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TODAY'S VOCABULARY:
(to) get the jitters
(to) introduce (somebody)
(to) be sure
(to) reach (something)
(the) right number
(the) wrong number
formal
informal
(to) congratulate/ contratulations
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Student Handbook
This is Luis.
Who Is This?
Getting Started on a Telephone Conversation
Today is Tuesday, January 23, 2007, and this is the ESL Help Desk
inviting you to listen to today's podcast.
First time listeners may want to browse our Library
of audio stories and grammar lessons. Everybody is welcome to subscribe to our feed.
So to all of our listening audience today, welcome to
www.ESLHelpDesk.com!
Do you get the jitters when you have to talk on the telephone? Not
only is it difficult because you cannot see the person you are speaking
to, but telephone conversations have their own grammar, and this
will be today's topic.
How to Introduce
Yourself
When you make a telephone
call and the other party answers by saying "Hello", you might
think you should begin by
saying something like this: "Hello, I'm Luis." Wrong! What you want to say is, "Hello,
this is Luis."
Are You Talking to Me?
Suppose I've answered the telephone and you
think you've reached the ESL Help Desk, but you're not sure. Maybe you ask something like this:
"Are you the ESL Help DESK?"
Wrong! The best thing to ask is
"Is this the ESL Help Desk?"
You've Reached the Right Number
You have reached the right number, so I respond, "Yes, this is the ESL Help Desk."
Now, since this is a formal business call and I want to ask you a question. I do not ask,
"Who are you?
"
Instead, I respond,
"Who is calling?"
(Who's calling?)
An Informal Call
If you and I are personal friends and this is a more informal phone
call, I could ask "Who is this, please?" (Who's this, please?)
Back to You, Luis Again, do not respond, "I'm Luis." Respond by saying
"This is Luis."
What's with "This"?
Telephone conversations use the pronoun
this very often. You should practice this. For example, if I call you and you then answer
the telephone, I might say "Hello, this is the ESL Help Desk. Is this the White House?"
In the box below, write how you should respond, beginning with "Yes".
***
SAMPLE DIALOGUE ***
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