If anyone has any information..., will they please contact the police.

[kadioguy]

In LDOCE6, I saw this example:

If anyone has any information related to the crime, will they please contact the police.

What does the structure 'will they' mean?

Thanks!

 

[emsr2d2]

It's not really necessary and I wouldn't normally expect to see it. Usually, it's just "... to the crime, please contact the police". It might have been used simply for emphasis.

In the same way, a teacher might say "Paul, will you please sit down!" instead of just "Paul, please sit down".

 

[kadioguy]

Is "Paul, will you please sit down!" the same as "Paul, do please sit down!" ?

Thanks!

 

[kadioguy]

Why does it use '...will they please contact the police' instead of '...they will please contact the police'?

Why isn't '...will they please contact the police' a question?

Thanks!

 

[jutfrank]

You can use the word order of questions in sentences like this, which function as requests.

 

[The bright star]

Hi, If you don't mind , may I share your discussion ?

I think :
"will they " of course is better than "they will" as the speaker wants to make a polite request so it equals " can they" and "may they" .

 

[kadioguy]

In the English Usage (Collins Cobuild) entry Requests, orders, and instructions, it says:

You use ‘Will you…?’ to give an order in a forceful and direct way, either to someone you have authority over or when you are angry or impatient.

Will you pack everything, please, Maria.
Will you stop yelling!
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It seems this is the answer for my question.

 

[teechar]

Hi. If you don't mind, may I [STRIKE]share[/STRIKE] join your discussion?

I think "will they" of course is better than "they will" as the speaker wants to make a polite request; so it equals "can they" and "may they".

Hello Bright Star, and welcome to the forum.
I'm afraid "may they" is wrong. It does not work for such requests. It might work in other contexts but not the one mentioned here.
Yes, you may contribute to discussions, but please indicate in your future posts that you're not a teacher of English.

 

[jutfrank]

You use ‘Will you…?’ to give an order in a forceful and direct way, either to someone you have authority over or when you are angry or impatient.

Will you pack everything, please, Maria.
Will you stop yelling!

Yes, Will you... is often used in this way, but it can also be used in a calm, polite way. The level of politeness depends largely on pronunciation.