1.3.3 MAKING INVITATIONS AND RESPONDING POLITELY
MAKING INVITATIONS AND RESPONDING POLITELY
1A. Warm-up: Discussion questions:
- When was the last time you invited someone to an event?
- When was the last time someone invited you to an event?
- What makes an invitation sound polite?
- What phrases do people tend to avoid when rejecting an invitation?
1B. Mini speaking task:
In pairs: Think of an event you attended recently. Explain how the invitation happened and whether the communication was polite or not.
2A. Vocabulary: Types of invitations
A get-together A meet-up A formal reception A business dinner A launch event A networking event
A casual drink / coffee A housewarming A farewell party A charity walk / sponsored event
A gala dinner A charity fundraiser An awards ceremony A roundtable meeting A stakeholder briefing
A working breakfast / working lunch A press conference A team-building event A retirement celebration
An annual general meeting (AGM) A baby shower (social) A bridal shower A wine-tasting evening
A cultural outing (e.g., theatre night, gallery opening)
2B. Speaking
Think of an event you attended recently and match it to one of the vocabulary items. Then talk to a partner. You can use the following questions.
- “Which type of invitation was it?”
- “Who invited you?”
- “Was it formal or informal?”
- “How did you respond?”
3A. Polite Invitations & Refusals
Here are some useful expressions to increase politeness/soften invitations or refusals:
| Polite Invitations | Polite Refusals |
| Would you like to join us for…? | I’d love to, but I’m afraid I already have plans. |
| I was wondering if you’d like to… | Thanks for thinking of me, but… |
| Do you fancy…? (informal UK) | I really appreciate the invitation, but… |
| How about…? | Unfortunately, I won’t be able to make it. |
| How would you feel about…? | That’s very kind of you, but… |
| Would you be interested in joining us for…? | Thank you for the invite, but I’m tied up that day. |
| I’d be delighted if you could join us for … | I’m grateful for the invitation, but I won’t be able to attend. |
| Polite Acceptances | Conditionals/softeners |
| That sounds lovely. Thank you! | I was wondering if you could… |
| I’d be delighted. (formal) | I was hoping we could… |
| Sure, I’d love to. | If it’s not too much trouble… |
| That would be great. | If you’re free, we could … |
| I’d be happy to join you. | If you’d like to, we could… |
| That would be wonderful, thank you. | Would it be possible for us to …? |
| I’d really enjoy that, thanks for inviting me. | Perhaps we could… |
3B. Practice
3C. Mini-Role Play
Quickly invite each other to one of the events using the vocabulary.
- “Would you like to come to my farewell party next Friday?”
- “I’d love to! What time does it start?
Try to use full expressions politely.
4A. Listening/Video Activity
Note all the phrases for inviting, accepting, and declining you hear in the following video: click HERE to watch.
4B. Expressions for inviting, accepting, declining
| Formal Invitations | Accepting invitations | Talking about invitations |
| I would like to propose… | That’s so nice. I’d love to. | Everyone got invited, but me. |
| Would you like? | That would be great | I’m going to invite her over. |
| Would you be interested in… | I’d love it. | I’m trying to invite … |
| Informal invitations | I’d love it too. | … invited me to go to … |
| Anyone else want one? | Sure, love to. | She’s invited you all… |
| I’m calling to invite you… | I’d like that. | So, are you going to invite us all? |
| We just wanted to invite you… | Oh great, I’ve always wanted to… | Oh, you’re inviting me over to … |
| Should we invite…? | I was just glad to be invited. | |
| Let’s invite everyone… | Very nice of you, I’d like that. | |
| Would you care to join me? | Ok, I’m going to go too! | |
| Do you want to come with me? | Declining invitations | |
| Do you want to join us? | I’m kind of busy. | |
| Why don’t you go first? | Oh, no thanks. | |
| How about I go first? | I don’t think I can. | |
| How do you feel about…? | I’d love to, but I really have to… | |
| How about…? | I’m sorry, I can’t … | |
| Let’s get a … | No, no, I have to go. | |
| Why don’t you join us? | ||
| Why don’t you…? | ||
| Let’s… |
4C. Situations
Look at the following situations. Choose some and act out the scenes using the expressions above.
5A. Speaking
Discussion Questions
- Is it better to decline an invitation directly or indirectly?
- Do invitations tend to be more formal in your country compared to English-speaking cultures?
- Should people explain the real reason when declining an invitation?
5B. Mini debate
Topic: “It’s rude to refuse an invitation without giving a reason.”
Divide into For/Against teams.
6. Role Plays
Choose a role-play card and act out the role plays.
Role Play A: Business Context
You are organising a networking lunch for foreign partners.
Invite your colleague.
Your partner has to: politely refuse, offer an alternative plan
Role Play B: Social Context
You want your neighbour to come to your housewarming party.
Your neighbour: is very busy wants to decline without offending you
Role Play C: Semi-formal
You need to invite a client to a product launch.
Your partner must:
accept, ask about dress code and timing, confirm politely
Role Play D: Group Task
You are organising a company dinner. In groups of 3–4:
Invite each other.
Accept/refuse politely.
Decide who is coming, time, and place.
7. Final Task: Invitation Challenge
Write a short email or WhatsApp-style message depending on context:
Choose one:
- Invite a friend to a weekend trip.
- Invite a colleague to a professional event.
- Politely decline an invitation you received.
To download the pdf of this topic, click on the link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mJSbJgQ9-KDI-i8olHoS-RA-QoGgb7qZ/view?usp=sharing