Telephone and email language spot the difference game

Telephone and email spot the difference pairwork

Student A

Work with someone who has the Student B worksheet, without showing your worksheets to each other. Starting from the first line, read out your sentences and listen to your partner’s and try to work out which words are different, and if that changes the meaning (“D” for “different meanings”) or not (“S” for “the same meaning”). If you are not, try thinking about which situations you would use those phrases in. 

1. Shall I give you his mobile number?
2. I’m putting you on hold
3. Can you spell your name?
4. I’m afraid the line is busy
5. Can you put me through to extension 3121, please?
6. Can you hold?
7. See you then
8. Can I take a message?
9. Let’s meet in Victoria
10. Dear John
11. Can you tell her to call me back?
12. You’ve reached Janet Smithers.
13. I look forward to seeing you
14. Please leave your message after the tone
15. Have you got a minute?
16. Sorry, you are breaking up. Can I phone you back?
17. Thanks in advance.
18. There’s no Mr Brown here
19. I have to do it?
20. Sorry, it’s late
21. There are several points: prizes, booby prizes and award ceremonies
22. I’m not interested in your “solutions”
23. No
24. My boss who works in London is dealing with it
25. I’m afraid he’s out of the country at the moment

Start checking by looking at both worksheets together.

Check as a class.

Test each other on the language:

• read out the two versions and see if your partner can say if they have the same or different meanings
• read out two with different meanings and see if your partner can explain what the difference is
• read out one which has one with the same meaning (an “S” one) and see if your partner can rephrase it without changing the meaning

Student B

Work with someone who has the Student A worksheet, without showing your worksheets to each other. Starting from the first line, read out your sentences and listen to your partner’s and try to work out which words are different, and if that changes the meaning (“D” for “different meanings”) or not (“S” for “the same meaning”). If you are not, try thinking about which situations you would use those phrases in. 

1. Shall I give you his cell phone number?
2. I’m putting you through
3. Can you spell your first name?
4. I’m afraid the line is engaged
5. Can I have extension 3121, please?
6. Can you hold on?
7. See you later
8. Would you like to leave a message?
9. Let’s meet at Victoria
10. Dearest John
11. Can you ask her to call me back?
12. Janet Smithers speaking
13. I’m looking forward to seeing you
14. Please speak after the beep
15. Are you free to talk?
16. Sorry, it’s a bad line. Can I phone you back?
17. Thanks for the advance.
18. Mr Brown isn’t here
19. I have to do it.
20. Sorry it’s late
21. There are several: points, prizes, booby prizes and award ceremonies
22. I’m not interested in your solutions.
23. No!
24. My boss, who works in London, is dealing with it
25. I’m afraid he’s on holiday in Hawaii at the moment

Start checking by looking at both worksheets together.

Check as a class.

Test each other on the language:

• read out the two versions and see if your partner can say if they have the same or different meanings
• read out two with different meanings and see if your partner can explain what the difference is
• read out one which has one with the same meaning (an “S” one) and see if your partner can rephrase it without changing the meaning

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Related pages

Email or telephone page

Teaching Telephoning e-book

Teaching emailing e-book