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Email Phone Collocations

A LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS

Vocabulary to make and talk about emails and telephone calls

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Lesson Plan Content:


Email and telephoning vocabulary and collocations

with list dictation

Choose one of the cards below and explain what it means and how it is used without saying the words on the card until your partner guesses what it says.

Things you could talk about:

  • Email and/ or telephone
  • Formality
  • Collocations
  • Meaning
  • Example sentences (with gaps)

 

Attach

 

 

Love

 

From

 

Mr

 

Mrs

 

Miss

 

 

Ms

 

Sir

 

Sirs

 

Madam

 

CC

 

 

BCC

 

Best

 

Unfortunately,

 

XXX

 

XOXO

 

Hugs

 

Kisses

 

Hi

 

Forward

 

Bye

 

 

Regards

 

Re:

 

Ref./ Reference

 

This

 

To:

 

 

Btw

 

Tel.

 

Yours

 

 

Sincerely

 

Faithfully

 

 

Cheers

 

Advance

 

Soon

 

Hesitate

 

Thanks/ Thank you

 

Cooperation

 

Afraid

 

Touch

 

 

See

 

 

Hold

 

 

Extension

 

Dial

 

Speak

 

 

Number

 

Hand

 

Code

 

Through

 

 

Skype

 

Conference

 

 

 

Message

 

Note

 

Mail

 

Message

 

 

Directory

 

Moment

 

 

Tone

 

 

Battery

 

Low

 

Put

 

 

Slash

 

Underline/ underscore

 

Double

 

Treble

 

Oh

 

 

Dash/ hyphen

 

Unattainable

 

 

Battery

 

 

Back

 

 

Again

 

In

 

Desk

 

Out

 

 

Check

 

Operator

 

Switchboard

 

Text/ SMS

 

Line

 

 

Answer

 

Dear

 

Answer

 

Bad

 

 

Up

 

 

Get

 

Call

 

Take

 

Ring

 

Hash/ Pound

 

Star/ Asterisk

 

 

Dictate

 

Talk

 

 

Please

 

 

Signal

 

Sorry

 

Leave

 

Emoticon

 

 

Abbreviation

 

Acronym

 

Spell

 

Catch

 

Listen to your teacher read out some words and phrases which are related to one of the words above. Try to guess which word it is, then do the same in pairs with the Student A and Student B worksheets that your teacher gives you.  


Suggested phrases for teacher-led collocations guessing game

Answer – Answering machine/ Answer phone/ There is no answer/ We aim to answer all calls within three rings/ I’m afraid I can’t answer the phone at the moment/ You’re through to the answering machine of Alex Case/ She isn’t answering her phone

Attach – Please find the document attached/ As you can see from the attachment…

Back – Call someone back/ Check something back/ Get back to someone/ When she gets back

Battery – Low battery/ Flat battery

Best – All the best/ Best wishes/ Pass my best wishes on to your boss/ Best regards

Busy – Busy signal/ I know you’re very busy, but I just needed to…

Bye – Bye for now/ Okay. Thanks. Bye/ Goodbye

Call – Call waiting/ Call centre/ Cold calling/ Collect call/ I’m returning your call/ I’ll tell him you called/ Call someone back/ Could you tell him I called?/ I’m afraid I’m not available to take your call at the moment/ There is no one available to take your call/ Who shall I say is calling?/ Can I ask who is calling?/ Missed call/ International calling card/ I’m returning your call/ Accept a call/ I have a call on another line

Check – Can I check that back/ I’ll check if he’s available. Please hold the line/ Just a moment, I’ll check on my computer

Code – Postcode/ Area code/ International dialling code

Conference – I’m afraid he’s at a conference all day/ We met at a conference last week/ Video conference/ Conference call

Dear – Dear Sir or Madam/ Dear Ms Case/ Dear Alex

Desk – Away from his desk/ Not at his desk/ I’ll leave a message on his desk

Simon Pitman’s desk. Alex speaking. How can I help you?/ Not at his desk.

Dial – Redial/ Misdial/ Automatic redial/ Dialling tone/ Dial a number

Directory – Directory enquiries/ Telephone directory

Get – Get through/ Get back to you


Student A

Read out an example with the key word missing from a list below. Give examples from the same list until your partner guesses the missing word, with one guess per hint.

Hand – I don’t have it to hand/ Hands-free/ Please replace the handset and try again

Head – Headset/ Off the top of my head…

Hi – Hi!/ Hi John/ Say “Hi” to Steve from me/ Julie says “Hi”

Hold – Hold on/ Please hold (the line)/ Can you hold?/ I’m putting you on hold

Home – Home number/ Home address/ Home phone/ We’re not home at the moment, so please leave a message after the beep

In – In a meeting/ Can I speak to someone in the marketing department?/ I’m afraid he’s not in today/ in connection with/ In advance

Key – Hash key/ Pound key/ Star key/ Keypad

Leave – Please leave your name and number/ Leave a message

Line – The line was cut/ A bad line/ Helpline/ Landline/ Hold the line/ The line went dead/ Someone’s trying to get through on another line/ I have someone on another line

Love – Love from/ Lots of love/ Send my love to John

Low – Low signal/ Low battery

Mail – Voicemail/ Email/ To email someone/ Compose an email/ Snail mail

Message – Recorded message/ Leave a message/ Take a message/ Pass your message onto him/ Take a message/ Leave a message/ Please leave a message after the beep/ I got a message that I should call you/ Instant messaging

Moment – There’s no one here at the moment/ Just a moment (I’ll get a pen and paper/ I’ll get it up on the screen)

Note – This is just a quick note to…/ Post-it note/ Make a note of/ Leave a note

Number – Extension/ Home/ Mobile/ Office/ Wrong number

Off – Off the hook/ Off work/ Cut off

Office – Out of the office/ Office phone/ Office number.

On – On another line/ Pass that message on to him/ Get it up on the screen/ On the phone


Student B

Read out an example with the key word missing from a list below. Give examples from the same list until your partner guesses the missing word, with one guess per hint.

Operator – All our operators are busy right now/ Call centre operator/ Speak to an operator/ Or press three to speak to an operator

Phone – Phone you back/ Thanks for phoning/ Mobile phone/ Smart phone/ Cell phone/ Phone box/ Phone again/ Phone booth/ Public phone/ Payphone/ Freephone/ Phone card/ I’m phoning about the conference next week/ Alex Case’s phone

Please – Please leave a message after the tone/ Please do not hesitate to contact me

Put – Put the phone down/ Put someone through/ Put someone on hold

Rate – Local rate/ Premium rate

Reference – With reference to your email yesterday/ Your ref:/ Our ref:/ Reference number

Regards – Best regards/ Give my regards to John

Ring – Give me a ring/ Ring me back/ Within three rings/ It’s ringing, but no one is picking up/ Just let it ring/ Ringing tone

Soon – I look forward to hearing from you soon/ See you soon/ Write soon

Sorry – Sorry it took me so long to get back to you/ Sorry to keep you waiting/ Sorry, he’s out of the office at the moment/ Sorry. Can you speak a little louder?/ Sorry, we were cut off/ Sorry, I went into a tunnel

Speak – Speak up/ Speaker phone/ Can I speak to… please?/ This is John speaking/ HLDS. Alex speaking. How can I help you?/ Speak to you soon/ Speak to you then

Take – Take a message/ Take care/ Can I take your name, please?

Talk – Do you have time to talk?/ It’s been nice talking to you

Text – Send a text/ Textspeak/ Text someone

Thanks/ Thank you – Thanks again/ Thanks in advance/ Thanks for calling/ Thanks for your email…

Tone – Dialling tone/ Engaged tone/ Busy tone/ Please speak after the tone/ Ringing tone

Up – Hang up/ Speak up/ Pick up

Yours – Yours sincerely/ Yours faithfully/ Sincerely yours/ Yours

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