Conversation Gambits - Eric Keller, Sylvia T Warner 1988

51. Can I help you?
3. Responding Gambits

Sometimes we walk into a shop and know exactly what we want. At other times, we can't make up our minds. We look at something: we check the price, we try it on and still we can’t decide. The list of phrases gives all the language you need if you can t decide

Work in pairs — one person is the shop assistant, the other is the customer Work with the following list of purchases and the dialogue skeleton below

1. a wedding ring

2. a bottle of perfume

3. a car (large or small two or four doors)

4. a stereo (can you afford CD?)

5. a holiday abroad

6. a dress

7. a tie

8. wallpaper for the living room (colour? pattern?)

9. a record for a friend

10. a shirt (plain/striped/white/coloured/cotton/polyester)

Assistant: Excuse me, can I help you?

Customer: I'm looking for a ...

Assistant: Size? Colour? Price?

Customer: (You can t decide)

Assistant: Well, what about ...

Customer: (You still can't decide I ...

I’m afraid I don’t know.

I’m afraid I can’t decide.

I’m afraid I can’t make up my mind.

I’ll have to think about it.

I’m really not sure.

²I think I’ll leave it, thank you.

1. Remember I’m afraid is usually added to any response which the stener may find unhelpful

2. This fixed phrase is used when you want to say you are not going to buy anything and are going to leave the shop.