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10 Common Verbs that don't change in the past

English Skills : 13 ways of saying “Thank You”

As many of you will know,“please” and “thank you” are very important words to use in the English Language. Many of my clients who have visited the UK often tell me how noticeable the use of these two words are in everyday life with the British. Practically every conversation is peppered with a “please” or “thank you”.  I often have to remind my clients not to expect any service from the British if they don’t use these words.

Consequently, in the third post in my English Skills series, I’d like to focus on the different ways of saying Thank You. Once again, I haveMacmillan Dictionary Blog  to thank for giving me the idea and resource. I’ve used their post and added some of my examples to it.

Thanks and Thank you are the most common ways of telling someone you are grateful for something they have said or done.

Thank you is slightly more formal.

1. Thanks a lot, (2) Thanks very much, (3) Thank you very much, or (4) Thank you so muchIf you want to emphasize your gratitude, or be very polite, you can say the above expressions.

• Thank you so much for helping me out today.
• ‘You’re looking well.’ ‘Thanks.’
• Thank you very much for dinner – it was great.
• Thanks a lot for looking after the children.
• Thanks very much for making dinner tonight.

5. Thanks a bunchThis is an informal way of thanking someone, but can sometimes be used sarcastically, when telling someone that something they did was not helpful or kind. (Both Thanks a lot and Thanks very much can also be used in this way)

• You told Tony what I told you in confidence? Thanks a bunch!
• Thanks a lot for spoiling my evening.

6. Much obligedThis expression is a very formal way of thanking     someone for something they have done for you.

• I am much obliged to you for your patience during the recent difficulties.
• “You can use the facilities whilst you are in the club”. “Much obliged“.

7. You’ve saved my life and (8) I owe you one/I owe you big time.

The above expressions are informal ways of thanking someone who has helped you in a difficult situation.

• Thanks for giving me a lift to the station. You saved my life.
• Thanks for the advice. I owe you one.
• Thanks for helping me out with the essay. I owe you big time.

9. CheersThis is another informal way of thanking someone which is frequently used in British English. Many learners have adopted this word and sometimes use it inappropriately in written English. Please remember that “cheers” is used informally and therefore shouldn’t be used when writing to people you don’t know or in business emails.

• ‘Here’s that book you wanted to borrow.’ ‘Oh, cheers.‘
• “Would you like a drink?” “That’d be great. Cheers.“

10. You shouldn’t (have)We can use this expression when someone gives you a present and you’re very surprised:

Photo: cheezburger

• Oh, Martin, what lovely flowers. You shouldn’t have!

11. You’re too kind
This is a polite way of thanking someone that can sometimes sound insincere (depending on who is saying it!)

Photo: cheezburger.com

• Thank you for for the glowing praise. You’re too kind.

12. I’d like to thank… This is used when thanking people in a formal speech (for example, the Oscars)

• I’d like to thank everyone for coming along and supporting us today.

13. Many thanks
This is a formal way of saying thank you used in letters and emails

• Many thanks for the lovely present.

I told you we had many ways of saying “thank you” in English! Do you know others?

Thank you so much for reading my post.

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English Skills: 10 Ways Of Praising Someone

One of the most powerful forms of human communication is praise. We all need to be praised whether it’s at school, work or with our family and friends. Praise works wonders for our self-esteem and can dramatically increase our performance.

Remember when you were a child learning to read or ride a bike? Did your parents’ encouragement and words of praise  bolster your confidence making you want to try harder?

In your professional lives, how often have you longed for your line manager or boss to give you praise for a particular task completed on time and successfully? Or simply to have your hard work recognised?

Just as it’s important to be praised or receive praise, it’s equally, I would say more important, to praise or give praise to someone. Praising someone often has a positive effect on the giver, too.

So, how would you praise someone in English? Here are 10 expressions you could adopt (use). I have used and adapted these expressions from Macmillan Dictionary’s Blog Post by Liz Potter . Here we go.

“Well Done”
This is the most common expression of praise you will hear in English.A: “I ran my first half-marathon last Sunday.”
B: “Well done! You must be so proud of yourself.”

“Congratulations”
We use this for milestones and important achievements and events like passing an exam, getting a new job, having a baby, getting married and so on.“Congratulations, Tom. I hear you got promoted to Head of Sales.”

“Good for you”
This is used informally and it is especially used when you approve of what someone has done.“I hear you told the client you would only start work on the project when the first payment was paid and not before. Good for you. Our clients need to be reminded that we’re not a charity.”

“Way to go/ Good job”Another informal way of giving praise for something someone has done well.

“Way to go, Jack. I knew you could do it.” (This is more informal than the expression below)

A: “We should finish negotiations on time.”
B: “Good job, Matthew. Excellent news.”

“Good thinking”
An expression you would use particularly where you need ideas and someone comes up with a good one.A: “The best way forward would be to get our customer feedback before we proceed to the next stage.”
B: “Good thinking, Max.”

“Good/Excellent idea”A: “Pizza, anyone?”
B: “Excellent idea. Where’s the menu?”

“You’re a genius”“You’re a genius. I don’t know what I’d do without you!” (My husband often tells me this!!)

“Let’s hear it for”…./”Hats off to…”These expressions are often used when you want to inform others that someone deserves praise“Let’s hear it for Jeff who singlehandedly sealed the most lucrativedeal for us today.”

“Compliments to the chef!”
Particularly important if you’re invited to a dinner party and the dinner was prepared by the host or hostess.

“Bravo!”
From the Italian word and now used extensively in most languages. You often hear it in theatres when the audience praises the actors.

Have I missed any expressions out? Please let me know. What do you say when you praise someone in English?

I hope you found these expressions helpful. If you think others would find it, too please share the post with them. And don’t forget to subscribe to my blog if you want to read more of my posts.