Grammar · Modal Verbs
Requests, Offers & Suggestions
Could you help me? Shall I carry that? Let’s deliver the toys tonight. Asking, offering and suggesting, with the film Klaus.
Grammar › Modal Verbs › Requests, Offers & Suggestions
The rule in one sentenceUse Could you …? to ask someone to do something for you (a request), Shall I …? to say you will do something for them (an offer), and Shall we …? or Let’s … for an idea you do together (a suggestion).
About the film
Klaus is an animated film from 2019. Jesper is a lazy young postman. His father sends him to Smeerensburg, a cold, dark town on an island in the far north. The people there are always fighting, and nobody writes letters. Jesper must send six thousand letters in one year, or he loses everything. Then he meets Klaus, a big, quiet man who lives alone in the forest with a house full of wooden toys. Jesper has an idea. “Could you give a toy to a sad little boy?” he asks. Klaus says yes. Soon the children of the town are writing letters, and Jesper says: “Let’s deliver the toys tonight!”
What does it do?
These three kinds of sentence all ask about the future, but they do different jobs. Who wants something? Who does the action?
A request: I want something, and you do it. An offer: you want something, and I do it. A suggestion: an idea, and we both do it.
Look at the first two tiles. In the request, Jesper wants help and Klaus does the work. In the offer, Klaus does the work for someone else.
And for the third job, a suggestion, the idea is for both of us:
Could you make a toy? Shall I make a toy? Shall we make a toy?
Three small changes, three different jobs: you do it, I do it, or we do it together.
Visual guide
Teacher Teddy’s illustrated guide to this rule is being drawn — the full swipe-through infographic will appear here soon.
How to make it
Could you …? — a request
Could you open the door, Klaus?
politeCan you hold the sledge for a second?
friendly, with people you knowWould you mind waiting outside?
very polite: would you mind + verb-ingShall I …? — an offer
Shall I carry the toys to the sledge?
shall + I / we, never shall youCan I help you with those letters?
friendlyI’ll take the letters to the children.
not a question: a decision at that momentShall we …? — a suggestion
Shall we go tonight, when the town is asleep?
Let’s ask the teacher for help.
let’s + verb, no “to”How about going down the chimney?
how about + verb-ingWhen to use each one
request — I want something
offer and suggestion
Words that help: which job?
Look at the first two words. They tell you who wants something and who will do it.
request → you do it
offer → I do it
suggestion → we do it
Common mistakes
❌ Would you mind open the door?
✅ Would you mind opening the door?
After “would you mind”, the verb takes -ing.
❌ Shall you carry the toys?
✅ Shall I carry the toys?
“Shall” goes with I or we, not you.
❌ Let’s to deliver the letters tonight.
✅ Let’s deliver the letters tonight.
“Let’s” takes the verb directly, with no “to”.
❌ How about use the sledge?
✅ How about using the sledge?
After “how about” and “what about”, the verb takes -ing.
One more thing
This part is a little harder. You can come back to it later.
“Why don’t you” and “why don’t we” are different. One word changes the job.
✅ Why don’t you write a letter to Klaus? (advice: you do it)
✅ Why don’t we write a letter to Klaus? (a suggestion: we do it together)
Also, “Let’s not” makes a negative suggestion: Let’s not wake the town.
Practice: request, offer or suggestion?
Eight questions. Choose one answer. You get the answer, and why.
1. ___ you mind waiting outside for a minute?
The polite request is “Would you mind” → Would.
2. Would you mind ___ the door? It’s cold.
After “would you mind” → closing.
3. ___ carry the toys while you drive the sledge?
An offer with “shall” uses I → Shall I.
4. ___ we start with the houses on the hill?
“Shall we” + verb, no “to” → Shall.
5. Let’s ___ a letter to Klaus.
“Let’s” + verb, no “to” → write.
6. How about ___ down the chimney?
After “how about” → going.
7. Why don’t ___ ask the teacher for help?
After “why don’t” we need a subject → we.
8. You look tired. ___ make you some tea?
You are offering to do it → Shall I.
Your turn
Choose one ending. Then listen to your sentence.
Every sentence here is correct. Pick the one that is true for you. Say it out loud too!
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