You are invited, by well-meaning English friends, on an outing that you really do not fancy at all. How might you most tactfully respond to their offer? 'I'd really rather ... '

You are travelling by public transport with quite a lot of other unfamiliar people, one of whom is playing loud aggressive music at a volume level that's clearly selfish and disturbing other passengers. Traditionally many English people would be reluctant to 'make a fuss' in such circumstances, perhaps nowadays for fear of being attacked; but you believe it's appropriate to say something. What do you say?

Your plans for the day would be a great deal easier to manage, and more flexible, if you could borrow a bicycle from an English friend instead of relying on public transport. If this is a good enough friend, they may be willing to let you borrow the machine (which is of some value to them) if they aren't using it anyway, and if they are happy about you being able to ride it safely on 'the other side of the road'. All these factors considered, how do you set about asking to borrow the bike?

A friendly English family has invited you to supper one Friday evening, but you are unable to accept this invitation since you have a serious prior commitment to a family occasion of your own (perhaps also with overtones of religious obligation). You need to decline their invitation without hurting their feelings; what do you say?

While settling in for your stay in Britain, you need to make a couple of photocopies of a personal document in connection with some application you are making, e.g. to study part-time at a college. It would be very convenient if a trusted English friend could make these copies quietly for you one day during her work, instead of you needing to go specially all the way to a public copying machine at the Library or wherever. How might you best ask this favour of her?

You are trying to make friendly suggestions to someone about how you could spend a section of the day. You have a couple of options potentially arranged, but you don't want it to seem that you are controlling their choice too tightly. How do you introduce your suggestions?

You have had poor service from someone in a small shop, such as a bicycle repair shop, and you need to make it politely clear that you are not happy with their work. What do you say?

Even English-speaking shopkeepers may be open to some discussion on the price of goods (what people abroad are often used to as 'haggling'). But some ways are more subtle than others for this. Which of these approaches would you judge to be subtle enough, but still with a chance of keeping a price down?

Any good friend should be willing to spare a few moments to do an occasional errand for you. You are temporarily sharing a flat with a few other expatriates of various nationalities, and need to ask a small favour. Which of these is the most natural, and probably most effective way of seeking such help?

You are trying to dissuade an English friend from doing something that you feel they may regret (e.g. sampling some of your own 'ethnic' food ~ out of a sense of goodwill, no doubt, but which you believe may upset them ~ or perhaps a well-meant social gesture that you realise will cause unintended offence among your own people). What form of words can you use that would clearly but politely prevent such embarrassment?