Course: How to... Speak English / Unit 1 / Session 45 / Activity 1

Hello and welcome to How To with me, Neil Edgeller. This programme is all about how to give people good news. Perhaps you're a boss and you want to tell an employee they've been given a promotion.

EXAMPLE

We'd like to move you up a grade. That means promotion and quite a bit more money every month.

Or maybe you're a teacher and you want to tell a student they've passed their exams.

EXAMPLE

We've just heard that you've got a place at Oxford University.

But how do you do it? How do you introduce the topic? In this programme, you'll hear some native speakers of English giving another person some good news and we'll see how it's done.

EXAMPLE

I'm just ringing about your job interview last week. I'd like to say that we were very impressed by your job interview and we'd like to offer you the job.

She says, We'd like to say - we were very impressed by your interview. We'd like to say is a formal way of introducing the topic. It's a way of paying someone a compliment before you give the news. A less formal way would be to say just, You did a great interview, but it's still common to pay someone a compliment before you deliver the good news. Next, she says, We'd like to offer you the job. Again, we'd like to is a formal way of introducing good news. You can use it in any formal situation. For example, We'd like to give you a pay rise, or, We'd like to offer you a place at university.