Introduction / Making Contact
If answering a business call, start by introducing yourself or if the caller fails to identify themselves,
then you could ask them to state who they are by using the following phrases:
Formal
Hello
Good Morning
Good Afternoon
This is ___ speaking
Could I speak to ___ please?
I would like to speak to ___
Im trying to contact ___
Informal
Hello
Hi, its ___ here
I am trying to get in touch with ___
Is ___ there please?
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Giving more information
This would probably be used in a business context mainly, but could sometimes be helpful in an
informal conversation too. It is good to specify where you are calling from, if you feel it may be
helpful to the person you are calling.
Formal
I am calling from ___
Im calling on behalf of ___
Informal
Im in the post office at the moment, and I just needed ___
Taking / Receiving a Call
You may need to use these if you are answering someone elses phone, because they are unable to
answer it themselves, or if you are answering an office phone.
Formal
Hello, this is ___ speaking
___ speaking, how may I help you?
Informal
Hello, Johns phone
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Asking for more information / Making a request
If you need to ask for a specific person, then phrase your request as a polite question, if you only
have an extension number and no name, you can say so. If youre calling for a specific reason, just
explain briefly what it is.
Formal
May I ask whos calling please?
Can I ask whom Im speaking to please?
Where are you calling from?
Is that definitely the right name/number?
Could I speak to someone who ___?
I would like to make a reservation please
Could you put me through to extension number ___ please?
Informal
Whos calling please?
Whos speaking?
Who is it?
Whom am I speaking to?
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Asking the caller to wait / Transferring a call
If you are transferring a caller to someone else, you should let them know that you are doing so, just
so they know what is happening, as the silent tone could be mistaken for a disconnected line! If you
are the one being transferred, you will often hear the person use the following phrases:
Formal
Could you hold on a moment please
Just a moment please
Hold the line please
Ill just put you through
Ill just transfer you now
Informal
Hold on a minute
Just a minute
Okay, wait a moment please
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Giving Negative Information
If you are the one answering a call, you might not be able to help the caller. You can use some of the
following phrases in these circumstances:
Formal
Im afraid the line is busy at the moment
That line is engaged at the moment, could you call back later please?
Im afraid ___s busy at the moment, can I take a message?
Im sorry, hes out of the office today
You may have dialled the wrong number
Im afraid theres no one here by that name
Informal
Sorry, ___s not here
___ is out at the moment
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Telephone Problems
If you dont understand everything the other person is saying, be honest. Tell the other person
immediately, otherwise you might miss some important information! Most people will appreciate your
honesty, and will be happy to oblige.
Formal
Im afraid I cant hear you very well
Would you mind speaking up a bit please?
Im afraid my English isnt very good, could you speak slowly please?
Could you repeat that please?
Informal
Sorry, I didnt catch that
Say that again please?
I cant hear you very well
Sorry, this line is quite bad
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Leaving / Taking a Message
If the person youre calling is not available, be prepared to leave a message. This could be
a voicemail, (which is a digital voice recording system), or an answering machine (this records
messages onto a tape). If youre leaving a message with another person, theyll either ask if you
want to leave a message, or you could request to leave a message with them. Be sure to leave your
number, if you want the other person to call you back!
Formal
Can I take your name and number please?
Can I leave a message please?
Could you please ask ___ to call me back?
Could you spell that for me please?
Can I just check the spelling of that please?
Informal
Ill ask him to ring you when ___ gets back
Could you tell ___ that I called please?
Ill let ___ know that you rang
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Saying Goodbye
The easiest part of the conversation! Simply be polite, and speak with a friendly manner.
Formal
Thank you for calling
Have a good day
Goodbye
Informal
Bye!
Talk soon
Speak to you again soon
Remember your manners!
Its very important to be polite on the telephone, use phrases like could you, would you like to, and
to make requests, use please. Always remember to finish a conversation with thank you and good
bye.
Write it down!
If youre nervous about speaking on the phone in English, then it may be helpful to write a brief script
or a few bullet points on that you need to say.
If you will be speaking to someone you dont know, it helps to have things written down in front of
you, to calm your nerves!
If you have a brief outline of what you need to say, it will help to organise your thoughts beforehand,
and to use it as a reference during the call, if you get confused.
Phrasal verbs
One thing you could do to improve your telephone skills is to learn some of the phrasal verbs that
are commonly used in English telephone conversations.
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Common Phrasal Verbs
1. hold on
means wait
Could you hold on a moment please?
2. hang on
also means wait! (informal)
Could you hang on a moment please?
3. put (a call) through
means to connect one caller to another
Im just going to put you through now.
4. get through
to be connected to someone on the phone
I cant get through to his line at the moment, could you call back later please?
5. hang up
means to put the receiver down
I think the operator hung up on me, the line just went dead!
6. call up
is to make a telephone call (mainly used in American English or slang)
Ill call up the theatre, and find out about tickets.
7. call back
is to return someones call
Ill ask him to call you back, when he gets home.
8. pick up
means to answer a call / lift the receiver to take a call
No one is picking up, maybe theyre not at home.
9. get off (the phone)
means to stop talking on the phone
When he gets off the other phone, Ill pass on your message.
10. get back to (someone)
means to return someones call
When do you think shell be able to get back to me?
11. cut off
to be disconnected abruptly during a telephone conversation
I think we got cut off, I cant hear her anymore.
12. switch off/turn off
is to deactivate (a cell phone/mobile phone)
Sorry you couldnt get through to me. My phone was switched off, because the battery had
died.
13. speak up
means to talk louder
Im afraid I cant hear you very well, could you speak up a little please?
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Hold on means wait and hang on means wait too. Be careful not to confuse hang on with hang
up! Hang up means finish the call by breaking the connection in other words: put the phone
down.
Another phrasal verb with the same meaning as hang up is ring off, but this isnt as commonly
used as some of the other phrasal verbs listed above.
The opposite of hang up / ring off is ring up if you ring somebody up, you make a phone call.
And if you pick up the phone (or pick the phone up), you answer a call when the phone rings.
Hang on a second
If you are talking to a receptionist, secretary or switchboard operator, they may ask you to hang
on while they put you through put through means to connect your call to another telephone.
With this verb, the object (you, me, him, her etc.) goes in the middle of the verb: put you through.
But if you cant get through to (contact on the phone) the person you want to talk to, you might be
able to leave a message asking them to call you back.
Call back means to return a phone call and if you use an object (you, me, him, her, etc.), it goes in
the middle of the verb: call you back.
Now you can start making those calls!
GREETINGS
Formal
Dear Sir/ Madam,
Dear Sir or Madam,
To whom it may concern: (especially AmE)
Dear Mr/ Ms Jones,
Dear Dr Smith,
(note: First names are NOT used. Using Miss or Mrs to address a woman is not appropriate, as you
dont know whether shes married or not)
Informal
Hi Dennis,
Hello Claire,
Dear Mum,
(note: salutations are followed by a (,) comma, exception: To whom it may concern:)
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REASON FOR WRITING / REPLYING
Formal
I am writing to make a reservation/ to apply for the position of/ to confirm my booking/ to
ask for further information about
I am writing with regard to the sale of / to the complaint you made on 29th February
Thank you for your e-mail of 29th February regarding the sale of / concerning the
conference in Brussels.
With reference to our telephone conversation on Friday, I would like to let you know that
Semi-formal / Informal
Just a quick note to invite you to/ to tell you that
This is to invite you to join us for...
Thanks for your e-mail, it was wonderful/great to hear from you.
I wanted to let you know that / tell you about / ask you if
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MAKING A REQUEST / ASKING FOR INFORMATION
Formal
Could you please let me know if you can attend / if you are available for a meeting on
12th December?
I would appreciate it if you could please send me a brochure/ if you could please reply within
two days.
Could you possibly arrange a meeting with the Logistics Manager?
I would also like to know if there are any swimming pools in your area.
Please let me know how much the tickets cost.
Informal
I was wondering if you could come and see me sometime next week.
Would you mind coming early to help me clear up the place?
Do you think you could call Jerry for me?
Can you call me/ get back to me asap? (as soon as possible)
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OFFERING HELP / GIVING INFORMATION
Formal
We are happy to let you know that your article has been selected for publication.
I am glad to inform you that we will be holding our annual conference in Brussels on 20
September 2014.
We regret to inform you that the show has been canceled due to bad weather conditions.
We are willing to arrange another meeting with the CEO.
We would be glad to send you another statement if necessary.
Please do let me know if I can be of further assistance.
Should you need any further information/assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Informal
Im sorry, but I cant make it tomorrow. (= I cant come tomorrow.)
Im happy to tell you that John and I are getting married next month.
Would you like me to come early and help you clear up the place?
How about I come and help you out?
Do you need a hand with moving the furniture?
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COMPLAINING
Formal
I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with / to complain about
I regret to say that I was not completely satisfied with the room you provided us.
We regret to inform you that your payment is considerably overdue.
I would like to receive a full refund and compensation for the damages.
I am interested to hear how your company can compensate us for the distress we suffered.
Informal
Im sorry to say that youre late with the payments.
I hope you wont mind me saying that the place youd recommended to us wasnt as nice as
wed expected.
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APOLOGIZING
Formal
We would like to apologize for any inconvenience caused.
Please accept our apologies for the delay.
Please let us know what we can do to compensate you for the damages caused.
We will make sure that this will not happen again in the future.
I am afraid I will not be able to attend the conference.
Informal
Im sorry for the trouble I caused.
I apologize for the delay.
I promise it wont happen again
Im sorry, but I cant make it to the meeting.
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ATTACHING FILES
Formal
I am attaching my CV for your consideration.
I am sending you the brochure as an attachment.
Please see the statement attached.
Please find attached the file you requested.
I am afraid I cannot open the file you have sent me.
Could you send it again in format?
Informal
Im attaching/sending you the holiday photos.
Sorry, but I cant open it. Can you send it again in format?
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ENDING
Formal
I look forward to hearing from you.
I look forward to hearing when you are planning to visit our town.
Informal
Hope to hear from you soon.
Im looking forward to seeing you.
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CLOSING FORMULA
Formal
Yours faithfully, (when you start with Dear Sir/ Madam,)
Yours sincerely, (when you start with the name e.g. Dear Ms Collins)
Sincerely Yours, (AmE)
Sincerely, (AmE)
Yours Truly, (AmE)
Informal
Love,
Thanks,
Take care,
Yours,
Best regards, (semi-formal, also BR)
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One more thing to keep in mind is that in formal correspondence contractions are rarely used, so
remember to write I do not instead of I dont or they cannot instead of they cant and so on.
Keep learning, keep writing practice makes perfect and let me know if I can help you with
anything.
