VOA · Ask a Teacher
Beginner · A2learner speed3:502024-12-31public domain
In Ask a Teacher, real learner questions about English grammar and usage get short, clear answers. Episodes are only a few minutes long and use simple classroom English — a gentle entry point if you are new to dictation practice.
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01Hello!
02This week on Ask a Teacher, we consider part of a message from Henry.
03Here is one of Henry's questions.
04Greetings, VOA Learning English team.
05I am a regular listener of your Learning English program.
06I would like to ask this question about the correct or proper way to summon someone, i.e.
07asking someone to come and see you, at home, school, or work, in English.
08What expressions are used in summoning someone?
09Thank you for your question, Henry.
10It is an important and useful one.
11To summon means to call for a person or persons to be present, often for an important meeting.
12Please note that there are many ways to summon others.
13In this lesson, we will present a few general ways.
14When we speak to others directly, we can summon them with the following.
15Could you come here, please?
16We might also be more exact about the meeting place.
17For example, a supervisor or principal might say, Could you come to my office, please?
18You might also be more exact with what you would like to do.
19For example, you might ask, Could I talk to you for a moment?
20These questions are very general, polite, and useful in a lot of situations.
21But the way in which we summon others can differ depending on the situation, how familiar people are with each other, and the rank or status the speakers have.
22For example, consider a situation at home or school.
23A parent or teacher might summon a child or student with language like this.
24Come over here.
25Generally, this kind of summons is followed by scolding or criticism.
26So far, we have considered how English speakers might directly summon another person.
27But what do we say if we ask another person to communicate the information for us?
28When an intermediary communicates the information, they might use the very general formula, Blank would like to see you, or Blank wants to see you.
29We can use an example to clarify this point.
30Tanya, could you ask Joe to come see me?
31Sure.
32Joe, the boss would like to see you.
33Okay, I'll be there right away.
34Our examples can be used in a number of situations.
35At school, a teacher might say, The principal would like to see you, or The principal wants to see you.
36At home, a brother or sister might say, Mom would like to see you, or Mom wants to see you.
37English speakers usually consider the structure would like to be a little more polite and formal.
38For our readers and listeners, what are your questions about American English?
39We want to hear from you.
40Send us an email at learningenglish at voanews.com.
41Please let us know where you are from, too.
42And that's Ask a Teacher.
43I'm John Russell.
// transcribed with Whisper AI — reading it is easy; catching it by ear is the skill
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