GRADE 9 English LEISURE TIME – LISTENING AND SPEAKING:NEGOTIATION SKILLS Notes
ENGLISH — Listening & Speaking: Negotiation Grammar (Leisure Time)
Target: Kenyan learners (age 14). Focus: grammatical structures used when negotiating plans for leisure activities (e.g., watching football, visiting the beach, meeting friends).
- Recognise and use modal verbs for offers, requests and permission (can, could, would, may).
- Use suggestions and responses: let's, How about/Why don't we, first & second conditional forms.
- Form polite questions and refusals (Would you mind…, Do you mind if…, I'm sorry, but…).
- Change direct negotiation speech into reported speech.
Key grammar points and forms
- Can / Could / Would / May + base verb
Examples:
- "Can you come to the match?" (informal request)
- "Could you bring snacks?" (polite request)
- "Would you like to go to the beach?" (offer/invitation)
- "May I borrow your bike?" (formal permission)
- Let's + base verb (inclusive suggestion)
- How about / What about + -ing (offer an idea)
- Why don't we + base verb (polite suggestion)
- "Let's meet after school."
- "How about watching the match at my place?"
- "Why don't we go to the park on Saturday?"
- First conditional: If + present simple, will + base verb (real future possibility)
- Second conditional: If + past simple, would + base verb (imaginary/hypothetical)
- "If it doesn't rain, we will go to the beach."
- "If I had money, I would buy tickets for the match."
- I'm sorry, but + reason
- I can't / I'm afraid I can't + infinitive
- Maybe / Perhaps / I might + base verb (uncertainty)
- "I'm sorry, but I have homework."
- "I can't come on Saturday; I might be helping at home."
- Do you mind if I + present simple?
- Would you mind + -ing?
- Shall we + base verb? (offer to decide together)
- "Do you mind if I bring my cousin?"
- "Would you mind lending me your ball?"
- "Shall we go to the cinema or the mall?"
Add a short question to invite agreement. Use the auxiliary from the sentence.
"We can meet at 4, can't we?" — auxiliary: can → negative tag can't we?
- Change present to past: "She said, 'I can come' " → She said she could come.
- Change questions: "He asked, 'Can you come?'" → He asked if I could come.
Short dialogues (listening & speaking practice)
- "Can we play…?" — modal request.
- "I can't…" — polite refusal and reason.
- "If it doesn't rain, we will…" — first conditional for a future plan.
- "Shall we invite…?" — suggestion and decision-making together.
- "Would you like…" — polite offer/invitation.
- "Why don't we…" — suggestion.
- "I'd prefer…" — expressing preference (I would prefer).
- "We could…" — polite possibility (modal could).
- "Could you check…?" — polite request with modal could.
Practice exercises
-
Choose the best modal: Fill in can / could / would / may / might
a) ______ you come to the mall on Saturday?
b) ______ I borrow your umbrella if it rains?
c) I ______ be late because I have tuition.
d) ______ we watch the match at my house? -
Make suggestions using Let's, How about + -ing or Why don't we:
a) (meet after class) — ____________________.
b) (go for a swim) — ____________________.
c) (not study tonight) — ____________________. -
First or second conditional: Choose the correct form.
a) If it (rain) __________, we (stay) __________ at my house.
b) If I (have) __________ the money, I (buy) __________ new football boots. -
Change to reported speech:
a) "Can you come on Sunday?" she asked.
b) He said, "I will bring soda."
c) "Would you mind lending me your pen?" she asked. -
Polite refusals: Rewrite politely (use I'm sorry/I'm afraid/I can't).
a) I will not go to the beach on Saturday.
b) I don't have time to help you with the project.
Answers (check yourself)
2. a) Let's meet after class. b) How about going for a swim? c) Why don't we not study tonight? (Better: Let's not study tonight.)
3. a) If it rains, we will stay at my house. b) If I had the money, I would buy new football boots.
4. a) She asked if I could come on Sunday. b) He said he would bring soda. c) She asked if I would mind lending her my pen. (Or: She asked me to lend her her pen politely.)
5. a) I'm sorry, but I can't go to the beach on Saturday. b) I'm afraid I don't have time to help you with the project.
- Polite request: Could you / Would you mind / Can you?
- Suggestion: Let's / How about + -ing / Why don't we + base verb
- First conditional: If + present, will + verb (real plan)
- Second conditional: If + past, would + verb (imaginary)
- Refusal: I'm sorry / I'm afraid + reason (softens the no)
- Reported speech: Change present to past; move question to if/whether
Tips for listening & speaking practice
- Listen for modals and conditionals in short audio clips about plans (e.g., friends arranging leisure activities).
- Practice role-plays with classmates: one suggests, the other replies using polite modals and conditionals.
- Use reported speech to tell the rest of the class what someone suggested or decided.