Making and Responding to Requests: 36 Best Free Exercises with Answers

Making and responding to requests is one of the most useful skills in everyday English, and these making and responding to requests exercises give you 36 questions with instant answers. You will classify expressions, read short dialogues, complete polite requests and choose the best reply. Need to link your ideas as well? Try our linking words exercises next.

Making and responding to requests exercises with answers

Making and responding to requests: the complete guide for students

Quick answer: to make a request in English, start with a polite question such as Could you…?, Would you mind…? or Is there any chance you could…?. To accept, say Sure, Of course or With pleasure. To refuse politely, say Oh sorry, I can’t or I am afraid I can’t, and add a short reason if you can.

A request is asking someone to do something for you, or asking for something. Because you need the other person to agree, it is important to be polite. This guide shows the main ways of making and responding to requests, with examples you can use in class, in the Bac exam and in real life.

Ways of making requests in English

Here are the most common ways of making requests. You can start with any of them and then add the thing you want, followed by please.

• Could you, please…?
• Can you…?
• Will you…?
• Do … (something) … for me, please.
• Is there any chance you could…?
• Do … (something) … for me, will you?
• Do you think you could…?
• Could you possibly…?
• I wonder if you could possibly…?
• Do you mind (verb + ing)…? It is like asking: “Is there a problem if…?”
• Would you mind (verb + ing)…? It is like asking: “Is there a problem if…?”

The expressions are not all equally polite. Could you and would you sound more polite than can you and will you, and long forms such as I wonder if you could possibly sound the most polite of all. The British Council LearnEnglish grammar page on requests, offers and invitations explains this difference with clear examples.

Ways of responding to requests: accepting

When you want to say yes, keep your answer short and friendly. These expressions are all correct for accepting a request:

• Yes, sure.
• Sure.
• Yes, of course.
• Certainly.
• With pleasure.
• Sure, don’t worry.
• Sure, no problem.

Ways of responding to requests: refusing

When you cannot or do not want to help, a polite refusal starts with an apology. Then you can give a reason. These are the expressions to learn:

• Oh sorry, I can’t.
• I just can’t, I am sorry.
• I am afraid, but I can’t.
• I wish I could help, but…
• Certainly not. This one is very strong, so use it only with close friends and never with a teacher.

Would you mind and do you mind: the tricky replies

This is the part of making and responding to requests that confuses most students. With Would you mind…? and Do you mind…?, the speaker is really asking whether something is a problem for you. So the meaning of your answer is the opposite of what you might expect:

• To accept, say No, not at all, No, I don’t mind or Of course not. You are saying that there is no problem.
• To refuse, say Yes, I do mind or I am afraid I do. You are saying that there is a problem.

That is why Yes, sure is a risky answer to Would you mind…?. It sounds like “yes, it is a problem”. Remember also that mind is always followed by the -ing form: Would you mind opening the window?, never Would you mind to open the window?

Examples of making and responding to requests in short dialogues

Read each mini-dialogue and notice which words make the request and which words give the answer.

• Speaker 1: Could you please help me with this exercise?
  Speaker 2: Yes, of course. (accepting)
• Speaker 3: Do you mind going with me to the market?
  Speaker 4: No, I don’t mind. (accepting)
• Speaker 5: Would you mind giving your brother a lift downtown?
  Speaker 6: Yes. (refusing)
• Speaker 7: I wonder if you could possibly repair this engine?
  Speaker 8: Sure, don’t worry. (accepting)

Which request should you choose: formal or informal?

The right expression depends on who you are talking to and how big the favour is. With a friend or a family member, Can you help me, please? is perfectly natural. With a teacher, a neighbour or a stranger, choose Could you…? or Would you mind…?. When the favour is big or the person is very senior, use the longest forms: I wonder if you could possibly… or Is there any chance you could…?. A longer, softer question shows respect and makes it easier for the other person to say yes.

Common mistakes in making and responding to requests

• Giving an order instead of a request. “Give me your pen!” sounds rude. Say Could you give me your pen, please?
• Forgetting please. The word please costs nothing and makes every request softer.
• Using the wrong verb form after mind. After Do you mind and Would you mind, use verb + -ing. After Could you, Can you and Will you, use the base form: Could you open, Would you mind opening.
• Answering Would you mind with Yes, sure. Use No, not at all if you agree.
• Refusing too bluntly. A simple No or Certainly not can offend. Start with Sorry or I am afraid and give a reason.
• Mixing requests with permission. A request asks someone to do something for you (Could you open the window?). Permission asks if you may do something yourself (Could I open the window?).

How to practise making and responding to requests

Doing the 36 questions above is a good start, but speaking and writing will make the expressions stay in your memory. Try these simple steps:

1. Do exercises A and B first, so you can recognise which expressions make a request and which ones answer it.
2. Read the lists of expressions aloud three times. Hearing yourself say Would you mind opening the window? makes the form feel natural.
3. Practise with a classmate. One student makes a request, the other accepts or refuses. Then swap roles.
4. Write five short dialogues about everyday situations: borrowing a book, asking for directions, asking a teacher for help, asking a friend for a lift and asking a neighbour to be quiet.
5. Use Show answer only after you have tried twice, then press Start again and see how many questions you can answer correctly without help.

Making and responding to requests in the Bac exam

Language functions are part of the English you need for the Bac. In the language section of a paper, you may be asked to complete a dialogue, match an expression with its function, or say whether a speaker is making, accepting or refusing a request. These are exactly the skills practised in exercises A, B and D. In a writing task, a polite request can also appear in a letter or an email, so learning a few safe expressions will help you across the whole paper.

Writing practice: use requests in a short email

Imagine you need a favour from your English teacher. Here is a model you can copy and change:

Dear Mr Hassan, I am writing to ask for your help with my project. I wonder if you could possibly read my first draft before Friday. Would you mind giving me some advice about the introduction? Thank you very much for your time. Yours sincerely, Salma

Notice the polite opening, the two different request forms, the word please or thank you and the clear deadline. Now write your own message to a friend or a neighbour, and change the expressions to match the situation.

Making and responding to requests: quick review

• Make a request with Could you…?, Would you mind + -ing…? or Is there any chance you could…?.
• Accept with Sure, Of course, With pleasure or Sure, no problem.
• Refuse politely with Oh sorry, I can’t, I am afraid I can’t or I wish I could help, but….
• After Would you mind, a reply of No, not at all means yes, and I am afraid I do means no.

For more grammar help on requests, offers and invitations, visit the British Council LearnEnglish grammar reference.

Making and responding to requests: frequently asked questions

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