Trouble with memory?

Many of us have come across people that seem familiar to us, but we fail to fully identify them. What do you say at such times?
Grammar: place (verb) somebody – recognise somebody by connecting him with past experience; fully identify
Examples:

1. I know that man’s face, but I can’t place him.
2. Your face seems to be familiar to me, but I’m sorry I can’t place you.
3. I knew him very well, but I couldn’t place him.
4. I think I’ve seen her before, but I can’t place her.

When a person tells something to recall some past experience, he is jogging your memory.
Grammar: jog (verb) one’s memory – say something that will help someone trying to remember a thought, event, experience etc.
Examples:

1. You don’t remember who was with us that day? Here’s a photograph to jog your memory.
2. Police are hoping to jog people’s memory by showing them pictures of a car used in the robbery.
3. Alice related a few incidents that helped jog my memory, and I could finally place the man I was talking to.

Speaking on the phone

Here's a sample dialogue to get you started.

Caller : Hello! Can I speak to John, please?
You   : May I know who's calling?
Caller : I am Jim.
You   : Ok. Just a minute. I'll get him. Oh, I'm sorry, he's taking a shower at the moment.
Caller : Could you please tell him that Jim called, and ask him to call me back on my cellphone? He's got my number.
You   : Sure, I'll do that.
Caller : Thank you.

Some more ways of asking who's on the line.

1. Who am I speaking to?
2. Who is calling, please?
3. May I know who's speaking?
4. May I ask who is speaking?
5. May I know who I'm talking to?

Expressing pleasure on hearing from someone.

1. How nice to hear from you!
2. How lovely to hear your voice!
3. I'm very glad to hear from you.
4. I'm delighted to hear from you.
5. It's a pleasure to hear from you.

Few, a few

Few has an almost negative meaning and can be replaced with not many, hardly, or any.
A few has a positive meaning and means a small number of or some.
Note how few and a few are used in the following sentences.

1. You lost marks because you made a few mistakes in your essay.
2. Few people live to be a hundred.
3. We went to Bangalore for a few days.
4. Few people own cars in this city.
5. I have few enemies, but I have a lot of friends.
6. He doesn't speak much. He is a man of few words.

Little, a little

You use little and a little before uncountable nouns.
Little has a negative connotation. It implies a scarcity, and it can be changed to "not much" quite readily. On the other hand, a little has a positive meaning and means "a small quantity of."
The following examples give you a better idea on how little and a little are used.

1. Please wait a little. I am going with you.
2. The old man is seriously ill. There's little hope that he'll recover.
3. He could see little in the dim light.
4. Please give me a little milk to make tea with.
5. He knows a little English. He will be able to talk with you.
6. Little did I know that I would be in for a great surprise.

Asking for Change (money)

Who has got change for a fifty-rupee note?

Could you give me change for a hundred-rupee note?
Do you have change for a hundred-rupeed note?
Have you got changes for a hundred-rupee note?
Has anybody got changes for a fifty-rupee note?
Can you help with change for a fifty-rupee note?

Saying Sorry and Thank You

Saying sorry
Sorry, I don’t know. Oh, it doesn’t matter.
I’m terribly sorry, but I’ve lost your telephone number. That’s all right, here’s my card.
I’m extremely sorry. Don’t worry about that.
I’m so sorry. Never mind.
I apologise for being late. Oh, forget it.
I’m awfully sorry... No need to apologise.

Saying thank you
Thanks a lot for your help.
Thanks a lot.
Many thanks for your help.
It was kind of you to help me.
That is very kind of you.
I’m really grateful to you.
Thank you so much. I really do appreciate what you’ve done.