please
please — exclamation
1. a courtesy word added to a request, question, or instruction so that it sounds f
a courtesy word added to a request, question, or instruction so that it sounds friendly rather than demanding.
Could you pass me the salt and pepper, please, Marcus?
request + please near the end
Could you open the window in the kitchen, please?
could you ... please? polite question pattern
Two coffees, one orange juice and a chocolate muffin, please.
Please sit down, Mr. Adams, the doctor will be ready soon.
Children, quiet please, the film is about to start.
- kindly
more formal; usually placed before the verb (kindly sit down)
- if you would
polite tag added after a request, slightly formal
文法句型
[request], please
please [request]
could you ... please?
用法筆記
Position is flexible: sentence-initial sounds slightly more formal or insistent; sentence-final is the most neutral and most common in everyday speech. Avoid stacking 'please' with the request verb in the middle of a long clause — it sounds awkward.
常見錯誤
2. the standard way to say yes when someone offers you something, showing both agre
the standard way to say yes when someone offers you something, showing both agreement and gratitude.
'Would you like some green tea?' 'Yes, please.'
minimal Yes, please reply to an offer
'Would you like a lift home, Carlos?' 'Oh, yes please!'
Oh, yes please! shows enthusiasm
'More cake, Mia?' 'Yes please, just a small slice.'
'Do you want sugar in your coffee, Lina?' 'Please.'
- yes, thanks
informal alternative; common in casual British and American speech
- I'd love to
fuller, warmer acceptance of an invitation
- no, thank you
the standard polite refusal of an offer
文法句型
Yes, please
Yes please, [noun]
Oh, yes please!
用法筆記
Almost always paired with 'yes' (or used as a one-word reply 'Please.'). The opposite reply is 'No, thank you' — never 'No, please'. Distinguish from sense 1: here 'please' is the whole answer, not a politeness tag on a request.
常見錯誤
3. spoken sharply, on its own or before a comeback, to show that you find what some
spoken sharply, on its own or before a comeback, to show that you find what someone has just said silly, exaggerated, or hard to believe.
Oh, please! That excuse about the traffic is ridiculous.
Oh, please! + dismissive follow-up
Please. Marcus has never cooked a meal in his life.
stand-alone 'Please.' challenging a claim
'I worked for ten hours straight.' 'Oh please, you took two long breaks.'
Please, Lina, nobody at school believes that story about the dog.
- come on
very similar dismissive tone; slightly more friendly
- give me a break
stronger and more frustrated
- as if
informal, often by younger speakers, expressing disbelief
文法句型
Oh, please!
Please! [contradicting statement]
Oh please, [dismissive remark]
用法筆記
Tone of voice and a falling intonation make this sense unmistakable; in writing it is usually flagged with 'Oh, ' or an exclamation mark. Distinguish from sense 4 (a desperate plea) — that one rises in pitch and asks for action; this one falls and rejects the previous remark.
常見錯誤
4. said with strong feeling to beg someone to do (or not do) something, when you re
said with strong feeling to beg someone to do (or not do) something, when you really need their help or want them to stop.
Please! Someone call an ambulance, this man has fainted!
Please! + urgent imperative
Please, Dad, just listen to me for one minute.
Please, [name], + heartfelt request
Please don't tell Mum about the broken vase in the hallway.
Please, Mr. Patel, I really need this job to support my family.
- I beg you
very emotional; more formal or theatrical
- for goodness' sake
informal; adds urgency or frustration
文法句型
Please! [urgent request]
Please, [name], [request]
Please don't [verb]
用法筆記
Repetition ('Please, please...') and emphatic stress are typical. Distinguish from sense 1: here 'please' is the emotional core of the appeal, not a politeness tag — removing it would make the speaker sound calm rather than desperate.
常見錯誤
please — verb
1. to give someone a feeling of happiness, pride, or quiet satisfaction — usually b
to give someone a feeling of happiness, pride, or quiet satisfaction — usually because something matches what they hoped for.
The handmade scarf pleased Grandma so much that she wore it the next day.
[thing] pleased [person] + result clause
Lina works hard to please her demanding piano teacher.
work to please someone (try to satisfy them)
It pleases me to see the children reading after dinner.
My new boss at the bookshop is impossible to please.
A simple thank-you note can please a customer more than a discount.
文法句型
[thing] pleases [person]
be pleased to [verb]
easy/hard to please
用法筆記
Often used in the passive participle 'pleased' as an adjective ('I'm pleased with the results'); the active verb is more common in writing than in casual speech. Subject is usually the source of satisfaction (a gift, news, performance), and the object is the person who feels it.
常見錯誤
2. (of a person) to want, wish, or choose to do something — used after words like '
(of a person) to want, wish, or choose to do something — used after words like 'as', 'whatever', or 'whoever' to mean 'in any way you like'.
On her day off, Mia does exactly as she pleases.
do as [subject] please(s) — full freedom to choose
You can sit wherever you please in the lecture hall.
wherever + subject + please (free-choice pattern)
Invite whoever you please to the birthday party next Saturday.
The teenagers stayed out as late as they pleased.
文法句型
do as one pleases
whatever / whenever / however + subject + please(s)
as you please
用法筆記
Almost always intransitive and almost always with a free-choice word (whatever, whoever, wherever, however, as). Carries a slight tone of independence or even defiance — the speaker is highlighting the lack of restriction. Distinguish from sense 1: here the subject is the chooser, not the giver of pleasure.
常見錯誤
3. in old-fashioned or courtroom language: to be acceptable to someone in authority
in old-fashioned or courtroom language: to be acceptable to someone in authority, used in fixed openings asking for their permission or attention.
May it please the court, the defence calls Dr. Tanaka.
May it please the court — courtroom opening
If it please your honour, I would like to present new evidence.
If it please [title] — formal request for permission
If it pleases you, my lord, the messenger has arrived.
The lawyer began, 'May it please the court,' and then read the motion aloud.
- with your permission
modern formal equivalent in business or legal contexts
- by your leave
old-fashioned; mainly literary now
文法句型
if it please(s) you / the court
may it please [the court / your honour]
用法筆記
Survives mainly as a fixed legal opener ('May it please the court') and in historical or fantasy fiction. Note the bare subjunctive 'if it please' (no -s) is the older form still preferred in courtroom etiquette. Avoid in everyday speech — it sounds either formal or theatrical.
常見錯誤
4. in the fixed phrase 'if you please': an old-fashioned, pointedly polite tag atta
in the fixed phrase 'if you please': an old-fashioned, pointedly polite tag attached to an order or request, or, with a sharper tone, used inside a story to flag something that surprised or annoyed the speaker.
If you please, sir, your table is ready.
If you please, sir — formal serving-staff opener
Step back from the rope, if you please.
[request], if you please — sentence-final formal tag
And then, if you please, the cat walked off with my sandwich!
I'll have the soup first, if you please.
- kindly
modern formal alternative; placed before the verb
- would you mind
everyday polite request; less archaic
文法句型
If you please, [request]
[clause], if you please.
用法筆記
'If you please' is now mainly heard in two situations: from formal service staff (waiters, ushers, older shopkeepers), and as a slightly sarcastic 'can you believe it?' tag inside a story. Distinguish from sense 3: 'if you please' addresses the listener directly; sense 3's 'if it please you' uses dummy 'it'.