Being polite: giving opinions and talking about mistakes - English In A Minute

It's okay to be direct with

people you know,

but sometimes in more formal situations,

like at work, it's important to be polite.

You can give your opinion in a direct way.

'Your presentation is too long.'

But to make your opinion less

direct use verbs like

'reckon', 'feel', 'believe'

and also vague expressions like

'sort of', 'kind of', 'a little'.

'I reckon your presentation is a little long.'

Or, turn it into a question  to make it even less direct:

'Don't you think your presentation is kind of long?'

You can tell someone they've

made a mistake in a very direct way:

'You've sent the wrong reports.'

But to be less direct add softer verbs

like 'seem to' or 'appear to':

'You seem to have sent the wrong reports.'

You see, it's easy to be polite.