Making Invitations Tutorial for English Learners

Invitations are a fun and useful conversational tool in the English language. They combine socialization and inquiry practices in order to ask someone to join you for an activity or event. Invitations generally replace a direct and rigid can you request with a more polite and flexible would you like question. This allows the person you are inviting to either accept or decline your proposal. Inviting is a versatile technique that can be applied to both formal or informal situations. Whether to ask a loved one to join you at a special event or request the honor of your employers presence in your home, you will need to master the skill of making invitations as part of your journey learning to speak English. Find out everything there is to know about making invitations here. Invitation Phrases to Use Some invitations work better than others in certain scenarios and the best phrase to use is generally dependent on the nature of an exchange. Your relationship with the person you are proposing an invitation to determines the required level of formality. For example, you should make casual invitations to your best friends and formal invitations to business clients. Try the following informal and formal invitation phrases to get started. Informal Sometimes you just want to ask someone else to do something with you without making any additional promises or commitments. To make a casual invitation, use some of the following phrases. Do you want infinitive verb?Do you want to have a drink with me?Why dont we verb?Why dont we go out for dinner?Lets verb.Lets go away this weekend.How about verb -ing?How about going to a movie? When you want to communicate to someone that you plan to fund or otherwise coordinate an activity, indicate this with a phrase that provides more context about your invitation and/or the event. These phrases let a person know that they will not need to pay if they choose to accept your invitation because you will be assuming financial responsibility. Im buying.Lets get a drink. Im buying.My treat.Why dont we have breakfast. My treat.Its on me.Lets go celebrate with dinner. Its on me.Youre my guest. (usually accompanied by an offer to pay)No, Ill pay the tab. Youre my guest. Formal Phrases When a situation calls for more formality, use proper phrases like these to maintain an elevated level of respect and politeness. Would you like infinitive verb?Would you like to attend the performance with me?Id like to ask you infinitive verb.Id like to ask you to attend the open ceremonies next week.It would be my pleasure if you would verb.It would be my pleasure if you would join us for dinner tonight.May I have the honor of your verb -ing?May we have the honor of your presence at dinner on Friday? How to Respond to an Invitation You also need to learn how to respond to an invitation when someone makes a proposal to you. The most important thing to remember when responding to an invitation is to always thank the person making the invitation, even if you know you are going to have to decline it. This is merely as a courtesy to the person inviting you. Here are some of the most common forms of accepting an invitation. Thank you very much, Ill be there.Thank you very much for offering to have me tomorrow. Ill be there.That would be nice.Joining you for dinner would be nice, thanks for offering.Id love to.Id love to come with you to the party.Sure, that would be great! (informal)Sure, it would be great to see everyone again! If you are unable to accept an invitation, respond using one of the following polite phrases. Thank you, but Im afraid I cant.Thank you for the invitation to your gallery opening, but Im afraid I cant go because I will be out of town. Maybe next time.I wont be able to come due to another engagement.We appreciate the wedding invitation but wont be able to come due to another engagement. We send all our love.I wish I could, but Ive already agreed to...I wish I could come and see you perform, but Ive already agreed to babysit my niece that evening.Sorry, but I have a conflicting commitment and dont think Ill make it.Sorry, but I have a conflicting commitment that day and dont think Ill make it to your open house. Example Dialogues The following example dialogues show what an informal and formal invitation might look like in conversation. Notice the responses of both the person being invited and the person making the invitation. Informal Person 1: Lets go out shopping tonight. Person 2: Yes, lets do it. Person 1: Should we get some dinner too? Person 2: That sounds like fun! Formal Person 1: May I have the honor of accompanying you to the benefit this evening?Person 2: Thank you for asking. Yes, that would be very nice. Person 1: Shall I pick you up?Person 2: Yes please, I appreciate the offer. Practice Scenarios Find a partner and practice proposing invitations in different scenarios. Use a variety of phrases to gain experience using many types of invitations. Consider the formality of your imagined exchange before deciding what invitation is best. After you have practiced proposing invitations, switch with your friend and practice accepting invitations. Try making invitations in these practice scenarios: Invite your boss over for dinner next week.Invite an old friend out for a drink/meal.Invite your grandmother to visit you in your new home.Invite your brother or sister over to watch a movie.Invite a work client to have lunch with you.