This video is about teaching English learners how to have a conversation over the phone. The instructor, Maddie from POC English, covers the following topics:
1. Vocabulary related to phone conversations, including:
- Dial (to enter a phone number)
- Phone (noun and verb)
- Call, ring, and give someone a ring (synonyms for calling someone)
- Pick up and hang up (to answer and end a call)
2. Eight different functions or situations that may arise during a phone conversation:
- Answering the phone (e.g., saying "hello" or stating your full name)
- Asking for another person (e.g., "Could I speak with John?")
- Saying who you are (e.g., "This is Maddie")
- Asking who somebody is (e.g., "Who's this?" or "Who's calling, please?")
- Informing someone that the person they're looking for is not available (e.g., "I'm afraid he's not in at the moment")
- Asking someone to wait (e.g., "Just a moment" or "Hold on a moment")
- Dealing with common problems (e.g., "You're breaking up" or "I got cut off")
3. A sample phone conversation that demonstrates how to use these phrases together.
The video also provides viewers with the opportunity to download a free PDF summary of the lesson by visiting the instructor's website and subscribing to her channel.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. "Dial" is a verb that means to enter a phone number to call someone.
2. "Phone" can be a noun or a verb, and as a verb, it means to call someone.
3. "Ring" is a synonym for "phone" or "call".
4. "Give someone a ring" is another way to say "call someone".
5. You cannot "dial" a person, but rather a number.
6. To answer a call, you "pick up" the phone.
7. To end a phone conversation, you "hang up".
8. If you call a company, an operator may answer and ask who you want to talk to.
9. If the person you want to talk to is not available, the operator may say "I will put you through".
10. "Put you through" means to transfer your call to the person you want to talk to.
11. If the person you want to talk to is not available, they may "call you back".
12. "Call someone back" means to return a call.
13. To answer a private phone, you can simply say "Hello".
14. To answer a business phone, you should state your full name.
15. When someone asks for your name over the phone, you should say "This is [your name]".
16. In an informal context, you can say "This is he" or "This is she" when introducing yourself.
17. To ask for someone's name, you can say "Who's this?" or "Who's that?" in an informal context.
18. In a formal context, you can say "Who's calling, please?" to ask for someone's name.
19. If someone is not available, you can say "I'm afraid he/she is not in at the moment".
20. If you want to leave a message, you can say "Can I take a message?" or "Can I leave a message for [name]?"
21. If you want to ask someone to call you back, you can say "Could you ask him/her to call me back?"
22. To ask someone to wait, you can say "Just a moment", "Hold on a moment", or "Hang on" in an informal context.
23. In a business context, you can say "May I put you on hold?" or "Hold the line, please".
24. If you dial the wrong number, you can say "Sorry, I think I've got the wrong number".
25. If someone calls you mistakenly, you can say "Sorry, I think you've got the wrong number".
26. If the connection is not smooth, you can say "You're breaking up".
27. If you get disconnected, you can call again and say "Sorry, I got cut off".