English
Overview
Syntax
relative clause
- relative pronoun: who / whom / whose / which / that / -
- relative adverb: when / where / why
Scenarios
Telephoning
Processes
- Opening the call
- Talking on the phone
- Closing the call
- Telephone messages
- ???
Phrases
- Make a request
- Ask for repetition
- State a problem
- Ask for clarification of info
- Interrupt
Polite form: Could/Would you please…
Asking someone to wait for a moment
- Would you mind holding a minute while I try to find her?
- Could you hold on, please?
- Please hold one for a second.
- One/Just a moment, please.
- Hang on. I’ll get him.
- Just a second.
- One moment, please. I’ll see if he’s in.
Asking the caller to leave a message
- I’m sorry but he’s not here right now. May I take a message or would you like to call back later?
- I’m sorry but he tied up/busy/occupied/in a meeting now. Would you like to have him return your call?
- I’m afraid he can’t come to the phone/speak to you/take the call at this moment. Could you call back in a few minutes/later?
Transferring information
- Could you repeat that, please?
- Could you say it once again?
- Can you say it louder/slower?
- Could you please spell it?
- Anything else?
- Would you like me to read it to you again?
- Let me repeat to see if I get it.
Example
- Hello, this is Li Yang, may I speak to Felix?
- I’m sorry but he’s not here. May I take a message or would you like to call back later?
- Sure. That’s very kind of you, please tell him that I want to discuss our clusters.
- Would you mind saying it once again?
- About our clusters.
- OK. I’ll tell him to call you back. Anything else?
- No, thank you, have a nice weekend.
- Have a nice weekend. Goodbye.
- Bye.
Setting agenda
Making appointment
- I’m calling to make an appointment with you for next Monday.
- I wonder if it would be convenient to meet you tomorrow.
- Would it be convenient if I call on you tonight?
- Could you arrange an appointment with Mr. Green for me?
- I’d like to drop by tomorrow to talk over our plan.
- I look forward to seeing you at your office on July 18.
- Can you squeeze in some time for me next week?
Suggesting a time
- Can you make it at 3:00 on Monday?
- Will 9:00 be alright/okay with you?
- How about/what do you think of 3:30?
- Let’s say about 9 tomorrow?
- Anytime before 6 p.m..
- Anytime except Monday will be fine/okay/all right with me.
- I’m available from 9:00 to 3:00.
Example
- Hello, this is Yang. I wonder if it would be convenient to have our water delivery tomorrow.
- Unfortunately there are more demands than ever. How about three days later?
- As you may remember, you already said that three days ago.
- …
- But I think we deserve your priority, that’s how you treat a four years customer.
- …
- Fine, see you.
Arrangement
Making invitations
- I would like to invite you to a reception next Sunday at my home.
- I would like to invite you to dinner at new Chinese restaurant.
- Would you like/care to join us for dessert and coffee? (attend / take part in / join / join in)
- Would you like to go to New York with me next month?
- I was wondering if you’d like to go to the beach on Saturday.
- I was wondering if you’d like to come to dinner on Tuesday evening.
- Can/Will you meet me at the mall after class for some shoe shopping?
- Can you come over tomorrow night and watch the game with us?
- How/what about a movie tonight?
- Why don’t you/not jog with me in the mornings?
- Why don’t you stop by for a visit on your way home?
Accepting invitations
- Thank you very much.
- Thanks for your invitation. I’d be delighted to. / I’d love to.
- Sure. That would be fun/wonderful/great.
- What a terrific idea. I’d love to.
- Sounds like fun!
- Sure thing!
- I’ll see you there.
Declining invitations
- Thank you, but I’m afraid I have other plans for that night.
- Thank you, but I’m afraid I have an appointment that day.
- I’m sorry. I can’t go to the movie with you. I… (excuse)
- I wish I could, but I’m busy. Maybe another time, though.
- I hate to turn you down, but I must…
- I would love to any other time, but I’ve already made plans.
- Thanks for asking, but…
- I appreciate the invitation, but I’m afraid I can’t.
- I’m afraid I can’t, but thanks anyway.
- What about a rain check?
At the meeting
Starting a meeting
- Shall we get started?
- Now that everyone is here, let’s get down to business.
- We are going to discuss three problems this morning.
Proceeding to the next item
- Shall we move on to the next item on the agenda?
Guiding people in the discussion
Tools
- Grammarly
- Linggle 10^12- Language Reference Search Engines - NLPLab
- ozdic.com - the English Collocations Dictionary online