On the Phone Konu Anlatımı

Konu anlatımı notları

1. Making and answering phone calls requires specific communicative phrases depending on whether the situation is formal (business, professional) or informal (friends, family).

   1. Answering the Phone

   • Informal: "Hello!", "Hi, this is Mark."
   • Formal: "Good morning, Apex Logistics. How may I help you?", "Hello, Dr. Smith's office. Speaking."

   2. Identifying Yourself

   In telephone English, we do not say "I am...". Instead, we use specific introductory patterns:

   • Correct: "This is Sarah speaking." or "It is Sarah calling."
   • Asking who is calling: "Who is calling, please?" (formal) or "Who is this?" (informal).

   When you call an organization or a shared phone line, you often need to ask for a specific person or transfer the speaker.

   1. Asking to Speak to Someone

   • "May I speak to Mr. Davis, please?" (Formal and polite)
   • "Could I speak to the marketing manager?"
   • "Is Alex there?" (Informal)

   2. Putting Someone Through & Asking Them to Hold

   When connecting the caller to another extension or person:

   • Hold on / Hang on: "Hold on a second, please. I'll get him." (Neutral/Informal)
   • Hold the line: "Please hold the line; I will transfer your call." (Formal)
   • Put through: "I'm putting you through to Ms. Green now."

   3. Stating Unavailability

   If the person is not available:

   • "I'm afraid he is not at his desk right now."
   • "She is in a meeting at the moment."
   • "The line is engaged / busy."

   When the desired person is unavailable, the caller may leave a message or the receiver may offer to take one.

   1. Offering to Take a Message

   • "Would you like to leave a message?"
   • "Can I take a message for her?"
   • "Could you tell him that I called?"

   2. Leaving a Message

   • "Could you please tell him that David called regarding the contract?"
   • "Please ask her to call me back as soon as possible."
   • "My number is 555-0192."

   3. Promising Action

   • "I will make sure she gets your message."
   • "I'll let him know you called."

   Poor connections or fast speech often require polite requests for repetition or spelling.

   1. Asking for Repetition

   • "Pardon? Could you say that again, please?"
   • "Could you repeat your surname, please?"
   • "Could you speak a little louder? The connection is quite bad."

   2. Clarifying Details and Spelling

   • "Could you spell that for me, please?"
   • "Let me read that back to you to make sure I got it right."
   • "Did you say fifteen or fifty?"

   3. Dealing with a Bad Connection

   • "You are breaking up. Could you say that again?"
   • "I'm afraid we have a bad connection. Let me call you back."

   Closing a telephone conversation politely ensures that both parties agree that all necessary points have been covered.

   1. Signalling the End of the Conversation

   • "Thank you for your help."
   • "Is there anything else I can help you with today?"
   • "Thanks for calling. I will email you the details shortly."

   2. Final Goodbyes

   • Formal: "Thank you, goodbye." / "Have a good day."
   • Informal: "Talk to you later! Bye!" / "Catch you soon!"