Mastering the Art of Invitations and Requests

In the realm of language learning, the ability to make invitations and requests, as well as to respond to them appropriately, is of utmost importance. These are essential facets of social interaction and everyday communication that transcend cultures and borders. As students become more fluent in English, they will inevitably find themselves in situations where they need to use these skills, whether in personal contexts like inviting a friend to a party, or more formal scenarios such as requesting information at work. Moreover, understanding how to decline invitations or requests with grace and politeness is equally important, helping to navigate social situations without causing misunderstanding or offence.

To facilitate this crucial aspect of language learning, the resources here encompass a range of real-world contexts and engaging formats, designed to cater to varied learning styles.

Learning Materials

Downloadable PDF Exercises: Easy-to-use exercises online and offline that cover all aspects of invitations and requests. From constructing sentences to understanding nuances, these exercises will provide students with ample opportunities for practice and revision.

Listening Exercises: Reinforce comprehension and conversational skills with our listening activities. They mimic real-world interactions, helping students to grasp the tone, language, and etiquette of making, accepting, and refusing invitations and requests.

Video Exercises: Videos are powerful visual tools that can boost language retention. Our video exercises feature diverse scenarios, demonstrating the practical use of invitations and requests in a more engaging and relatable manner.

Speaking Exercises: Speaking activities are designed to promote active learning and boost confidence. They encourage students to use calendars, event schedules, and other real-life tools to make invitations and requests, simulating genuine English-speaking environments.

1 Invitations: accepting and refusing (with answers and audio)

  This is a listening/ speaking skills exercise and worksheet to help English language learners  to practice giving invitations, accepting invitations and refusing invitations in a variety of situations.  Students  try to complete the invitations conversations using the pictures and the useful vocabulary. Or you use the audio and you can have a listening lesson instead/as well.

Short invitation dialogues (PDF)

(see the YouTube version of this exercise)

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2 Movie invitation (pair work speaking)

Movie invitations are fun. Invitations can be practiced using calendars and event schedules.

Download PDF

3 Restaurant invitation (pair work speaking)

This is similar to the exercise above, but with a different context.

Download PDF

4 Making requests around town (with answers and audio)

Students try to write commonly used requests and short conversations that  are appropriate for the situations  shown in the pictures. And then listen to the conversations to compare and check their answers.

Requests around town (PDF)

(see the YoutTube video)

 5  Requests, advice and commands speaking skills (with answers and audio)

  This is a speaking/listening exercise and worksheet  for English language learners  to practice deciding whether to give commands, advice or make polite requests in a variety of situations shown in the pictures.  This exercise can be done as a listening exercise now that I have added audio.  

Requests, advice and commands speaking skills (PDF)

6 Office dialogues: making requests exercise (with answers and audio)

 This is an office dialogues exercise to help students learn how to make polite requests in English. The pictures provide contexts so the students can more fully engage with the meanings and uses of the vocabulary.

Office dialogues: making requests (PDF)

(see the YouTube version of this exercise)

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7 Making Polite Requests (with answers)

This is a grammar exercise and worksheet for English language learners to practice making polite requests in the different ways and different scenarios. Students match the expressions on the left to the pictures and write complete requests with the appropriate request phrase.

Making polite requests (PDF)

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8  Invitations : refusing and making excuses

  This is a speaking skills exercise and worksheet  to help English language learners  practice making invitations and giving excuses.  Students match the excuses to the pictures and then have short  conversations using the model on the handout.

Invitations: refusing and making excuses (PDF)

9 Classroom requests & queries (with answers)

This  elementary exercise focuses on common classroom requests.

Classroom requests (PDF)

10  Hotel dialogues: making requests exercise

 This is an hotel dialogues exercise focusing on common conversational exchanges between hotel staff and guests.

Hotel dialogues: making requests (PDF)