| Level: |
Topic: |
Speakers: |
Length: |
| medium |
phone message |
man – girl |
.50 |
Pre-Listening Exercise
Make a list of all of the reasons why a person may not be able to take a call (e.g., she’s out of the office, he’s on another line, etc.). When you do take a call, be sure to repeat the caller’s name, number, and message before you hang up to confirm that you have the correct information.
Idioms
“sleep on it” = wait until tomorrow to make a decision
“She wanted to sleep on it before making such an important decision.”
“right off the bat” = immediately
“When I called her yesterday, she told me right off the bat that she was getting married.”
Listening Exercise
A. Listen to the recording and answer the questions.
Post-Listening Exercise
Practice this conversation with a partner. Then write your own telephone conversation by using some of the phrases you came up with in the pre-listening activity.
Online Investigation
At times, people may need a voicemail service to keep track of their incoming messages. In addition, some teachers even use such services to communicate with students and even perform speaking tests. Thus, search online and compare at least two companies that provide voice mail services and compare pricing and features.