Speak Better English with Harry | Episode 566

In this podcast episode, you will learn how to give advice in English clearly and naturally. You will also learn how to respond to advice in polite and not-so-polite ways. 

We focus on real spoken English, not textbook phrases. You will hear common expressions used in daily life and in business English. We show how tone changes meaning, even when the words are similar.

This episode helps English learners improve speaking confidence. It is useful for workplace communication, meetings, and professional conversations. It is also helpful for exams like IELTS, TOEFL, and Cambridge English.

Perfect for intermediate and advanced learners who want to sound more natural in real conversations.

Transcript

0:09

Hi there, this is Harry. Welcome back to Advanced English Lessons with Harry, where I try to help you to get a better understanding of the English language, to help you with your conversational skills, your business English skills, interview skills, whatever your goals are, we're here to help. And for those of you and your friends or family who want one-to-one lessons, well, you know what to do. Just get in touch, www.englishlessonviaskype.com and you can apply for a free trial lesson and we'd be very happy to hear from you and very happy to help you. Okay, well in this particular lesson we're going to look at advanced English expressions and phrases, useful phrases for giving advice. Now really really important to remember that the word advice is uncountable. It's not advices. It's never advices. You give advice. You give a piece of advice. You can give several pieces of advice. You can give some advice. The first piece of advice I will give you, but it's not never ever advices. Okay, so it's uncountable. So we're going to go through different expressions and phrases that are useful to use when giving advice. Most importantly is what comes after it, how we follow it, whether we follow it with infinitive or whether we follow it with the simple ing. And I'll give you some examples. Okay, so first thing we want to look at is the giving of advice. So if I were in your shoes, so here's a very classic, useful way to give advice. If I were in your shoes means if I was in the same position as you. Now here we say if I were. Now somebody's going to ask me, why are you saying I were instead of I was. When we use conditional tenses like if, we usually replace was with were and that's why we use it. So if I were in your shoes, yeah, or if I were you. Okay, so either of those will do. So to give advice, if I were in your shoes or if I were you, I'd or I would go to the doctor immediately. You don't look well. Okay, so if I were you, I would go to the doctor. What's he going to do? He's just going to examine you and he'll tell you whether there is something or there isn't something wrong with you. But if you stay at home worrying all the time, you'll be a nervous wreck. So if I were you, I'd do this. I would do that. Okay. Have you ever thought of going in for veterinary services? Yeah. To become a vet. Have you ever thought of becoming a vet? Okay. So when we use this, have you ever thought, we're giving advice and we follow it with the ing. Have you ever thought of becoming? Have you ever thought of training to be? Okay, now when you have a preposition, so here we have thought of, have you ever thought of, it's usually followed by ING. Have you ever thought of becoming? Have you ever thought of training to be? Okay, so it's usually followed with ing. So piece of advice, have you ever thought of or have you ever thought about? Next, have you ever considered? And again, when we use this, we usually follow it with the ing. Have you ever considered retraining? Have you ever considered traveling abroad? Have you ever considered what your father is going to think about it if you give up your university course? So have you ever considered? So it's not always the ING. So have you ever considered traveling? So they're ING. Have you ever considered what your father would do? It's not the ING. If I had that problem, I would go and seek professional advice. If I had that problem, I would probably talk to a friend. If I had that problem, I would something. I would go, I would probably go, I would talk. And when you use that I would, it's followed by the bare format of the verb. I would go, I would talk, I would seek. Okay, so if I had that problem, I would do something. Okay. Have you ever tried teaching? Have you ever tried talking to somebody? Have you ever tried explaining to them exactly what you want? So if you're giving somebody advice and they can't understand or they don't seem to be able to get through to somebody, well, you might give advice like, have you ever tried talking to him about it? Have you ever tried discussing it face to face? Yeah, so if somebody has a particular problem with their boss, but again, here you're looking at the ING. Have you ever tried talking? Have you ever tried listening? Have you ever tried discussing? Okay, ING. How about reading a few books before your exam? How about studying a bit? So if you're trying to get your kids to do something in advance of the important school exams coming up, then the advice might be, how about putting your head down for a few hours every night? How about knuckling down to some hard study? How about doing some extra training? If somebody wants to get fit or they want to lose weight, how about coming with me to the gym next week? Okay, so a bit of advice, but again, I-N-G. Next piece of advice. Why don't you? Why don't you go to the hospital? If you're worried, why don't you go to the hospital? Why don't you hand in your notice? There are plenty of jobs. You've got lots of skills you could do. Why put up with all of that crap? Why don't you look for another job? Okay, why don't you stop moaning and do something about it? Okay, so again, here, why don't you? And then followed with the bear verb. Why don't you stop? Why don't you go? Why don't you consider? Why don't you think? I think it would be a good idea to call the plumber. You don't really know what you're doing. If you keep twisting that, it's going to break and then there's going to be water everywhere. So I think it would be a good idea to call the plumber. I think it would be a good idea to call the electrician. You don't know anything about electricity. What happens if you get an electric shock? Okay, so I think it would be a good idea to, that's the infinitive. The sooner you do this work, the better for everybody. Okay. The sooner you get down to a bit of study, the better you would feel. The sooner you get another job, the better I would feel because I'm sick and tired of hearing you moan. So a bit of real advice. The sooner you do something, the better it will be. The sooner you go to the doctor, the better you will feel. The sooner you book a holiday, the better I will feel because I'm sick of this terrible weather. And then another final bit of advice. You have no choice but to go to the police and tell them what you know. You have no choice but to tell your boss that you just can't work those long hours anymore. You have no choice but to try and get another extension on your course, otherwise you're going to have to drop out of university. So all useful expressions as to how to give advice. And remember when we're using them, where and when we use the ing or we use the infinitive. Okay, now if somebody wants to respond to the advice that you have given, so in a positive way, because you can respond negatively as well. So responding positively. Oh, yeah, that's a thought, or that's an idea. So, you know, if somebody gives you a bit of advice and perhaps it's not something you had considered, oh, yeah, that's a thought, meaning, hmm, why didn't I think of that? Oh, that's an idea, or that's, that's it. That's actually a good idea. Yeah, I think I'll take you up on that. Or, yeah, I think I'll give it a go, you know, going to the gym. Why don't you come with me to the gym? Yeah, I've been thinking about it and I need somebody to buddy up with. Yeah, somebody to go with. Yeah, I think I'll give it a go or I'll give it a try. So, look, if you don't like it, nothing ventured, nothing gained. But you might enjoy it. I'll go with you. And then you can go on your own or you can come with me. I go two or three times a week. So why not? It'll be a bit of fun. So yeah, I think I'll give it a go or I think I'll give it a try. So you're going to do it. You're going to accept the advice. Yeah, you know, I hadn't thought of that. Yeah, that actually makes a lot of sense. I hadn't thought of that. Yeah, I think I'll sit down and talk to him about it. So what can happen? All he can say is no, or he's not interested. So yeah, I hadn't thought of that. I think I'll ask him if I can sit down with him at the end of the week or next week when he comes back from holidays. I hadn't thought of that. Next, well, it's worth a try. So yeah, this is a good response when somebody gives you some advice. You're not sure it will actually work, but you know what? It's worth the try. Again, nothing ventured, nothing gained. If you don't try, you won't know. Yeah. If you're not in, you can't win. So all these classics, yeah. But so it's worth a try. It has to be worth the try because things are not going to get any better the way they are. So we'll have to try something. So yeah, it's worth a try. Oh, that's a good idea. Or if it's even better, oh, that's a great idea. Wow. I've been racking my brains trying to come up with something. And here it is. You're just giving something to me on a plate. Look, I really appreciate your advice. That's a good or that's a great idea. So all really positive responses to somebody's advice. And of course, the opposite of positive is always negative, is it not? Yeah, and there are people who will not take advice no matter what you say, no matter how good it might be. They just want to do what they want to do. So here are some negative responses to the advice that you might give. Ah, yeah, look, that's easier said than done. I mean, it's okay for you to sit there and say I should go and talk to the boss, but you know, you don't know my boss. He's impossible to talk to. He's not going to listen even if I do sit down with him. So yeah, thanks, but it's easier said than done. Okay, negative. Next. Well, that's all very well, but I'm not sure that could work. Well, how do you know if you don't? Well, no, it's just, it's, oh, yeah, I mean, I'm not sure. I mean, what if it doesn't work? Well, of course, it might work, but if somebody's negative, they'll always look at the negative. Well, what if it doesn't work? Yeah, and I'm not sure that it could work. And then when will I, where will I be? Next piece of negative response. Well, yeah, you have a point, and I appreciate your advice, but, and there's always a but, yeah. Yeah, you have a point. Yes, I can see where you're coming from. Yeah, and yeah, I appreciate, I really do, I appreciate your advice, but you know what? I think I'm just going to sit on it for a little while. Of course you are, yeah, because that sort of person never takes advice. Well, you have a point there. So, yeah, you have a point. I appreciate your advice, but. Okay, next. Hmm, that's an interesting opinion, but I prefer to do it my way. I did it my way. Okay, so that's the classic. Yeah, you spend 20 minutes or whatever it is giving your, what you think is really good advice to your friend or family member or colleague. And then at the end, they say, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's an interesting opinion. Yeah, but I'm going to try it this way or I'm going to do it my way. Okay. Well, look, thanks for the advice, but I couldn't do that. That's not in line with my values. What? Yeah, but you want to get this problem solved. Yeah, but I don't want to do it that way. I want to do it this way. Okay. Or I want to do it in a way that's above board and it's very clear. Okay, but you asked me for advice and that's what I'm recommending. Yeah, I know, but that's not actually in line with my values, whatever that might mean. Yeah, maybe you have high moral values and you're not prepared to do something even a little bit bending the rules, which can often get around the problem. So if you give somebody some advice and they come back with, well, yeah, it's not actually in line with my values. Well, I suppose you just have to respect their point of view. Now, if somebody really, really gets annoyed or really gets angry and perhaps they just don't want to listen to advice, or maybe they're fed up with all the advice you're giving to them, or maybe you're the sort of person that continuously gives them advice, even when they don't want it, you might get a very sharp response like, well, you know what? You can keep your advice to yourself. What am I asking you for? It never worked for you. Why are you telling me? Yeah, you can keep your advice to yourself. Now, somebody could be really, really rude and you might get something like, well, you know what you can do with your advice? You can stick it where the sun don't shine. Yeah, that might not be the response you want to get, but it certainly could be something that somebody is thinking about. I wouldn't suggest you give that to the boss or you give it even to your partner because they might not be so appreciative of it. But it is a response that you might get. Well, you know what? You can keep your advice to yourself. All right. So all about giving advice, all about the responses that somebody might give you, either positively or negatively. And there's always two sides to every story. So that's all useful phrases, useful English phrases for giving advice. So read them, listen to them, practice them and see which of those you can use and which of those you can put into practice yourself. Okay, as always, thanks for listening. I enjoy your company. Harry's signing off. Join me again soon.