Vocabulary - Modern Communication & The Telephone

Study the vocabulary list and complete the activities below.

To celebrate Bell’s legacy, here are 6 words and expressions we use every day when talking about phones and connectivity.

• Landline: A traditional phone that is connected to a house or office by physical wires.
  • Most people use mobile phones now, but my grandmother still prefers her landline.
• Reception / Signal: The quality of the connection that allows your mobile phone to receive calls or data.
  • I’m sorry, I can’t hear you well; I have very poor reception in this elevator.
• To put (someone) through: To connect a caller to the person they want to speak to, usually in an office setting.
  • Please hold the line for a moment while I put you through to the manager.
• Voicemail: An electronic system that can store messages from callers when you are unable to answer the phone.
  • I missed your call earlier, so I left you a voicemail with the details of the meeting.
• To hang up: To end a telephone conversation by breaking the connection (on modern phones, this means tapping the "end call" button).
  • Don’t hang up yet! I have one more quick question for you.
• Long-distance: A call made to a person in a different city or country.
  • Back in the day, long-distance calls were very expensive, but now we use the internet for free!

ACTIVITIES

Activity 1: Gap Fill

Complete the sentences using the words from the list above.

1. I forgot my cell phone at home, so I had to use the office to call my mom.

2. Wait! Don't ! I haven't said goodbye to the kids yet.

3. The secretary said she would me to the tech support department.

4. If I don't answer, just leave a and I'll call you back later.

5. We are driving through the mountains, so the is going to be very weak.

Activity 2: Unscramble

Put the letters in the correct order to reveal the vocabulary word.

1. G A N H P U (Two words)

2. L I N E N A L D

3. L A N G I S

4. I C E V O M A I L

5. G H R O U T H

Activity 3: Reading Comprehension

Read the short dialogue and answer the questions below.

Mark: Hey Sarah, are you there? I think the signal is breaking up.

Sarah: Hi Mark! Yes, I’m in the basement. The reception is terrible here.

Mark: No problem. I called your landline first but no one answered.

Sarah: Oh, I disconnected that months ago! I only use my mobile now. Anyway, I have to go, my boss is trying to put a client through to me on the other line.

Mark: Okay, I'll hang up. Talk later!

1. Why is the communication difficult during the call?
Select... A) Mark's phone is broken. B) Sarah is in a location with poor reception. C) The weather is causing interference. D) Sarah forgot to pay her phone bill.

2. What do we know about Sarah’s landline?
Select... A) She doesn't have one anymore. B) She is waiting for the technician to fix it. C) She missed Mark's call because she was in the garden. D) She prefers using it over her mobile phone.

3. Why does the conversation end?
Select... A) Sarah’s battery died. B) Mark is angry and wants to stop talking. C) Sarah needs to take another call from a client. D) The signal was completely lost.