I encounter a phrase: "I'd rather not see abbreviations in method names".
I wonder if it is a polite way of expressing yourself? If I were to use it wouldn't I sound like I'm a boss?
meaning
I encounter a phrase: "I'd rather not see abbreviations in method names".
I wonder if it is a polite way of expressing yourself? If I were to use it wouldn't I sound like I'm a boss?
From BBC Learning English...
Get is more informal and is frequently used in speech; become is more formal and is more often used in writing. When used with adjectives, get indicates growth or development and can therefore be used as the preferred alternative to become in an informal register.
There are many other constructions where "correct" (idiomatically "normal") use of get may be tricky for learners, but we're focussing here on get + adjective. Taking OP's examples plus a few more...
1: ? I got surprised to find my wife was having an affair (non-idiomatic)
2: The tree got damaged in the storm (informal version of was damaged)
3: My wife got angry when I asked her about the affair (informal version of became angry)
4: ? My wife got red when I asked her about the affair (non-idiomatic version of turned red, blushed)
5: That's when things got nasty (informal version of turned nasty).
6: ? At first she got defensive and said he had seduced her (usually non-idiomatic - see below)
7: ? Finally she got tearful and begged me to forgive her (also usually non-idiomatic)
8: ? After talking for many hours, I got satisfied that she still loved me (always non-idiomatic)
9: But my bedtime mug of cocoa got cold during the argument, so I was still annoyed with her
I would say #6 and #7 are usually "non-idiomatic" because many native speakers wouldn't use get there unless they specifically intended to convey the sense that she was in complete control of her emotions at the time (and was trying different approaches to "win" the argument).
Even I can't decide whether #9 is "idiomatically acceptable" - it seems to be some kind of borderline case for me, but no doubt others will draw the line somewhere different. All I can say is few native speakers would accept #2 or #4 above, but exactly why some usages of get are okay and others not is obscure.
TL;DR: Many aspects of how to get is used are subtle and/or not universally recognised (see the US "got" vs "gotten" distinction, for example, which is indifferently honoured by those BrE speakers who've now adopted the latter term).
My advice to learners is not to be seduced by the idea that frequent use of got will make you sound more like a native speaker. Usually if you get it right no-one will even notice - but you're bound to get it wrong sometimes. And although native speakers will invariably notice the "errors", they probably won't point these out to you - precisely because they don't know how to explain what's wrong in simple terms.
In short, learn the appropriate use of less informal/slangy alternatives like was, became, turned, went, and stick to these except where you often hear native speakers using got. Don't simply gravitate towards got because it seems like you can just learn one verb for all contexts. Unfortunately, it's not that easy!
When you talk about something hypothetical, you replace is/are by the subjunctive were, and for all other verbs you backshift the tense of the verb in the same way that you do for reported speech.
When you want to ask for something, you can make it more polite by talking about it as a hypothetical suggestion, rather than a simple question.
Will you mind if I say something? - simple question
Would you mind if I said something? - hypothetical suggestion
We can use the present tense say because the context makes it clear that we are talking about something that will happen in the future. See more about using present tense for future actions here.
People rarely use present tense will, but you will often hear people using present tense for the second verb- say rather than said.
May I say something? - simple question
Might I say something? - backshifted- hypothetical suggestion
To make an informal request, you use can - the second meaning in the Cambridge Dictionary
Can I say something? - simple question
Could I say something? - backshifted- hypothetical suggestion
You can add please to any of these options- either before or after the sentence, or before the verb.
Best Answer
Direct commands/imperatives in English can be considered "harsh" unless the people involved know each other very well or at least have some familiarity.
Sometimes situations call for direct commands even in polite situations, but in dealing with a team politeness is an obvious way to demonstrate respect in a team environment.
There's many, many ways to "soften" them or make them more polite, and expressing a command as a preference is one way to do that.
However, the second sentence is you directly expressing a preference, but not really making it clear that anything beside you should be affected. So it sounds like you're trying to "drop a hint" and might come off as a bit too "weak."
To make this a bit stronger, but still polite, you have to express it in such a way that it affects everyone:
Assuming one can speak for "we" is definitely a "boss" thing and stronger than the second sentence. The second sentence sounds less "boss"-like.
So overall you have the right idea.