Saran, Tawaran, Ajakan, Setuju, dan Tidak Setuju

Kalau temanmu bilang "Kenapa nggak tanya dosennya aja?", kamu pasti paham dia nggak benar-benar menanyakan alasan. Dia sedang menyarankan. Bahasa Inggris juga begitu. Masalahnya, saat mendengar dalam bahasa asing, kita gampang terpaku pada bentuk kalimatnya dan lupa pada maksudnya.

Di soal tipe ini, yang ditanyakan bukan isi kalimat secara harfiah, melainkan fungsinya: pembicara sedang memberi saran, menawarkan bantuan, mengajak, meminta tolong, setuju, atau tidak setuju. Pertanyaan narator biasanya berbunyi "What does the woman suggest?", "What does the man offer to do?", atau "What does the woman mean?".

Yang perlu diingat

Tanyakan "pembicara ini sedang melakukan apa?" sebelum "pembicara ini bilang apa?".

Saran (suggestion)

Ekspresi	Contoh
Why don't you...?	Why don't you take the bus instead?
Why not...?	Why not ask for an extension?
How about / What about + -ing?	How about checking the lost and found?
You might want to...	You might want to call ahead first.
Have you thought about...? / Have you tried...?	Have you tried restarting it?
If I were you, I'd...	If I were you, I'd talk to your adviser.
You'd better...	You'd better leave early; traffic is heavy.
Let's...	Let's study at the library tonight.

I can't get this printer to work.

Why don't you ask someone at the help desk?

What does the woman suggest?

Benar:
The man should get help from the help desk.
Fungsi 'Why don't you' adalah saran.
Salah:
The woman wants to know why the printer is broken.
Membaca 'Why' sebagai pertanyaan alasan.
Salah:
The woman will fix the printer for him.
Itu tawaran, padahal dia menyarankan orang lain.

Tawaran (offer)

Ekspresi	Contoh
Shall I...?	Shall I pick up the tickets?
Let me...	Let me carry one of those boxes.
Would you like me to...?	Would you like me to proofread it?
Do you want me to...?	Do you want me to save you a seat?
I'll... if you like.	I'll drive you there if you like.
I could... for you.	I could lend you my calculator.

Bedakan saran dan tawaran dari siapa yang akan bertindak. Saran: pendengar yang diminta melakukan sesuatu (Why don't you...). Tawaran: pembicara sendiri yang akan melakukannya (Let me..., Shall I...).

Cek pemahaman 1/3

W: "These boxes are heavier than I thought." M: "Let me take the big one." What does the man offer to do?

Ajakan (invitation) dan cara menanggapinya

Ajakan	Menerima	Menolak
Would you like to join us for dinner?	I'd love to.	I'd love to, but I have to work.
Do you want to come to the game?	Count me in.	Maybe some other time.
Why don't you come with us?	Sure, why not?	I'll have to take a rain check.
We're having a party on Friday.	I wouldn't miss it.	I'm afraid I can't make it.

Permintaan (request) dan jawaban yang membingungkan

Permintaan biasanya berbentuk Could you...?, Would you...?, Do you think you could...?, atau Would you mind + -ing?. Yang terakhir ini perlu perhatian khusus. Would you mind closing the window? secara harfiah artinya "Apakah kamu keberatan menutup jendela?". Jadi jawaban Not at all atau Of course not berarti tidak keberatan, dia mau melakukannya.

Would you mind watching my bag for a minute?

Not at all. Take your time.

What does the man mean?

Benar:
He'll watch the woman's bag.
'Not at all' menjawab 'mind': dia nggak keberatan.
Salah:
He refuses to watch the bag.
Jebakan untuk yang hanya menangkap kata 'not'.

Cek pemahaman 2/3

M: "Would you mind if I borrowed your notes?" W: "Of course not." What does the woman mean?

Setuju (agreement)

Ekspresi	Catatan
So do I. / So am I. / So have I.	Setuju atau sama, setelah pernyataan positif.
Neither do I. / Me neither. / Nor can I.	Setuju atau sama, setelah pernyataan negatif.
I'll say. / You can say that again.	Sangat setuju.
I couldn't agree more.	Sangat setuju (negatif + perbandingan).
Tell me about it.	Saya juga mengalaminya.
That makes two of us.	Saya juga begitu.

Benar:
W: This cafeteria food is getting worse every week. M: You can say that again. = He agrees the food is bad.
Fungsinya setuju.
Salah:
W: This cafeteria food is getting worse every week. M: You can say that again. = He wants her to repeat what she said.
Makna harfiah 'say that again'. Jebakan.
Benar:
M: I haven't finished the reading. W: Neither have I. = She hasn't finished it either.
'Neither' setelah kalimat negatif berarti sama-sama belum.

Tidak setuju (disagreement)

Ekspresi	Catatan
I'm not so sure about that.	Ragu, cenderung tidak setuju.
I don't think so.	Tidak setuju.
That's not how I see it.	Pandangannya berbeda.
You've got to be kidding.	Tidak percaya, tidak setuju.
I wouldn't say that.	Tidak setuju dengan halus.
Not necessarily.	Belum tentu.

Cek pemahaman 3/3

W: "That was the best lecture of the semester." M: "I wouldn't say that." What does the man mean?

Ringkasan

Fokus pada fungsi kalimat: saran, tawaran, ajakan, permintaan, setuju, atau tidak setuju.
Saran meminta pendengar bertindak. Tawaran berarti pembicara sendiri yang akan bertindak.
I'd love to, but... berarti menolak. I wouldn't miss it berarti pasti datang.
Jawaban Not at all untuk Would you mind...? berarti bersedia.
So do I dan Neither do I sama-sama berarti setuju atau sama.