Speaking: Telephone English
Telephone English is the high-stakes functional-speaking skill that workplace and consumer contexts both demand. The worksheet covers the formulaic phrases of professional phone calls — opening (This is X speaking, How can I help?), holding (Could you hold the line? Bear with me), transferring (I’ll put you through, Let me transfer you), taking messages (Can I take a message? I’ll make sure they get it), and closing (Thank you for calling, Have a good day). Learners build phone-specific fluency in measured-professional register.
This worksheet builds B1–B2 speaking fluency with telephone English.
Worksheet preview
What’s inside:
- A phrase bank organised by phone-call phase
- Role-play dialogues: caller and receiver in different scenarios
- Multiple-choice on the most appropriate phone phrase for each context
- Production task: record a 2-minute phone-call role-play
- Teacher Notes with intonation and pacing guidance
Common challenges: Phone-specific phrases that aren’t predictable from general English — I’ll put you through, Bear with me, May I ask who’s calling. Intonation matters more on phone: rising for politeness, falling for finality. Spelling-out conventions: That’s J for Juliet, E for Echo.
For: Adult and teenage learners (14+) at CEFR B1–B2, in intermediate and upper-intermediate classes, 1:1 lessons, or self-study with a partner. Maps onto BEC Preliminary and BEC Vantage. Part of the Functional English collection — the natural next step is Asking for Clarification and Checking Understanding.
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