Чтение и письмо: рекомендации гостям (модальные формы и регистр)

Welcome to 14 Park Road — a few notes from the Hall family

We're delighted you're staying with us. Nobody expects you to know how a British household works on day one, so here are some things guests have asked about before. If anything is unclear, please just ask — we would far rather answer a question than have you worry.

Meals. Breakfast is help-yourself between seven and nine: feel free to use the kitchen. We eat dinner together at about half past six. If you'll be out, a quick text by four would be appreciated, so we don't cook for you. It's not the done thing here to arrive at the table more than ten minutes late without a word — but a message fixes everything.

Shoes and doors. Shoes off at the front door, please (there's a rack). Bedroom doors are usually closed; a closed door doesn't mean anyone is annoyed, just that they'd like some quiet. Knock before opening — including the bathroom, which has no lock.

Bathroom. Showers are best before eight or after nine, when the water is hot again. Please leave the window open afterwards.

How to ask. Guests sometimes worry about being too direct. You really can't be — with us, «Could I have some more milk?» is perfect, and so is «Would you mind if I used the washing machine?». What comes across as odd is silence: if you need something and don't ask, we'll assume you're fine.

If something goes wrong. Broken cup, wrong bus, lost key — it happens every year. Tell us; no harm done. Last summer a guest took the liberty of cooking for us to apologise for a broken plate, and we still talk about the curry.

Names. We're Helen and David, and the dog is Biscuit. First names, please — «Mrs Hall» makes Helen look round for her mother.