More practice with the language you're learning
Supplementary support — grammar, vocabulary, speaking and review — built from language already taught in the course. Not a lesson, and never a test.
1.Transformation: express the same meaning without repeating the original wording — "**Protect their positive face**: 'You've built something the team clearly respects — I want to be careful about the piece I'm about to argue with.'"
2.Transformation: express the same meaning without repeating the original wording — "**Protect their negative face**: 'None of this obliges you. If it doesn't sit right, walk me out and we've still had a good conversation.'"
3.Transformation: express the same meaning without repeating the original wording — "**Protect your own face**: 'I hear the objection. I've thought about it and I'm not changing on this one. Let's see what else moves.'"
4.Rewrite to PROTECT the counterparty's positive face: 'You're wrong about the timeline.'
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'You know the delivery side better than I do — which is why I want to test the timeline with you rather than around you. Something's not adding up for me in weeks 3 and 4.'
5.Rewrite to PROTECT your own face: 'Fine, I can move on price — but only if you really need me to.'
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'I can move on price once — this is that move. I don't have a second one, and I'd rather say that now than pretend otherwise later.'
6.Mini-context: someone disagrees with you in a meeting. Reply in two turns, using this structure at least once.
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Four strategic moves. (a) PROTECT THEIR POSITIVE FACE — signal that you see them as competent even when you disagree: 'I know you've thought about this longer than I have, so I want to be careful here.' (b) PROTECT THEIR NEGATIVE FACE — signal that you're not trying to force them: 'You're free to say no to all of this — I'd still want to have said it.' (c) PROTECT YOUR OWN FACE — hold your position without apology: 'I've moved twice already; this is where I need to hold.' (d) DELIBERATELY COST FACE — spend a little of theirs, or a little of yours, when the softer version would cost you the deal: 'I'm going to say this plainly, and I know you may not like how it lands: the last offer doesn't work, and I don't have a counter that isn't worse for you.'
1.Sort these into "positive", "neutral" and "critical" in tone, and be ready to defend a borderline case: face, positive face, negative face, to hold your position politely, to spend face on purpose, a polite refusal, an over-softened ask, to give the ask a spine
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face — the identity a person is trying to hold in the room — competent, autonomous, worth taking seriously | positive face — the wish to be seen as competent and respected by the room | negative face — the wish to be free from imposition and to keep your options open | to hold your position politely — to be immovable on substance while remaining warm on relationship | to spend face on purpose — to accept a deliberate face-cost — theirs or your own — because the softer version would cost you the deal | a polite refusal — a 'no' that leaves the counterparty's dignity intact and the door open | an over-softened ask — a request so wrapped in politeness that the listener can't tell it's an ask | to give the ask a spine — to keep the softeners and still deliver the ask so it's audible as an ask
2.Odd one out: which of these is least like "face" in meaning or use — positive face / negative face / to hold your position politely? Explain why.
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Compare against: the identity a person is trying to hold in the room — competent, autonomous, worth taking seriously
3.Odd one out: which of these is least like "positive face" in meaning or use — negative face / to hold your position politely / to spend face on purpose? Explain why.
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Compare against: the wish to be seen as competent and respected by the room
4.Odd one out: which of these is least like "negative face" in meaning or use — to hold your position politely / to spend face on purpose / a polite refusal? Explain why.
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Compare against: the wish to be free from imposition and to keep your options open
5.Odd one out: which of these is least like "to hold your position politely" in meaning or use — to spend face on purpose / a polite refusal / an over-softened ask? Explain why.
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Compare against: to be immovable on substance while remaining warm on relationship
6.Semantic map: place "face" on a scale from mild to strong against two other words you know. Then use the strongest one.
7.Semantic map: place "positive face" on a scale from mild to strong against two other words you know. Then use the strongest one.
8.Semantic map: place "negative face" on a scale from mild to strong against two other words you know. Then use the strongest one.
9.Mini-dialogue: write four lines in which two of this lesson's words appear naturally.
1.Word family: give the noun, verb, adjective and adverb forms linked to "face" where they exist, then use the form that is hardest for you.
2.Word family: give the noun, verb, adjective and adverb forms linked to "positive face" where they exist, then use the form that is hardest for you.
3.Word family: give the noun, verb, adjective and adverb forms linked to "negative face" where they exist, then use the form that is hardest for you.
4.Word family: give the noun, verb, adjective and adverb forms linked to "to hold your position politely" where they exist, then use the form that is hardest for you.
5.Spot the mismatch: which partner does NOT work with "face" — and what would a proficient speaker say instead?
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Natural model: Every negotiating move either protects face or spends it — never neither.
6.Spot the mismatch: which partner does NOT work with "positive face" — and what would a proficient speaker say instead?
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Natural model: 'You've thought about this longer than I have' protects positive face without giving up ground.
7.Spot the mismatch: which partner does NOT work with "negative face" — and what would a proficient speaker say instead?
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Natural model: 'None of this obliges you' protects negative face; it does not weaken the ask.
8.Rewrite one sentence from your last piece of writing, swapping a weak combination for a precise one from this lesson.
1.Shift the register twice: make this markedly formal, then markedly conversational — "**Protect their positive face**: 'You've built something the team clearly respects — I want to be careful about the piece I'm about to argue with.'"
2.Shift the register twice: make this markedly formal, then markedly conversational — "**Protect their negative face**: 'None of this obliges you. If it doesn't sit right, walk me out and we've still had a good conversation.'"
3.Shift the register twice: make this markedly formal, then markedly conversational — "**Protect your own face**: 'I hear the objection. I've thought about it and I'm not changing on this one. Let's see what else moves.'"
4.Diplomatic vs direct: soften this, then sharpen it. Which version would you actually use, and to whom? "Was your ask still audible after your softeners?"
5.Compress: express the idea behind "Every negotiating move either protects face or spends it — never neither." in six words or fewer without losing the nuance.
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the identity a person is trying to hold in the room — competent, autonomous, worth taking seriously
6.Compress: express the idea behind "'You've thought about this longer than I have' protects positive face without giving up ground." in six words or fewer without losing the nuance.
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the wish to be seen as competent and respected by the room
7.Compress: express the idea behind "'None of this obliges you' protects negative face; it does not weaken the ask." in six words or fewer without losing the nuance.
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the wish to be free from imposition and to keep your options open
8.Read one of your own paraphrases aloud. Which word choice is doing the most work? Replace everything around it.
1.Rank and justify: order the ideas in Was your ask still audible after your softeners? / Did you protect your own face — or did you accidentally spend it while trying to protect theirs? / Was there a moment where deliberate face-cost would have shortened the exchange by a week? from most to least convincing. Defend your top choice.
2.Role-play: 12 minutes prep. Rule: the ask must remain audible on every turn. No 'just wondering'. No 'only if it's possible'. Take the position you least agree with.
3.Decision task: you have two minutes to reach a single recommendation on The 200-word face-work memo, dated, ending with: 'The face I most protected today was ____; the face I most had to spend was ____.'. State it in one sentence.
4.Now switch sides and argue the opposite for 60 seconds. Which language had to change?
5.Follow-up — push further: You're asking for a rate increase from a longstanding client who has always been fair to you. Add a counter-example.
6.Follow-up — push further: You're declining a project from a senior person whose respect you want to keep. Add a counter-example.
1.Paragraph ordering: draft your four topic sentences only, then decide their best order and say why.
2.Partial writing: write only the concession paragraph of Write a 320–380-word email to a counterparty on a real or invented negotiation. It MUST contain, in order: §1 an opener that protects their positive face without softening substance, §2 the ask with a spine, §3 a moment that protects your own face (something you are not going to move on), §4 a deliberate face-cost sentence where you spend a small piece of face — theirs or yours — because a softer line would cost you the deal. You MUST use at least SIX target items naturally. No 'just wondering'. No 'if that's OK'. No exclamation marks. — 60–80 words.
3.Editing pass: cut 15% of your words without losing content. What went first?
4.Audience switch: rewrite your opening for a hostile reader, then for a sympathetic one.
5.Self-check: underline every repeated word and replace two with precise choices from this lesson.
1.Deliver a 60-second decision-making turn on a shared task, containing exactly one positive-face protection and one 'this is where I need to hold' line.
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In the collaborative task, use ONE named face-protection move ('I'd want to leave you room to hold that view even after I've argued the other side') and ONE clean immovable line ('I've moved on the first two — this is where I need to hold') within the two minutes.
2.Find the evidence: which exact words in the text/script support this — Quote the BUYER's OPENING and name the specific face-move it makes.
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'We've been really pleased with the work this year — I want to say that clearly before we get into the numbers.' Protects the supplier's POSITIVE FACE before delivering harder content, and does so without softening what follows.
3.Find the evidence: which exact words in the text/script support this — Where does the SUPPLIER PROTECT HIS OWN FACE while remaining warm?
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'What I can't do is minus twelve at current scope. If that's the ask, we should probably part well now, not badly in six months.' The refusal is clean, the relationship is protected, and the door is left open.
4.Find the evidence: which exact words in the text/script support this — Identify the SUPPLIER's DELIBERATE FACE-COST move and explain why he chose to spend the face.
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The final speech: 'I'm going to say it plainly because I'd rather you heard it from me than realised it later… my answer will be no, and it won't change if you come back with a better mood in the room.' He spends face now to save the buyer from wasting political capital tomorrow. A softer version would have cost the buyer more later.
5.Key word transformation: rewrite "**Protect their positive face**: 'You've built something the team clearly respects — I want to be careful about the piece I'm about to argue with.'" using the structure from Politeness as strategy: positive and negative face, in 3–8 words.
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Four strategic moves. (a) PROTECT THEIR POSITIVE FACE — signal that you see them as competent even when you disagree: 'I know you've thought about this longer than I have, so I want to be careful here.' (b) PROTECT THEIR NEGATIVE FACE — signal that you're not trying to force them: 'You're free to say no to all of this — I'd still want to have said it.' (c) PROTECT YOUR OWN FACE — hold your position without apology: 'I've moved twice already; this is where I need to hold.' (d) DELIBERATELY COST FACE — spend a little of theirs, or a little of yours, when the softer version would cost you the deal: 'I'm going to say this plainly, and I know you may not like how it lands: the last offer doesn't work, and I don't have a counter that isn't worse for you.'
6.Reflection: which part of this task type costs you most time, and what will you do differently next time?
1.True, false or not stated? Decide for each, then correct the false ones: "'We've been really pleased with the work this year — I want to say that clearly before we get into the numbers.' Protects the supplier's POSITIVE FACE before delivering harder content, and does so without softening what follows." · "'What I can't do is minus twelve at current scope. If that's the ask, we should probably part well now, not badly in six months.' The refusal is clean, the relationship is protected, and the door is left open." · "The final speech: 'I'm going to say it plainly because I'd rather you heard it from me than realised it later… my answer will be no, and it won't change if you come back with a better mood in the room.' He spends face now to save the buyer from wasting political capital tomorrow. A softer version would have cost the buyer more later."
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Quote the BUYER's OPENING and name the specific face-move it makes. → 'We've been really pleased with the work this year — I want to say that clearly before we get into the numbers.' Protects the supplier's POSITIVE FACE before delivering harder content, and does so without softening what follows. | Where does the SUPPLIER PROTECT HIS OWN FACE while remaining warm? → 'What I can't do is minus twelve at current scope. If that's the ask, we should probably part well now, not badly in six months.' The refusal is clean, the relationship is protected, and the door is left open. | Identify the SUPPLIER's DELIBERATE FACE-COST move and explain why he chose to spend the face. → The final speech: 'I'm going to say it plainly because I'd rather you heard it from me than realised it later… my answer will be no, and it won't change if you come back with a better mood in the room.' He spends face now to save the buyer from wasting political capital tomorrow. A softer version would have cost the buyer more later.
2.Retrieval race: in 60 seconds, list every word from this lesson you can remember, then check what you missed.
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face, positive face, negative face, to hold your position politely, to spend face on purpose, a polite refusal, an over-softened ask, to give the ask a spine
3.Use "face" in a sentence about a completely different topic from the lesson.
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the identity a person is trying to hold in the room — competent, autonomous, worth taking seriously
4.Use "positive face" in a sentence about a completely different topic from the lesson.
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the wish to be seen as competent and respected by the room
5.Use "negative face" in a sentence about a completely different topic from the lesson.
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the wish to be free from imposition and to keep your options open
6.Teach it back: explain Politeness as strategy: positive and negative face to someone who has never met it, in under 45 seconds.
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Four strategic moves. (a) PROTECT THEIR POSITIVE FACE — signal that you see them as competent even when you disagree: 'I know you've thought about this longer than I have, so I want to be careful here.' (b) PROTECT THEIR NEGATIVE FACE — signal that you're not trying to force them: 'You're free to say no to all of this — I'd still want to have said it.' (c) PROTECT YOUR OWN FACE — hold your position without apology: 'I've moved twice already; this is where I need to hold.' (d) DELIBERATELY COST FACE — spend a little of theirs, or a little of yours, when the softer version would cost you the deal: 'I'm going to say this plainly, and I know you may not like how it lands: the last offer doesn't work, and I don't have a counter that isn't worse for you.'
7.Which face — theirs or yours — do you protect too much in negotiation, and which do you protect too little?