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rayt
Joined: 30 Oct 2005
Posts: 60
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 Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2014 2:02 am Post subject: Will you excuse us, please? |
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Dear teachers
I have learned that .....
Could you excuse us, please? ; Can you excuse us, please?; Would you excuse us, please?; Will you excuse us, please?
means
We must leave. I hope you will forgive us.
However, there is a conversation in a movie and someone said a sentence like below to ASK everyone to leave.
You... Will you all excuse us?
Can everybody go?
May I ask what does "excuse" exactly mean? Is it for one to ask for permission to leave? Or for one to ask others to leave? Or it depends on what comes next just like here he said " Can everybody go?"
Thank you very much. |
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wanderkind
Joined: 04 Mar 2014
Posts: 32
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| Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2014 5:03 pm Post subject: Re: Will you excuse us, please? |
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| rayt wrote: |
Could you excuse us, please? ; Can you excuse us, please?; Would you excuse us, please?; Will you excuse us, please?
means
We must leave. I hope you will forgive us.
However, there is a conversation in a movie and someone said a sentence like below to ASK everyone to leave.
You... Will you all excuse us?
Can everybody go?
May I ask what does "excuse" exactly mean? Is it for one to ask for permission to leave? Or for one to ask others to leave? Or it depends on what comes next just like here he said " Can everybody go?"
Thank you very much. |
I don't know the exact rules on this, but this is my understanding.
If the comment is vague like that, I think it usually does depend on what comes next. It could be another sentence, or the speaker could just move and walk away. Or in some situations, it might be clear from the status of the people in the conversation. Usually it's the 'lower' status person in the conversation who moves.
But this is a slightly vague way of saying things. You can see scenes in movies or real life like this sometimes, because there can be confusion about who is meant to leave:
Person A: Would you excuse us for a moment please?
Person B (thinks A and C will leave): Of course, take your time. (doesn't move)
Person A waits...waits...then makes some motion that shows they want B to leave.
The best way to avoid confusion is to add more information. |
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