How to Decline an Invitation in English | Blog Post

Although this curation website is heavily focused on English speaking learners of Chinese, the project wanted to include some additional sources for any L1 English learner as well. This article from the website “In English With Love” explains and gives example refusal phrases of how to turn down an invitation. The article is particularly useful for English learners because it includes both formal and informal refusal phrases that are commonly used in responding to an invitation. The types of refusals are categorized into these two formalities, as well as broken down into more specific exchanges, such as one where the inviter asks the invitee why they cannot make the occasion. Along with direct and indirect refusal to invitations in English, the site also has “maybe” responses that may be more beneficial for Chinese speakers learning English to learn, due to these semi-refusal phrases’ similarity to the common indirectness of Chinese refusals.

How to Teach English to Chinese Students: Linguistic Challenges and Best Classroom Strategies | Blog Post

This article from FluentU is a broad look at nine linguistic and cultural differences that are important for instructors and learners to be familiar with. One of the cultural differences discussed on this page is the importance of face in Chinese culture. Although the article does not discuss it extensively, it offers tips on how to handle cultural differences in a classroom setting. This addition at the end, as well as the other cultural differences the article includes, are why this source is being included since it can still be quite useful for incorporating pragmatics in the classroom.

10 Advanced Ways To Refuse An Offer In English | Blog Post

This fairly short webpage provides ten refusal phrases that can be seen as more advanced than some of the more common “no thank you” offer refusals in English. The ten examples provided focus on offer refusals, and are each accompanied by a specific situation that the phrase can be used in. Overall the page is short and sweet, but is a useful and accessible tool for English learners trying to go the extra mile by adding a pragmatic aspect to sound more advanced in their L2 refusal skills.

American English Refusals | Article

This webpage from the CARLA website on American English Refusals is a great place for Chinese speakers learning English. In particular, the page is useful for students looking to potentially study abroad because there is a detailed explanation of refusals in the context of student-advisor interactions. In Chinese schools, if an academic advisor makes a suggestion, the student is obligated to follow their suggestion, due to the cultural impacts on the schooling system’s power dynamics. In the U.S., academic advisor suggestions are not completely obligatory so students can discuss options they would prefer instead. This situation is a detailed example of refusing a suggestion, but the webpage also includes descriptions for refusals of other exchanges such as refusing requests, invitations, and offers in American English. 

Respond to Compliments in English—The Right and Wrong Ways | YouTube Video

This Speak Confident English lesson provides four scenarios in English with examples of common compliments and how to respond. The four situations described are responding to a compliment from a: friend, colleague, another parent (in the case that the learner is a parent), and stranger. In English, a common refusal strategy is to indirectly refuse a compliment by somewhat degrading the aspect being complimented – quite similar to indirect approaches of Chinese as well The video here includes useful examples that cover both what is commonly taught / most expected by English learners, and what a learner might actually hear from an L1 speaker. This video is a great starting point for tackling pragmatics on refusals in English.