“I can adjust the temperature, if you want.”

English Lesson: I can adjust the temperature, if you want.

Your nephew is visiting your house. He seems to be cold. You offer to turn the heat up.

I can adjust the temperature, if you want.

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I can (do something) if you want.

This is one way to offer to do something.

This is a casual way to make an offer. It's good for conversations between family members or friends. It conveys the idea that you're letting the person you're talking with make the decision. You may not care, or may not agree. For example:

I can heat up a can of soup if you want.

You can say this to a family member who seems hungry. If the person isn't as close, it's more polite to ask:

Would you like me to make you some soup?

adjust (something)

To "adjust" something means to make small changes to it. Adjusting the temperature of the room on a thermostat is a great example. You're only changing the temperature by a few degrees.

Some other good examples of "adjusting" something are:

  • After sitting for a long time, you "adjust your position" in a seat.
  • Comparisons of money between the past and present are often "adjusted for inflation". That means that the older amounts are multiplied by the amount that the value of money has risen by over time. So $400 in 1980 might be equal to $900 today, for example.
  • Before you start driving, you're supposed to adjust the mirrors on your car so that you can see behind the car easily.
  • You adjust the settings of a machine, a computer program, or an appliance.