A A A A PRACTICAL ENGLISH

Calling and texting - part 1

Lesson code: 1ZQC-T3VD-ET9G INTERMEDIATE

1 Warm-up
Look at the pictures and answer the questions:

1. What makes your mobile work?

2. What increases the battery life on your mobile?

3. What lets you use your mobile and keeps your hands free?

4. What do you do with your finger to interact with the screen?

5. What's wrong with this screen?

6. What are mobile phones commonly called in American English?

Work in pairs. Tell your partner about the last time you did these things:

• sent someone a text message

• made or received a video call or Skyped someone
• checked your voicemail
• spoke on the phone in English

2 Listening
You are going to listen to two mobile phone calls. The first time you listen, answer this question: Do
the people in both phone calls know each other well? How do you know this?
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 Calling and texting - part 1
A A A A PRACTICAL ENGLISH

Audio 1 Now listen to the phone calls again and complete the missing words in the dialogues.

DIALOGUE 1
1
Laurence: Hi Jake, how's it ?
Jake: Great! I'm just you a ring to ask if you want to meet up tonight?
Video 1
Laurence: Yes, I'm free after seven. Shall we go for a curry?
3
Jake: That sounds good. I'll book a table and you the details. Bye for
4
.

Audio 2 DIALOGUE 2
5
Grace: Hello? Who's ?
6
Jake: Hi Grace. Jake, from the Spanish class.
7 8
Grace: Oh, hi Jake. I didn't the number. What can I for you?
Video 2 Jake: You said to give you a 9
if I wanted to know more about visiting Madrid. Is
10
this a good ?
Grace: Sure. What did you want to know?
Jake: I guess my first question is about accommodation. ... Was there a ... good ... hotel you'd ...
recommend?
11
Grace: Jake, I can't hear you very well. You're up.
12
Jake: Sorry, I think there are some problems with the . I'm going to have to call
13
you this afternoon.
14
Grace: OK, but I'm working until 6:00. to you later!

Match the phrases in bold from the calls with their function or meaning:

Opening a phone call:

Talking about a technical problem:

Identifying yourself:

Synonyms for making a phone call:

Returning a phone call:

Sending extra information:

Closing a phone call:

Offering to help:

Read the dialogues out loud with your partner, copying the stress and intonation from the recording.
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 Calling and texting - part 1
A A A A PRACTICAL ENGLISH

3 Role play
Plan and practise two new phone conversations in pairs, using the information given below and
language from the last exercise. Perform your phone calls for another pair, focussing on fluency and
using natural stress and intonation.

DIALOGUE 1
Student A: answer the phone and open the call you know the caller
Student B: explain the reason for calling to make plans
Student A: agree to the plans but then describe a technical problem with the call
Student B: explain the technical problem; say you will return the call
Student A: close the call
Student B: close the call

DIALOGUE 2
Student A: answer the phone you don't know the caller
Student B: introduce yourself and explain the reason for the call
Student A: offer to help
Student B: ask a question
Student A: answer the question and say you'll send a message with extra information
Student B: close the call
Student A: close the call

4 Text messages
In the first phone call you heard, Jake said he would text Laurence. Can you remember what information
he was going to send in the message?

We often use abbreviations in text messages. Do you know what these common texting abbreviations
mean?

BTW LMK IMO THX JW BRB GR8

Jake has booked a table at Curry World for 7:30pm. Write his text, inventing any details you need to.
Which abbreviations could Jake use in his message to Laurence?

Do you know any other useful texting abbreviations?

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 Calling and texting - part 1 - Transcripts
A A A A PRACTICAL ENGLISH

2- Listening

DIALOGUE 1
Laurence: Hi Jake, how's it going?
Jake: Great! I'm just giving you a ring to ask if you want to meet up tonight?
Laurence: Yes, I'm free after seven. Shall we go for a curry?
Jake: That sounds good. I'll book a table and text you the details. Bye for now.

DIALOGUE 2
Grace: Hello? Who's this?
Jake: Hi Grace. It's Jake, from the Spanish class.
Grace: Oh, hi Jake. I didn't recognise the number. What can I do for you?
Jake: You said to give you a call if I wanted to know more about visiting Madrid. Is this a good time?
Grace: Sure. What did you want to know?
Jake: I guess my first question is about accommodation. (interference) Was there a (interference)
good (interference) hotel you'd (interference) recommend ... (interference)
Grace: Jake, I can't hear you very well. You're breaking up.
Jake: Sorry, I think there are some problems with the network. I'm going to have to call you back this
afternoon.
Grace: OK, but I'm working until 6:00. (silence). Talk to you later!

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 Calling and texting - part 1 - Key
A A A A PRACTICAL ENGLISH

1- Warm-up

Time: 10 mins. Working with the whole class, focus attention on the pictures and questions and elicit the
vocabulary that answers the questions, drilling pronunciation as necessary. Check students understand the
vocabulary in exercise 2. Then students work in pairs to talk about the four actions. You could close the activity by
asking a couple of students to report what their partner told them and/or ask a student if they and their partner use
their phones in similar or different ways. Find about how confident students are to speak on the phone in English.
Answers:
1. a sim card 2. a charger 3. earphones/headset
4. tap the screen 5. It's cracked. 6. cell phones

2- Listening

Time: 20 mins: Students will work with two short phone calls in this exercise. First, they will listen for main idea
set the question before you play the recording once and then check answers with the whole class, including an
explanation. For the second task, students can see the gapped transcript. Working in pairs, they can predict/recall
the missing words. Play the recordings a second time for them to check and complete the gaps and then go
over the answers with the class. (If you need to, play the recording a third time before checking answers.)
Finally, working in pairs, students can match the meanings/functions of some useful telephone language in the
last exercise. When you check answers with the class, stress that the language in these informal phone calls is
not especially complicated, but accuracy (including pronunciation) is important so that students are confident to
make/receive phone calls themselves. Some alternatives are given in the answers and students may suggest or
ask about others. Finally, students should read the two dialogues in pairs, paying special attention to fluency,
stress and intonation. Some drilling would be helpful here.

In phone call 1, the callers know each other well because they don't need to explain who they are to start the
conversation. In phone call 2, the callers know each other from their Spanish class, but not well, as Jake introduces
himself and explains the reason for his call.

1. going 2. giving 3. text 4. now 5. this 6. It's 7. recognise

8. do 9. call 10. time 11. breaking 12. network 13. back 14. Talk

Opening a phone call: Hi Jake, how's it going?, Hello? Who's this?

Talking about a technical problem: I can't hear you very well. You're breaking up. There are some
problems with the network.
Identifying yourself: It's Jake. (also possible: This is Jake).
Synonyms for making a phone call: give you a ring/a call
Returning a phone call: call you back
Sending extra information: text you the details
Closing a phone call: Bye for now! Talk to you later! (also possible: Bye!, Speak to you later, or
Speak/Talk soon!)
Offering to help: What can I do for you? (also possible: How can I help?)

3- Role play

Time: 10 mins. Students can now activate some of the language they've learned in the lesson. They should work
in pairs to use the information they are given to roleplay two phone calls. They need to sound natural and fluent,
so they should take their time to plan and practise the two calls. If the class needs extra support, they could write
their own dialogues first, with the teacher monitoring and checking, before practising and performing. Performing
their roleplay for another pair can offer students an opportunity to see some variations in how the routines are
handled. In Part 2 of this series, students will explore how to handle a wider range of technical difficulties and
communication problems.
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 Calling and texting - part 1 - Key
A A A A PRACTICAL ENGLISH

4- Text messages

Time: 5 mins. Texts and phone calls often complement each other, so students would also benefit from knowing
some common texting abbreviations. First, working with the whole class, ask students to recall the text mentioned
in the first phone call and then guess the meanings of the abbreviations. Elicit that abbreviations means short
forms, and also that these forms make texting faster. Then ask students to work in pairs to compose the text
message that Jake sends to Laurence, using some of the abbreviations and inventing more details as needed. If
you run out of time, they could do this for homework.
Answers:
Jake was going to text Laurence the booking details for their dinner together that evening.
BTW by the way LMK let me know IMO in my opinion THX thanks
JW just wondering BRB be right back GR8 great

Sample text: Table booked 7:30 Curry World. IMO the best in town! JW if too expensive? LMK if there's a problem.
Have a GR8 day!

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