[originaltext]M: I’m Avi Arditti, and this week on "Wordmaster: a lesson in com

M: I’m Avi Arditti, and this week on "Wordmaster: a lesson in complaining", English teacher Lida Baker is with us from Los Angeles to discuss this topic. Welcome, Lida.
W: Thanks. Well, as far as I know, the first part of any complaint is a factual statement about what the problem is. But there’s another part to learn that’s more important. There are students from a lot of cultures where this cultural behavior we have in the United States of being very straightforward about what we think and what we want—that’s the part that would be a lot harder for them than the linguistic part of complaining, which is just saying "here is the problem. "
M: It’s OK in the United States to complain, and I think this is something that a student would have to understand before he or she could actually put the complaint into action. But Lida, how would you teach?
W: I think in teaching, the first step is providing that cultural background, such as the return policy of a store, and understanding that it isn’t the same from one store to the next. I had an incident a few weeks ago when I bought some clothes for my daughter from a store, because she wasn’t with me at the time, I just assumed that if they didn’t fit I could bring them back. And they didn’t fit, and I went back to the store, and to my utter surprise this store would not return my money. I was very shocked because I was used to shopping in stores that provided you with a full refund for your money.
M: I have here an example of a complaint letter. It was written to this clothing company. And this is a letter about some shoes, and it begins " To Whom It May Concern: On September 20, I ordered a pair of brown leather Peace Mules for $36.99, which includes $4.99 for shipping and handling. When they were delivered to my home, the package was wet and the leather shoes were ruined. I am returning the shoes. I realize the shipping and handling fee is non-refundable, but I would like the original amount of $ 32 to be refunded. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely…" and she signs it here. So what do you think of that?
W: I think that’s a perfect letter of complaint. I I) She states what the problem is. She states what correction she would like the company to make. The tone is neutral; she doesn’t come across as angry or demanding. What is much harder, of course, is for people to get experience complaining verbally, in person. And so once we have demonstrated several scenarios in which complaining takes place, and we’ve analyzed the language and structures that go into complaining, the final step—and perhaps the most important one—is to give students practice complaining in a sheltered environment; in other words, in the classroom. And I would do that by means of role playing.
M: That’s all for this week. Thank you for your valuable advice, Lida.
W: You are welcome.
1. What is more difficult for students when learning to complain?
2. Why did Lida Baker mention her experience of returning her daughter’s clothes?
3. In the example of the complaint letter, how much does she want as a refund?
4. What is considered unnecessary in a letter of complaint?
5. What is the most important part of teaching complaining?