Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - please

(pleases, pleasing, pleased) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. You say please when you are politely asking or inviting someone to do something. Can you help us please?... Would you please open the door?... Please come in... ‘May I sit here?’—‘Please do.’... Can we have the bill please? ADV: ADV with cl c darkgreen]politeness 2. You say please when you are accepting something politely. ‘Tea?’—‘Yes, please.’... ‘You want an apple with your cheese?’—‘Please.’ ADV: ADV with cl, ADV as reply c darkgreen]formulae 3. You can say please to indicate that you want someone to stop doing something or stop speaking. You would say this if, for example, what they are doing or saying makes you angry or upset. Please, Mary, this is all so unnecessary... CONVENTION c darkgreen]feelings 4. You can say please in order to attract someone’s attention politely. Children in particular say ‘please’ to attract the attention of a teacher or other adult. (mainly BRIT) Please sir, can we have some more?... CONVENTION c darkgreen]politeness 5. If someone or something pleases you, they make you feel happy and satisfied. More than anything, I want to please you... Much of the food pleases rather than excites... It pleased him to talk to her. VERB: V n, V, it V n to-inf 6. You use please in expressions such as as she pleases, whatever you please, and anything he pleases to indicate that someone can do or have whatever they want. Women should be free to dress and act as they please... Isabel can live where she pleases. PHRASE: PHR after v 7. If you please is sometimes used as a very polite and formal way of attracting someone’s attention or of asking them to do something. Ladies and gentlemen, if you please. Miss Taylor’s going to play for us... CONVENTION c darkgreen]politeness 8. You say ‘please yourself’ to indicate in a rather rude way that you do not mind or care whether the person you are talking to does a particular thing or not. (INFORMAL) ‘Do you mind if I wait?’ I asked. Melanie shrugged: ‘Please yourself.’ CONVENTION c darkgreen]feelings