Everyday Dialogues

Getting a Service Call

In this lesson, you will learn some useful expressions
for talking to a technician. After this lesson, you will
find it easier to ask for service for something such
as Internet or cable.

Pre-Reading
A. Warm-Up Questions

1. Do you use cable or satellite service for TV?

2. W
 ho do you call when you need
technical help in your home or office?

3. H
 ow do you feel when a service that
you pay for isn’t working properly?

B. Vocabulary Preview

Match the words from this lesson to the correct meanings on the right.

1. technician a) to connect
2. cable b) a system of pipes for water and sanitation
3. hook up c) a person who repairs equipment
4. window d) the holes that you plug a cord into for electricity
5. outlet e) something that provides a special use (e.g., water or electricity)
6. access f) a period of time in which something will happen (e.g., between 1–5 pm)
7. up and running g) a service that provides a variety of TV channels
8. in no time h) the system that controls the heating and cooling of a space
9. in a rush i) working properly
10. utility j) to be able to enter
11. plumbing k) feeling the need to do something or be somewhere quickly
12. thermostat l) very soon, quickly

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 Getting a Service Call
Everyday Dialogues

Dialogue Reading
Read the dialogue with your partner a few times. Take turns
being each character. Practise your intonation and pronunciation.
Circle any new words or phrases that you need to practise.

Technician: Hello, are you the homeowner here?

Homeowner: Yes. You must be here to hook up my cable and Internet. Come on in.

Technician: Thanks. Sorry for the wait. It has been a really busy day.

No worries. The cable company gave me a

Homeowner:
four-hour window. Don’t worry about your shoes.

Technician: Thanks. I may need to come in and out. Okay, so where are your TVs located?

Homeowner: We have one in the living room, one in the master bedroom, and one in the basement.

Technician: Great. And you want them all hooked up to cable, right?

All except the basement one. We only use the downstairs one for
Homeowner:
watching movies. Is there an extra charge for the second outlet?

Yes. It’s a 50-dollar charge. And it says here

Technician:
that we’re hooking up your Internet today, too.

Homeowner: Right. I need Internet access as soon as possible. I have a home business.

If all goes well, I should have it up and running in no time.

Technician:
I’ll talk to you about our package options when I’m finished.

Homeowner: Great. Let me know if you need anything. I’ll just be in the kitchen.

Technician: Thanks. I’m just going to run out to my truck to get some supplies.

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 Getting a Service Call
Everyday Dialogues

Practice
Work with your partner. Role-play the dialogue on page 2,
substituting the different expressions below. Then switch roles.

1. Hello, are you the homeowner here? 6. I need Internet access as soon as possible.

• Hello, are you Ms. Evans? • I’m in a bit of a rush.

• Hello, are you the renter here? • The earlier you can get this done, the better.
• Hello, are your parents here? • How long will this take?

2. Y
 ou must be here to hook 7. If all goes well...
up my cable and Internet.
• If all goes according to plan...
• You must be here to install my cable. • As long as we don’t hit any snags...
• Are you here to check the water? • As long as I have all of the parts I need...
• I’m guessing you’re the furnace technician. • As long as I don’t run out of time...
• Are you with the cable company?
8. I should have it up and
3. Come on in. running in no time.

• Am I happy to see you! • I’ll do my best to fix it today.

• We’ve been expecting you. • Hopefully it will be working again in no time.
• Thanks for coming on such short notice. • Everything should be back to normal soon.
• You should be all ready to go by 4:00.
4. Where are your TVs located? • Give me about 15 minutes.

• Can you show me your cable wires?

9. Let me know if you need anything.
• Is this your only TV?
• Where would I find your telephone jacks? • Holler if you need me.
• Can you point me in the direction of your • Let me know if I can help in any way.
nearest power outlet? • Just shout if you need me.
• Do you need me for anything right now?
5. Is there an extra charge for the second outlet?

• Will the second outlet cost extra?

• Is that extra?
• What is that going to cost me?
• What’s the charge for that?
• What is the fee for that?

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 Getting a Service Call
Everyday Dialogues

Listening Practice
Listen to the recording of the dialogue from page 2. Fill in the missing
words as you listen. Listen again. Now look back at page 2 and check your
work. Did you fill in the correct words? Did you spell everything correctly?

Technician: Hello, are you the here?

Homeowner: Yes. You must be here to my cable and Internet. Come on in.

Technician: Thanks. Sorry for the wait. It has been a really busy day.

No worries. The cable company gave me a

Homeowner:
four-hour window. Don’t worry about your shoes.

Technician: Thanks. I may need to come in and out. Okay, so where are your TVs ?

Homeowner: We have one in the living room, one in the master bedroom, and one in the basement.

Technician: Great. And you want them all hooked up to , right?

All except the basement one. We only use the downstairs one for
Homeowner:
watching movies. Is there an extra charge for the second ?

Yes. It’s a 50-dollar charge. And it says here

Technician:
that we’re hooking up your today, too.

Homeowner: Right. I need Internet access as soon as possible. I have a home business.

If all goes well, I should have it in no time.

Technician:
I’ll talk to you about our options when I’m finished.

Homeowner: Great. Let me know if you need anything. I’ll just be in the kitchen.

Technician: Thanks. I’m just going to run out to my truck to get some .

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 Getting a Service Call
Everyday Dialogues

Problems with Utilities

A. Complete the Chart

Which utility company should you contact for these problems?

More than one category is possible for some items. Look up
any words you do not know, or ask your teacher to help you.

——hard water ——furnace clunking ——leak in toilet

——want more channels OOkitchen sink won’t drain ——websites won’t load
OOclogged sewer ——power outage ——water smells like rotten eggs
——need a new number ——voice mail not working ——connection is slow
——poor airflow ——tea tastes funny ——toilet clogged
——increased energy costs ——can’t receive email ——frozen pipes
——Wi-Fi not working ——thermostat broken ——no dial tone
——tune-up time ——sparks in light fixture ——need new phone jack

Water & Plumbing Electricity Heat & Air Communications

clogged sewer

kitchen sink won’t drain

B. Practice

Work with your partner to practise Examples:

starting conversations between
Homeowner: Our thermostat is broken.
a homeowner and a technician
Technician: Is your furnace due for servicing?
making a service call. Use the
concerns and inquiries in the Homeowner: My Internet is running really slowly.
chart above. Technician: How long has this been going on?

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 Getting a Service Call
Everyday Dialogues

Write Your Own Dialogue

Choose one reason why a technician might make a service call
to a person’s home. Write a dialogue with your partner using
phrases from page 3. Practise and present the dialogue to the class.

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 Getting a Service Call
Everyday Dialogues

Review
Task 1

LISTEN & ANSWER

Listen to the conversation and answer the questions.

Your teacher will tell you if you have to write or say the answers.

1. What is the purpose of the technician’s service call?

2. What does the homeowner tell the technician NOT to bother doing?

3. How many TVs are there, and where are they located?

4. Why does the homeowner need the Internet hooked up quickly?

5. What is the technician going to do first?

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 Getting a Service Call
Everyday Dialogues

Review cont.
Task 2

TECHNICIANS

Identify five types of technicians or service workers

that you might need to hire to help you in your home.
Then write five reasons why you might need to call those people.

# Technician Problem

Ex plumber My sink is clogged.

Task 3

ROLE-PLAY

Find a partner. Imagine that one of you is the homeowner and the
other is the technician or service provider who comes to the house to
fix or install something. Choose one of the problems you listed above
and do a role-play for your teacher.

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 Getting a Service Call
Everyday Dialogues

Answer Key
LESSON DESCRIPTION: LEVEL: Int / CLB 5–6

In this lesson, a technician goes to a homeowner’s place for TIME: 1.5 hours
a service call. Students learn useful expressions and vocabulary
TAGS:  everyday dialogues, everyday expressions, utilities,
to use when it comes time to hook up or repair a service or utility.
service, Internet, cable, electrician, technician,
CLB, PBLA, LINC

Pre-Reading Listening Practice

A. WARM-UP QUESTIONS Have students complete the dialogue by listening

to the recording or by having two students read
Discuss as a class or in small groups. Answers will vary.
the completed dialogue from page 2.

B. VOCABULARY PREVIEW

1. c 3. a 5. d 7. i 9. k 11. b CLB Skill Competencies

2. g 4. f 6. j 8. l 10. e 12. h Listening: I. Interacting with Others,

III. Getting Things Done
Dialogue Reading

Give your students time to read the dialogue in pairs. (continued on the next page...)

CLB Skill Competencies

Reading: IV. Comprehending Information

Speaking: III. Getting Things Done

Practice

Have your students read the dialogue again and

practise subbing in some of the different expressions.

CLB Skill Competencies

Reading: IV. Comprehending Information

Speaking: III. Getting Things Done

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 Getting a Service Call
Everyday Dialogues

Answer Key cont.

Problems with Utilities Review (Assessment Tasks)

A. COMPLETE THE CHART The following tasks can be used for assessment purposes
and/or review practice. You can save all of the tasks until
Water & Plumbing:
the end or assess your students throughout the lesson.
clogged sewer, kitchen sink won’t drain, hard water,
tea tastes funny, leak in toilet, water smells like rotten eggs, Personalize your own Listening, Writing, and Speaking Task
toilet clogged, frozen pipes Assessment forms for your students’ portfolios by using
Assessment Tools in the Resources section:
Electricity:
https://esllibrary.com/resources
increased energy costs, power outage, sparks in light fixture

Heat & Air: TASK 1

poor airflow, increased energy costs, tune-up time,
Play the audio from this lesson. Then assign the questions. You
furnace clunking, thermostat broken
can decide if you want your students to say or write the answers.
Communications:
1. T he purpose of the visit is to set up
want more channels, need a new number, Wi-Fi not working,
the homeowner’s Internet and cable service.
voice mail not working, can’t receive email, websites won’t load,
2. T he homeowner tells the technician
connection is slow, no dial tone, need new phone jack
not to bother taking off his shoes.
3. T here are three TVs. They are located in the

CLB Skill Competencies living room, the master bedroom, and the basement.
4. T he homeowner needs Internet access as soon
Reading: IV. Comprehending Information as possible because she has a home business.
Writing: II. Reproducing Information 5. First, the technician is going to run out
to his truck to get some supplies.

Write Your Own Dialogue

CLB Skill Competencies

Encourage your students to use vocabulary from the model. Listening: III. Getting Things Done,
IV. Comprehending Information

CLB Skill Competencies

Writing: II. Reproducing Information (continued on the next page...)

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 Getting a Service Call
Everyday Dialogues

Answer Key cont.

Review (Assessment Tasks) cont.

TASK 2

Answers will vary. Assess your students’ understanding

of how to express a problem that needs to be fixed.
Check grammar structures.

CLB Skill Competencies

Writing: II. Reproducing Information

TASK 3

Assess two students at a time as they role-play the scenario.

CLB Skill Competencies

Speaking: I. Interacting with Others,

III. Getting Things Done

(continued on the next page...)

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 Getting a Service Call
Everyday Dialogues

Answer Key cont.

Canadian Language Benchmarks Summary

OVERVIEW

Stage: 2 CLB Range: 5–6* Primary Skill Competency: Speaking – III. Getting Things Done

PAGE TASK SKILL COMPETENCIES

Reading: IV. Comprehending Information

2 Dialogue Reading
Speaking: III. Getting Things Done

Reading: IV. Comprehending Information

3 Practice
Speaking: III. Getting Things Done

4 Listening Practice Listening: I. Interacting with Others, III. Getting Things Done

Reading: IV. Comprehending Information

5 Problems with Utilities
Writing: II. Reproducing Information

6 Write Your Own Dialogue Writing: II. Reproducing Information

7 Review Task 1 (PBLA)** Listening: III. Getting Things Done, IV. Comprehending Information

8 Review Task 2 (PBLA) Writing: II. Reproducing Information

8 Review Task 3 (PBLA) Speaking: I. Interacting with Others, III. Getting Things Done

*Note: **Note:

This CLB range is suggested by ESL Library based on
the descriptors in the Canadian Language Benchmarks
guide: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/pub/language-
benchmarks.pdf
PBLA refers to portfolio-based learning assessment in
the LINC program (though any teacher can use these tasks
for review or assessment). Visit our Resources section for
Assessment Tools that you can print and personalize for
PBLA: https://esllibrary.com/resources

(continued on the next page...)

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 Getting a Service Call
Everyday Dialogues

Answer Key cont.

Canadian Language Benchmarks Summary cont.

PROFILES OF ABILIT Y

The following descriptors from the Canadian Language Benchmarks

apply to this lesson and are used with permission. For more
detailed information see: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/pub/
language-benchmarks.pdf and visit: https://www.language.ca/

BENCHMARK THE LEARNER CAN:

Speaking • Participate in basic social conversations for some everyday purposes. (5)
(5–6) • Give and respond to informal and somewhat formal suggestions and indirect requests. (6)

Listening • Understand descriptive or narrative monologues or presentations

(5–6) related to everyday, personally relevant topics or situations. (5–6)

Writing
• Reduce short, factual, oral discourse to notes or messages.
(5)

Reading
• Understand simple to moderately complex descriptive or narrative texts on familiar topics.
(5)

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 Getting a Service Call
Everyday Dialogues

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