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TELEPHONE

Vocabulary - Facts - Teaching with cell phones / mobiles - Safety -
Listening - Role-play - Conversation questions -
Interactive exercises - Exercises to print -
Lesson plans -
Interactive games - Games to print - Jokes - Cartoons -
Animations / Videos - Posters / Ads - Songs

(Updated on 16/03/2013)

 


Related pages :

Smileys - SMS - Steve JOBS

 


Vocabulary :

  • Mobile phone vocabulary :

    coverage – the area where your mobile phone can be used
    credit – money to make calls on a pre-paid phone service
    direct debit – when money is automatically taken out of your bank account
    handset – mobile phone hardware
    mobile Internet – nternet on a mobile phone
    monthly contract – the contract you sign when you use a service plan
    pre-paid – a service you pay for before you use it
    reception – signal strength
    service provider – a company that provides the connection for your mobile phone
    service plan – a monthly contract that charges calls at a set rate and sometimes gives you a certain amount of free calls.
    SIM card – the small plastic card that enables your phone to connect to the service provider
    smartphone – a mobile phone with many extra functions
    text message – a message of up to 160 characters sent from a mobile phone (also called SMS)
    top-up voucher – a ticket to add credit to your mobile phone


  • Cell phones - Vocabulary (englishclub.com)
  • Ofcom (officially the Office of Communications; Welsh: Y Swyddfa Gyfathrebiadau)
    "is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom."
    (Wikipedia)

  • Phone hacking 
    "is a term used to describe the practice of intercepting telephone calls or voicemail messages, often by accessing the voicemail messages
    of a mobile phone without the consent of the phone's owner. The term came to prominence during the News of the World phone hacking affair,
    in which it was alleged (and in some cases proved in court) that the British tabloid newspaper the News of the World had been involved
    in the interception of voicemail messages of the British Royal Family, other public figures, and the murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler."
    (Wikipedia)
  • Sodcasting
    "is described by The Urban Dictionary as "The act of playing music through the speaker on a mobile phone, usually on public transport.
    Commonly practised by young people wearing polyester, branded sportswear with dubious musical taste."
    (BBC)

 

 

 

  • Telephone English - The Phrases (about.com)
    "There are a number of phrases and idioms that are only used when telephoning."
    - with Practical Exercises: Exercises to Improve Your Telephoning Skills
    Role Plays: Role Play Dialogue Cues to Practice Telephoning with Friends...


  • On the phone - liste d'expressions (englisch-hilfen.de)
  • transl8it! (trans-late-it) is simple to use!
    "Just type in your SMS or TXT lingo and let transL8it! convert it to plain english OR type in a phrase in english and convert it to TXT lingo!"
    (transl8it.com)


 

 

Facts :

  • Students thrive as head bans mobile phones
    "Effect on pupils' learning 'dramatic' after school bans students from using mobile phones on campus....
    Students at Burnage Media Arts College in Manchester are forbidden from using mobiles anywhere at any time on campus.
    The ban was brought in after children disrupted lessons by texting and playing games on their phones. There were also concerns that pupils were cyber-bullying..."
    (telegraph.co.uk)

  • Shopping by phone at South Korea's virtual grocery - 20 October 2011
    "Online shopping is nothing new, especially in plugged-in South Korea. But one company says it's going further.
    It's testing out a virtual supermarket in a public place."
    (BBC)

 

  • Why do people play music in public through a phone ?
    "With young people, usually loud music corresponds very strongly to owning the space."
    (BBC)

    Sodcasting
    "is described by The Urban Dictionary as "The act of playing music through the speaker on a mobile phone, usually on public transport.
    Commonly practised by young people wearing polyester, branded sportswear with dubious musical taste."
    (BBC)



  • Mobiles 'may cause brain cancer'
    " The World Health Organization's cancer research agency says mobile phones are "possibly carcinogenic"...
    it is important to take pragmatic measures to reduce exposure such as hands free devices or texting."
    See : What else is labelled possibly carcinogenic ?
    (BBC)

 

 

 

  • Spain treats child phone addicts
    "Two children in Spain have been admitted to a mental health institution to be treated for addiction to their mobile phones, Spanish media report...
    They were doing badly at school and lying to relatives in order to get money to spend on their phones...
    Mobile phone addiction "could definitely be a danger in the future". "
    (BBC)



  • Satellite phone
    "A satellite telephone, satellite phone, or satphone is a mobile phone, but unlike conventional cellular phones, which use cell sites, it uses orbiting satellites..."
    (Wikipedia)

     

  • Mobile phone use on planes

 

 

Teaching with cell phones / mobiles :

 

 

Safety :

  • ICE number :

    • ICE number
      = "an emergency phone number programmed in a mobile phone's
      address book under the name ICE (in case of emergency)."
      (wordspy.com)

 

    • In case of emergency (ICE)
      = "a program that enables first responders, such as paramedics, firefighters,
      and police officers, to identify victims and contact their next of kin to obtain important medical information...
      (Wikipedia)

 

 

Listening :

  • On the phone - Dialogue (oup.com)



  • On the phone - with translation into French and interactive activities
    (tolearnenglish.com)

 

  • Telephone Expressions Dictation
    (eolf.univ-fcomte.fr)

  • Telephone Talk
    "Here are some sample phrases and expressions for talking on the telephone."
    (eslgold.com)

  • Booking a hotel room - I´d like to book a room please.
    (audioenglish.net)

  • Mobile phones
    "Today Doug and Jackie talk about mobile phones. Is having a mobile phone important? Could you live without your mobile?"
    + Vocabulary + Script
    (BBC)

 

  • Telephone Numbers
    "Listen to the telephone number by clicking the "PLAY" link and choose the answer."
    (esl-lab.com)

 

  • Business calls
    "We look at how to make business calls. You can watch the video or just listen to the audio."
    + transcript
    (australianetwork.com)

 

  • Telephoning - interactive activity
    You can print the dialogue.
     (Oxford University Press)

 

  • Task Town is for students who want to participate with the audio. (elllo.org)
    As you listen you need to make choices or interact with the audio. Have Fun!
    Take a message!

  • A Free Cell Phone! (esl-lab.com)
    "A teenager talks to her father about getting a "free" mobile phone."
    I. Pre-Listening Exercises
    II. Listening Exercises
    III. Post-Listening Exercises

  • Telephone Expressions Dictation (eolf.univ-fcomte.fr)


  • AUDIO : Activités interactives (Yvan Baptiste)
    - "symboles phonétiques avec des exemples à écouter,
    deux pages exhaustives sur les paires minimales,
    comment épeler au téléphone,
    50 prénoms américains courants épelés à reconnaître, etc."
  • On the Phone (with exercises)
    - Is your dad home? (E)
    - Telephone Conversations (E)
    - Telephone Numbers (E)
    - Answering Machine (E)
    - Hello. May I help you? (E)
    - English Language Center (M)
    - First Mountain Bank (D)
    - Telemarketing (D)
    (esl-lab.com)

 

Conversation questions :

 

Role-play :

 

 

  • Telephone role-plays
    "These role cards present a series of simple situations for pre-intermediate and intermediate level learners, working in pairs.
    (British Council)

  • Making Plans on the Telephone: A Line-up Style Role-play (bogglesworldesl.com)
    "Students are divided into two groups: callers and receivers. Callers will get on the phone and call the receivers.
    They will then make plans if their schedules are not too busy or perhaps the receiver will try to make an excuse.
    This is a line-up style role-play that is excellent for teaching telephone English."

  • Can I Take a Message: Telephone Role-play (bogglesworldesl.com)

 

INTERACTIVE exercises :

  • Find the phone - with sound
    Students could imagine what is going to happen when they find the phone.
    (imagenes.telematica.net)

 

  • Mobile Madness
    "First read the text message on the mobile phone.
    Then type the message using complete words.
    Example : ruok ? = Are you OK ?"
    (oup.com)

 

  • Telephone English (openlearningcenter.com)
    Telephone Terms | Telephone Language | Telephone Tips | Practice 1 | Practice 2 | Practice 3 | Telephone Quiz
  • Polite speech (linguarama.com)
    "All these phrases are used over the telephone.
    Match the phrases on the left with their responses on the right.
    Choose the correct response from the drop-down list."
  • Telephoning : useful words and expressions (4 exercises) - interactive (Michel Barbot)

  • Telephoning - basic vocabulary - Gap-Fill Exercise: "choose from the words ..." (kaleidovox.hu)

  • Telephones - "Choose the correct answer."
    Q1 - "The person who answers the phone in a company is the ........ : receptionist ? operator ?"
    (Using English)

  • Telephone language - Who says this?
    "Can I speak to Ms Dupont, please?
    a) The caller b) The operator c) The person who is receiving the call"

  • transl8it! (trans-late-it) is simple to use!
    "Just type in your SMS or TXT lingo and let transL8it! convert it to plain english OR type in a phrase in english and convert it to TXT lingo!"


 

Exercises TO PRINT :

  • MOBILE PHONES - Smilies (absolutenglish-972)
    "Match the items on the right (feelings, people, animals...) to the corresponding smilies."

Lesson plans :

 

 

  • Mobile phones - une séquence :
    Video + Audio + Posters & adverts + Publications
    (think.dft.gov.uk)

  • Telephony.
    "Take a look at the article, story, cartoon, poll, word game, trivia and links."
    (British Council)

 

 

  • Telephone English - The Phrases (about.com)
    "There are a number of phrases and idioms that are only used when telephoning."
    - with Practical Exercises: Exercises to Improve Your Telephoning Skills
    Role Plays: Role Play Dialogue Cues to Practice Telephoning with Friends...
  • Mobiles - useful or dangerous?
    - with audio, script and factsheet
    (Penguin Dossiers)

  • Mobile phones - a lesson
    Lexical area: Phone language (text messages, to ring, ring tones etc)
    Cross curricular links: Social studies
    (British Council)
  • Vodafone's vending machine mobile phones (Breaking News English)
    - a lesson plan with "a news article, listening (MP3 file), communication activities, pair work, discussion,
    reading and vocabulary exercises."
  • MOBILE PHONES - a resource page including links and exercises (absolutenglish-972)
    "Amongst the new technologies, mobile phones remain the most popular worldwide.
    Yet, while more and more people own cell phones, the device represents a real danger, on the brain, as well as on the road...."
  • MOBILE PHONES - Advertising Campaign (absolutenglish-972)
    "This activity is based on a radio advert for the Mobile Phones campaign ...
    that aims to reinforce the message 'you can't do two things at once'. It was advertised in 2002."
  • I'm on my mobile - a lesson plan (ADVANCED)
    Language function: choosing the best deal; reading comprehension (english-4u.com)     SITE PAYANT

 

INTERACTIVE games :

 

  • Telephoning - a crossword (Michel Barbot)

  • Mobile Madness - interactive game (oup.com)
    Can you understand these text messages? Choose a level.


Games TO PRINT :

 

Jokes :

 

 

Cartoons : (Si le lien est inaccessible, enregistrer l'image pour obtenir la taille initiale.)

Cartoon: Banning Mobile Phones From Schools
" This cartoon by Mac from The Daily Mail relates to news
that pupils face a ban on mobile phones in school
as part of a new crackdown on classroom discipline."
 Read more >>
+ COMMENT + GRAMMAR + LINKS
(englishblog.com)

See Conversation questions

 

 

Cartoon: BlackBerry Out(r)age
"This cartoon by Kipper Williams
from The Guardian relates to the dramatic
computer crash at the UK headquarters
of  Research In Motion (RIM)
in Slough, Berkshire, this week,
which has left millions of  BlackBerry users
unable to send or receive emails and messages..."
+ LINKS
(englishblog.com)

 

 

Cartoon: The Met Sweeps It Under The Carpet
"This cartoon by Paul Thomas from The Daily Express 
relates to the phone hacking scandal 
which is dominating the news in the UK at the moment."
BACKGROUND + VOCABULARY + MORE CARTOONS
(englishblog.com)

See phone hacking

 

 

Cartoon: Mobile Phone Addiction
"This cartoon by Andy Davey from 
The Sun relates to research that shows
that smartphones have turned Britain
into a nation of mobile addicts.
Regulator Ofcom found that 60 per cent
of teenagers and more than a third of adults are 'highly addicted' to using their mobile phones." 
Read more >>
+ VOCABULARY + LINK
(englishblog.com)

 

Cell phones cause cancer - Cartoons
(cagle.com)

 

 

Cell phones may cause cancer ?
"This cartoon by Gary Markstein
from the Copley News Service relates
to a recent World Health
Organization press release 
saying that using a cell phone may
raise the risk of developing cancer."
+ COMMENTS + LINKS
(jeffreyhill.typepad.com)

 

To avoid brain cancer
(cagle.com)

Portable en classe
(2.bp.blogspot.com)

 

At the coffee shop
(Page 5)
(Ac. Grenoble)

 

 


ON THE PHONE
- UPDATED

 




Cartoon déclencheur de paroles
(décrire la scène, les personnages,
leurs habitudes
- imaginer la conversation...)

 

I have my iPhone with me!
(iphonestuff.org)

Phoning is allowed
(offthemarkcartoons.com)

 

 

No wonder sales
are down
(gwinnettforum.com)

 

Suicide

(No link)

Hands-free cell phone
(statehousereport.com)

Phone Out Of Service?
(bored.com)

 


Phone for all
(cartoonbox.slate.com)

(Si le lien est inaccessible,
enregistrer l'image pour obtenir
la taille normale.)

 


I'd better hang up!
(Site unknown)

 

My iPhone is doing it
(cagle.com)


Social gathering
(pritchettcartoons.com)

 
Cell phone section ?
(absolutenglish-972)


Can I call you back ?
(absolutenglish-972)

 

Gotta go now
(absolutenglish-972)

Death
(absolutenglish-972)

 
Cell phones
(glasbergen.com)


Are you in or out ?
(cartoonstock)

 

 

Help!
(cagle.msnbc.com)

 
MOBILE PHONES :
Cartoons
(absolutenglish-972)

 

iPhone
(slate.com)

 

 

Animations / Videos :

 

  • Video: iPhone 4S Ad Featuring Siri
    "One of the most talked about features of Apple's new iPhone 4S is Siri (pronounced /ˈsɪri/), a personal assistant which uses natural language processing to answer questions, make recommendations, and perform actions..."
    + COMMENTS + LINKS
    (englishblog.com)

 

  • Smartphones : fake wi-fi steals data !
    "A fake wi-fi hotspot run by criminals could allow them  to steal passwords and log into social networking sites...
    Apple has responded to the way that the latest iPhone is unlocked in this video, by saying that a recent update can be downloaded to prevent this."
    (Monique Mirza - anglais.over-blog.org)

 

  • Making Appointments - with the script - Difficulty: Easy
    You can hear the lines slowed down.
    "An employee calls someone to schedule a meeting."
    (englishcentral.com)

 

  • Cell Phones - Video Snapshot
    "Watch this video clip on the topic of cell phones and answer the questions based on what you hear."
    (esl-lab.com)

  • Cell Phone, BlackBerry And E-Mail Addiction
    Why are cell phones addictive?
    Aren't cell phones essential today?
    What's the biggest danger of cell phone addiction?
    How can I break cell phone addiction?...
    (videojug.com)

  • Business calls
    "We look at how to make business calls. You can watch the video or just listen to the audio."
    + transcript
    (australianetwork.com)

 

 

Posters / Ads :

  • Land Rover: S1 Phone - a poster
    "Land Rover phones are very durable and you can expect them to withstand some harsh conditions."
    + 2 posters
    (creativecriminals.com)

 

  • Concept publicitaire artistique et créatif conçu par AT&T
    "Le but du concept était d’illustrer le fait que AT&T  a un réseau mondial à travers plus de 215 pays."


    India

    - UPDATED


    Paraguay

    - NO LINK

     

  • Talk Talk - publicité (YouTube)

 

 

Songs :

  • Phone Call from 'The Rebel Cell' (album) by Dizraeli
    (music.dizraeli.com)

     

  • MOOSEBUTTER - LYRICS and AUDIO (moosebutter.com)
    Lyrics, Notes and Trivia

    Cell Phone
    "What's the nerve of you, talking on your cell phone?
    Ain't you got nothing better to do, talking on your cell phone?
    Walking down the sidewalk, sitting at home with your girlfriend? No end?..."

  • Busy line sung by Rose Murphy
    "I put a nickel in the telephone, dialled my baby's number
    Got a brrr, brrr, brrr, brrr, busy line
    Each time I tried I got a busy tone
    Not my baby's number"
    (lyricsplayground.com)
    - the VIDEO (YouTube)