TEACHER’S NOTES

WORKSHEETS, ACTIVITIE S & GA ME S Telephone Language Review

Activity Type Introduction

Vocabulary Exercises: This telephoning worksheet helps students review common
matching, categorising, telephone expressions and phrasal verbs used over the phone.
multiple choice, gap-fill,
role-play Procedure
Give each student a copy of the two-page worksheet.
Focus
Students start by matching sentence halves together to form
Telephone expressions
common telephone expressions.
Telephone phrasal verbs
Exercise A - Answer key

Aim 1. d 2. j 3. h 4. a 5. c
6. e 7. i 8. b 9. g 10. f.
To review common
telephone expressions Next, students sort the sentences into telephone expressions
and phrasal verbs used used by a 'caller' and telephone expressions used by a 'receiver'.
over the phone.
Exercise B - Answer key

Preparation Caller: 1, 2, 6, 7, 9.
Make one copy of the Receiver: 3, 4, 5, 8, 10.
two-page worksheet for
each student. Students then choose the correct prepositions to complete
telephone phrasal verbs in sentences.

Level Exercise C - Answer key

Upper-intermediate (B2) 1. in 5. for 9. up

2. about 6. on 10. up
3. back 7. down 11. through
Time 4. through 8. up 12. off
25 minutes
After that, students complete telephone dialogues with words
from a box.

Exercise D - Answer key

1. help 6. speaking 11. back 16. moment

2. extension 7. reach 12. out 17. again
3. This 8. around 13. go 18. call
4. behalf 9. middle 14. number 19. make
5. putting 10. leave 15. give 20. urgent

Lastly, students role-play the telephone dialogues with a partner,

taking turns to be the caller and the receiver.

Note: This resource can be edited using a PDF editor.

[Link] © 2021 Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.

 TELEPHONING

WORKSHEETS, ACTIVITIE S & GA ME S Telephone Language Review

A. Match the sentence halves together to form common telephone expressions.

1. Hello, can I speak ....... a. who's calling?

2. Could you put me through to ....... b. a message?

3. Wait a moment. I'll ....... c. he is out at the moment.

4. May I ask ....... d. to David Johnson, please?

5. I'm sorry, ....... e. calling. Is Theresa there?

6. This is Michael Wilson ....... f. I help you?

7. Could you tell her ....... g. call back in an hour.

8. Can I take ....... h. put you through.

9. No, that's alright. I'll just ....... i. to call me back, please?

10. ABC Real Estate, how may ....... j. the Finance department?

B. Which telephone expressions above are used by a 'caller' and which are used by a
'receiver'? Write the numbers on the lines.

Caller: .........................................................................................................................

Receiver: .....................................................................................................................

C. Choose the correct prepositions to complete the telephone phrasal verbs.

1. I'm afraid she's not at / on / in. Could you call back later?

2. I'm calling for / about / over our meeting tomorrow. I need to confirm some details.

3. If you call over / back / through in fifteen minutes, he should be available.

4. Could you please put me over / through / with to Mr. Green?

5. Thank you for / on / about your help.

6. Please hold at / over / on, I will transfer your call to his Assistant.

7. Just a second, I need to write this on / down / through.

8. Can you please repeat that? The line is breaking over / up / in. I couldn't hear you.

9. I'm afraid no one is picking in / on / up. They must have left for the day.

10. I'll send you a confirmation email as soon as I hang down / up / on the phone.

11. Could you put me through / into / across to the manager, please?

12. Sorry, we were cut by / up / off in the middle of our conversation.

[Link] © 2021 Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.

 TELEPHONING

WORKSHEETS, ACTIVITIE S & GA ME S Telephone Language Review

D. Complete the telephone dialogues with the words from the box.

moment middle call putting help out

reach number again make extension around behalf
leave speaking back this give urgent go

Telephone Dialogue 1

Receptionist: Good afternoon, Acme Corporation, how may I (1) ..................... you?

John: Hi, can I have the (2) ..................... for the Marketing Department, please?

Receptionist: Certainly, may I ask who's calling?

John: (3) ..................... is John Murdock. I'm calling on (4) ..................... of Initech.

Receptionist: Please hold the line. I'm (5) ..................... you through.

Telephone Dialogue 2

Linda: Marketing Department, Linda Benson (6) .....................

John: Hi Linda, John Murdock here. I'm trying to (7) ..................... Peter Jenkins. Have you

seen him (8) .....................?

Linda: I'm sorry John. Peter's in the (9) ..................... of a meeting at the moment. Would

you like to (10) ..................... a message?

John: Yes, please. Can you tell him to call me (11) ..................... as soon as he gets

(12) ..................... of the meeting? We need to (13) ..................... over a report.

Linda: No problem. Does he have your contact (14) .....................?

John: He should, but let me (15) ..................... you my number just in case. It's 086380999.

Linda: Hold on a (16) ....................., please. I need to get a pen. Could you say your

number (17) .....................?

John: It's 086380999. He can also (18) ..................... the office. I'll be there all afternoon.

Linda: I'll (19) ..................... sure he gets your message.

John: I really appreciate your help. It's very (20) .....................

Linda: You're welcome. I'll give him the message as soon as I see him.

E. Now, role-play the telephone dialogues with a partner, taking turns to be the caller
and the receiver.

[Link] © 2021 Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.