LESSON
LISTENING AND SPEAKING
Take phone messages
4
GET READY TO WATCH
Biata is taking a phone message for Ida. When was
the last time you took a message for someone?
Who was the message for?
WATCH
Watch the video. Circle the correct answers.
1.
Ida is
.
a.
in a meeting
b.
out to lunch
c.
gone for the day
2.
The caller wants to talk to Ida about
.
a.
a database
b.
an agenda
c.
a report
3.
Biata is going to
.
a.
call Ida
b.
email a report
c.
plan a meeting
4.
Biata confirms the caller’s
.
a.
phone number
b.
mailing address
c.
email address
CONVERSATION
A
Watch part of the video.
Complete the conversation.
Biata:
Park View Hospital. Pre-op. Can I help you?
Roberta:
Hi. This is Roberta Suárez, the administrative
director from Bay Side Medical Center.
I’m trying to reach Ida Harris.
Biata:
I’m sorry. Ida is in a
at the moment. Can I give her a message?
Roberta:
Sure. I’m calling about the agenda for our
meeting on Wednesday. I was hoping to talk
through a few things with her.
Biata:
OK. I can have her call you as soon as she’s back at her
. She should be back in about 20 minutes.
Roberta:
Great. I’ll wait for her call, then.
B
Listen and repeat.
C
PAIRS
Practice the conversation. Use your own names.
D
PAIRS
Make similar conversations. Imagine you are calling a teacher or classmate.
Leave a different message.
GROUPS OF 3
These days, most people have a voicemail box or answering machine
where people can leave messages. Do you think it is still valuable to leave a
message with a real person?
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
In conversation, we often drop the /h/
sound in words like
her
,
his
, and
him
.
We link the rest of the word to the
word that comes before it.
Listen and repeat.
Can I give her a message?
I can have her call you as soon as
she’s back at her desk.
Pronunciation Note
80
UNIT 6
