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  • Emily: It looks a bit complex,

  • you could take some out

  • Claire: "You could..."

  • that sounds like a suggestion.

  • Well, let's see if that's what Emily meant.

  • Emily: Have you finished that app design?

  • Mark: I've just been putting some more features in it

  • It's got 200 now.

  • Emily: Hmmm. It looks a bit complex.

  • You could take some out.

  • Mark: I suppose but...

  • I quite like it like this.

  • Emily: If you'd like to ask the team,

  • they might be able to help..

  • Mark: I'm not really sure I would like to

  • ask them, to be honest.

  • Emily: You might want to look at it again

  • before we show the director.

  • Emily: Ok, are you ready

  • to show it to the director?

  • Did you take out some of the features like I asked?

  • Mark: No actually. I've put a few more in there.

  • It's got 250 now.

  • Emily: Weren't you listening?

  • Didn't I tell you to make it simpler?

  • Mark: You said I could. But I didn't want to,

  • so I didn't.

  • Emily: The director's just going to laugh at this.

  • I know this business.

  • You really need to listen to me.

  • Mark: But...

  • Claire: Ouch, you don't look happy.

  • Mark: I just don't get it.

  • Emily made some suggestions,

  • and fine, I didn't agree with them,

  • but now she's acting as though they were orders.

  • Claire: Ah, well you see...

  • Sometimes we word things as suggestions,

  • when we mean them as instructions.

  • It's a way of being polite.

  • It can be tricky to spot these instructions.

  • The expressions that Emily used all had modal verbs

  • that we usually use for suggestions.

  • We had could, if you'd like to,

  • and you might want to.

  • What you have to do is think about the context.

  • If it's someone who often gives you instructions

  • like your manager,

  • then you might want to double check

  • whether they are just making suggestions

  • or actually telling you what they want you to do.

  • They are quite common in a lot of work situations

  • and you'll see some more

  • at the end of the programme.

  • Mark: Thanks, I feel as though I want to go back

  • and try that again with Emily.

  • Mark: I've just been putting some more features

  • on that app.

  • It's got 200 now.

  • Emily: Hmmm. It looks a bit complex

  • you could take some out.

  • Mark: Now, you said could.

  • Do I have a choice or do you need me to do that?

  • Emily: Good questions

  • I need you to do that.

  • If you'd like you could ask the team,

  • they can help you.

  • Mark: If I'd like to?

  • Emily: I did it again didn't I?

  • Yes, I need you to do that as well.

Emily: It looks a bit complex,

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