) that "move away" might be better because it was more specific than just "move".

Anuradha Chepur · Joined: 20 May 2006 Posts: 933

I think when you came up with move away, the actual idea in your mind was move aside, which is fine.

CP · Joined: 12 Jun 2006 Posts: 2875 Location: California

Well, saying just "Could you move" or something like that is a little abrupt. You could say it a little more politely, for example:

"Excuse me, would you mind moving so I can read the sign?"

"Pardon me, may I take a look at that sign?"

"Excuse me, but I'd like to read that sign."

Even "Excuse me, may I ...?" without finishing the sentence will communicate to the person that you want to see or do something.

Instead of "Excuse me" or "Pardon me," you could start off with the more formal "I beg your pardon" or the less formal "Sorry" -- to get the person's attention in a polite way. Most people will then not only move but compliment you on your nice hat.
_________________
You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

erik19283 · Joined: 14 Oct 2005 Posts: 144

Isn't "Sorry" used to grab attention in the US only, and maybe not even everywhere in the US? I may be wrong, but someone I knew told me once that she used "Sorry" to get someone's attention (that person was talking to a native speaker from the US) and the other person seemed to think it was strange to use "Sorry".

Hopefully, Ms. Anuradha Chepur will read this and tell me her opinion. I believe she studied in England at one point, so I would appreciate her input about the usage of "sorry" in England.

Then, CP wrote:

Anuradha Chepur · Joined: 20 May 2006 Posts: 933

No Erik, I did not study in England.
Hopefully, somebody who did, or lives there would help you out soon.

erik19283 · Joined: 14 Oct 2005 Posts: 144

Oops! My mistake, Dr. Chepur. I just went back to an old post and realized that you had written that you "had worked for a UK based company", not that you had studied there. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

Anyone can tell me if "Sorry" is used only in the US as a way to grab someone's attention?

Also, would "Could you move, please." be polite? By adding "please" at the end (Could it also be at the beginning?) doesn't it make the sentence acceptable?