Key terms and concepts in telephoning

TEXT 1

The British are said to be reserved in manners, dress and speech. They are famous for their politeness, self-discipline and especially for English sense of humour. The words please, thank you, excuse me are widely used when British address another person.

How do British greet someone?

British people are quite reserved when greeting one another. A greeting can be "Hello", "Hi" or "Good morning", when you arrive at work or at school.

But very often you may be called by many different names. For example, you may be called dear, ma'am, madam, miss, sir according to your sex and age.

TELEPHONE ETIQUETTE

When you call someone, it is polite to identify yourself. For example, if your name is John Smith and you were calling Robert Wilson, you would say, "Hello, this is John Smith. May speak to Robert Wilson, please?".

When you answer the phone, it is ok to answer just “Hello„. After your caller introduces himself, you would say one of the following:

• "Hi John, this is Robert. How are you?"

• "Speaking." or "Robert Wilson speaking."

• "I'm sorry, but Robert is not able to come to the phone right now. He's not home. May I take a message?"

It is not polite to call someone before 9 am or after 10 pm, unless it is an emergency. The only exception would be if he or she told you it is ok to call earlier or later.

MY BIOGRAPHY

I am going to tell you about myself. My name is Natasha Serova. I am 17. I was bom in Moscow on the 5^th of March, 1994 (fifth of March nineteen ninety four).

My family is not very large. We have five people in our family. I live with my parents, my younger sister and my grandmother. My father’s name is Vladimir Ivanovich. He is forty years old. He is a mechanic and he works at a garage. My mother’s name is Vera Petrovna. She is thirty-nine years old. She is a doctor and she works at a hospital. My younger sister Marina is a pupil. She is in the seventh form. My grandmother lives with us. She doesn’t work. She is a pensioner. I love my family. We are all friends and we love each other.

We live in a big flat in a new house. There are four rooms in our flat: a living room, a study, two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom. We have all modern conveniences: gas, hot water, running water, electricity and telephone.

I have my duties about the house. I must go shopping, clean the rooms. It’s not difficult for me. I want our home to be clean and tidy. I think there is no place better than home.

I studied at school number 129. We had many well-educated teachers at our school. I was a good pupil and I did well in all subjects. My favourite subjects at school were Mathematics, Russian and English. Now I’m a first course student of the college.

I have many friends. Most of them are my classmates. We spend much time together, go for a walk or to a disco party, talk about lessons, music, and discuss our problems.

I like reading. I like detective stories but I prefer to read historical novels or modem writers. I like to listen to modern music, but sometimes I like to listen to some classical music. My favourite composer is Tchaikovsky. I haven’t much time to watch TV but sometimes I spend an hour or two watching an interesting film or a news programme. In the evening 1 often look through fresh newspapers or read some interesting book. I like fresh air and physical exercise, but I have not much time to go in for sports.

MY FRIENDS

Let me tell you about my friends. I have many friends but my best friend is Peter. He is eighteen. Now we are first year students of the University. He is a good student because he studies hard and is very diligent. He wants to become a good specialist. He often helps me with my English lessons and I’m grateful to him for that. We made friends with Peter when he and I began our studies in one group. We have very much in common: we like the same music, we like the same films.

I want to tell you a few words about his appearance. He is rather tall, strong and well-built. He has an oval face, straight nose, dark-brown hair, blue eyes and a nice smile. People find him good-looking. Peter is a good sportsman. He goes in for sports. He plays football and basketball well.

I have another friend. Her name is Natasha. She is a student of our group and she is my roommate at the hostel. We share one room with her. She is a blonde with blue eyes, she is slim and pretty. She has long fair hair. She likes riding a bike and computer games.

I like all my friends very much. I think they are all my faithful friends.

STUDENT'S WORKING DAY

Now I am a first-year student of the University. So, let me describe my usual working day. My lectures begin at nine o’clock and on weekdays I have to get up at seven o’clock. My alarm clock usually wakes me up and my working day begins. I turn on the radio, do my morning exercises, take a shower and brush my teeth. After that I get dressed and comb my hair. Then I have breakfast. I love to listen to the latest news on the radio while I am eating.

I leave the house at ten minutes past eight and walk to the nearest bus stop. I live rather far from the University and it usually takes me about a quarter of an hour to get there by bus. Sometimes when the weather is fine and I have enough time I walk to the University.

As a rule we have four or five lectures a day. We have lectures in different subjects. Usually I don’t miss my classes because I want to pass my examinations successfully.

At twelve o’clock we have a big interval for lunch. That’s my favorite time. That is the time to share the latest news with my friends. I prefer not to go to the canteen and we often have lunch in a small cafe not too far from the University. At one o’clock we have to be back to our classes. During the working day we also have several short intervals that last for fifteen minutes.

From time to time I have to stay at the University till late in the evening because I go to the library to get ready for my practical classes or to write an essay report. As a rule I have no free time on weekdays. So by the end of the week I get very tired.

I come home at about 7 o’clock in the evening. My parents are already at home. We have supper together and share the latest news. After supper we wash dishes, drink coffee or tea and watch TV. I prefer old comedies and serials or films about travelling. Sometimes I go for a walk in the park or visit my friends.

At about eleven at night I go to bed. I like to read something before going to bed or to listen to some music. Sometimes I fall asleep while I am reading.

 

Key terms and concepts in telephoning

Term	Definition
Answering machine	A device that records voice messages when the receiver does not answer the call.
Call waiting	A signal (a beep or flashing light) that alerts the receiver to another call coming in.
Communication	The exchange of words between two or more people on the telephone.
Conference call	A call that connects four or more callers to the one telephone connection.
External calls	Calls coming from outside the organisation.
Extensions	A main phone number, eg 5555 0000 could have many other extension numbers such as 0001, 0002 etc.
Internal calls	Calls inside the organisation. Only the extension number is dialed. These calls are free.
International calls	Calls coming from or made to other countries.
Message taking	Taking a written message for another person.
Mute	"Mute" button is often used when you don't want the caller to hear what you are asking or saying to somebody else.
Operator-connected calls	Calls connected by telephone operator.
Placing calls on hold	This feature allows callers to be placed on hold while waiting. Most systems play recorded music to callers while they are waiting.
Recall	Recalling a number that was previously dialed.
Receiving telephone calls	Answering telephone calls.
Redial	Redialing a number that was previously dialed. "Redial" button makes this automatically.
Switchboards	Switchboards are operated by a receptionist. All calls come here first before they are transferred to the required extension.
Teleconferencing	Meetings between people in different cities using an audio (and sometimes video) telecommunication system.
Telephone etiquette	Using the appropriate greeting, speaking etiquette clearly, listening carefully, not holding the mouthpiece under your chin and noteating/drinking while talking on the telephone.
Telephone greeting	Standard greeting when answering the greeting telephone, eg "Good afternoon, this is.... Mary speaking."
Telephone lines	Most organisations have multiple telephone lines called Extensions.
Telephone list	Most organisations have a telephone list with all extension numbers and the names of persons and departments.
Voicemail	A feature of telephone systems that allows callers to leave a verbal message for the receiver when the call was not answered.