Making an Appointment

Being able to make and cancel an appointment is an important skill in English. You
need to be able to:

• make an appointment,

• respond to an appointment and

• cancel an appointment.

Here are some expressions you can use to do this concisely and clearly.

Asking to meet:

Are you available on... / next...?

free on... / next...?

Can we meet on... / next ...?

Would next ... be ok?

What about next ... ?

Is next ... ok?

Examples:

• "Are you available on the 17th?"

• "Can we meet on the 16th?"

• "Are you free next week?"

• "Would Friday suit you?"

• "Is next Tuesday convenient for you?"

• "What about sometime next week?"

Responding to an appointment:

Yes, ... is fine

.... would be fine.

.... suits me
would be perfect.

I'm afraid I can't on ....

I'm sorry I won't be able to... on ...

I really don't think I can on ...

Examples:

• "Yes, Monday is fine."

• "Monday suits me."

• "Thursday would be perfect."

• "I'm afraid I can't on the 3rd. What about the 6th?"

• "I'm sorry, I won't be able to make it on Monday. Could we meet on Tuesday

instead?"

• "Ah, Wednesday is going to be a little difficult. I'd much prefer Friday, if that's
alright with you."

• "I really don't think I can on the 17th. Can we meet up on the 19th?

Cancelling an appointment

You can cancel an appointment as follows

• Unfortunately, due to some unforeseen business, I will be unable to keep our

appointment for tomorrow afternoon.

• Would it be possible to arrange another time later in the week?

• I’m afraid that I have to cancel our meeting on Wednesday, as something

unexpected has come up.

• You know we were going to meet next Friday? Well, I'm very sorry, but
something urgent has come up.

• I'm afraid that I'm not going to be able to meet you after all. Can we fix
another time?

Do the exercises below on how to make an appointment in English

Secretary: Good morning. Dr Albright's office.This is Julia__________ .

John: Good morning._________ John Smith calling.

Secretary: How can I help you?

John: I_________ to make an appointment with Dr Albright.

Secretary: Okay! Hold on for a moment... Let me see!_________ next

Wednesday convenient for you?

John: I'm____________ , I am not free on Wednesday.

Secretary: _________ Thursday?

 John: Sorry, Thursday is going to be a little difficult for me to come.
I'd__________ Friday, if that's available.

Secretary: Is 9:00 pm_________ for you?

John: Yes, that would be_________ .

Secretary: If you can't______________ for any reason, please contact me.

John: Sure! Thank you very much.

Secretary: You're welcome.

The Simple present of the verb to be

The verb to be

The verb to be is the most important verb in the English language. It is difficult to
use because it is an irregular verb in almost all of its forms. In the simple present
tense, to be is conjugated as follows:

Use of the simple present of to be

The principal use of the simple present is to refer to an action or event that takes
place habitually, but with the verb "to be" the simple present tense also refers to a
present or general state, whether temporary, permanent or habitual.

• I am happy.

• She is helpful.

The verb to be in the simple present can be also used to refer to something that is
true at the present moment.

• She is 20 years old.

• He is a student.

Remember:

• I, you, he, she, it, you, they are subject pronouns (also called personal pronouns, a
term used to include both subject and object pronouns.)

• am, are, is are forms of the verb to be in the simple present.

• 'm, 're, 's are short (contracted) forms of am, are, is

• 'm not, aren't, isn't are short (contracted forms) of am not, are not, is not.
Affirmative forms of the verb to be

Subject Pronouns Full Form Contracted Form

I Am 'm

You Are 're

he/she/it Is 's

We Are 're

You Are 're

They Are 're

Interrogative forms of the verb to be:

Am I?

Are you?

Is he/she/it?

Are we?

Are you?

Are they?

Negative Forms of the verb to be:

Subject Pronouns Full Form Contracted Form

I am not 'm not

You are not aren't

he/she/it is not isn't

We are not aren't

You are not aren't

They are not aren't

 Phone Calls Vocabulary: When We Call
We identify ourselves… We ask for someone.
Could I speak to Mr Roger, please?
My name is ______. I'd like to speak to Mr Roger, please.

This is _______ (here). Could you put me through to Mr Roger, please?

We apologize for not being able to communicate with
the person asking.
If we ask for someone...
I'm afraid Mr Roger isn't in at the moment.
Could I speak to _____, please? I'm sorry, he's in a meeting at the moment.
Could you put me through to _______, please? I'm afraid he's on another line at the moment.
Could I have extension 123, please? We put someone on hold.
I'd like to speak to ________ , please. Just a moment, please.
Could you hold the line, please?
Hold the line, please.
We explain the reason for the call...
We do not understand or do not listen well to the
I'm calling to ask about...
interlocutor.
I'm phoning to tell you about...
I'm sorry, I don't understand. Could you repeat that, please?
I'm sorry, I can't hear you very well. Could you speak up a little,
If we want to leave a message... please?
Could you give ____ a message? Could you spell that, please?

Could you ask ___ to call me when he gets back? We pass the call to someone else.
One moment, please. I'll see if Mr Roger is available.
I'll put you through.
We appreciate the attention... I'll connect you.
Thanks you very much for your help. I'm connecting you now.
Thanks for the information.
The person is communicating
Call closure...
Good bye. I've tried to get through several times but it's always engaged.

Bye.
We take note of a message.
Can I take a message?
Phone calls
Would you like to leave a message?
Can I give him a message?
We answer the phone.
I'll tell Mr Roger that you called
I'll ask him to call you as soon as possible.
Good morning.
Good afternoon.
Good evening.
Paul Smith speaking.
Who's calling, please?

Introducing Ourselves.

This is Paul Smith speaking.

Hello, this is Paul Smith from Microsoft.
Telephone English - The Phrases
There are a number of phrases and idioms that are only used when telephoning. Let's first take
a look at an example dialogue: Here are the most common:

• Operator: Hello, Frank and Brothers, How can I help you?

• Peter: This is Peter Jackson. Can I have extension 3421?
• Operator: Certainly, hold on a minute, I'll put you through...
• Frank: Bob Peterson's office, Frank speaking.
• Peter: This is Peter Jackson calling, is Bob in?
• Frank: I'm afraid he's out at the moment. Can I take a message?
• Peter: Yes, Could you ask him to call me at . I need to talk to him about the Nuovo line,
it's urgent.
• Frank: Could you repeat the number please?
• Peter: Yes, that's , and this is Peter Jackson.
• Frank: Thank you Mr Jackson, I'll make sure Bob gets this asap.
• Peter: Thanks, bye.
• Frank: Bye.

As you can see, the language is rather informal and there are some important differences to
everyday English. Look at the chart below for key language and phrases used in telephone
English:

More Telephone English:

Leaving a Message

Sometimes, there may not be anyone to answer the telephone and you will need to
leave a message. Follow this outline to make sure that the person who should receive
your message has all the information he/she needs.

1. Introduction - - - - Hello, this is Ken. OR Hello, My name is Ken Beare (more

formal).
2. State the time of day and your reason for calling - - - - - It's ten in the
morning. I'm phoning (calling, ringing) to find out if ... / to see if ... / to let you
know that ... / to tell you that ...
3. Make a request - - - - Could you call (ring, telephone) me back? / Would you
mind ... ? /
4. Leave your telephone number - - - - My number is .... / You can reach me at
.... / Call me at ...
5. Finish - - - - Thanks a lot, bye. / I'll talk to you later, bye.

Here's an example of message

Telephone: (Ring... Ring... Ring...) Hello, this is Tom. I'm afraid I'm not in at the
moment. Please leave a message after the beep..... (beep)

Ken: Hello Tom, this is Ken. It's about noon and I'm calling to see if you would like to
go to the Mets game on Friday. Could you call me back? You can reach me at 367-
8925 until five this afternoon. I'll talk to you later, bye.

As you can see, leaving a message is pretty simple. You only need to make sure that
you have stated all the most important information: Your Name, The Time, The Reason
for Calling, Your Telephone Number
Role Playing Suggestions

Here are some role plays for you to use in practicing your telephone English.

Requesting Travel Information

Student A:

Choose a city in your country. You are going to travel to this city for a business meeting
over the next weekend. Telephone a travel agency and reserve the following:

• Round-trip flight
• Hotel room for two nights
• Restaurant recommendation
• Prices and departure times

Student B:

You work in a travel agency. Listen to student A and offer him/her the following
solutions:

• Round-trip flight: Air JW $450 Coach, $790 First Class

• Hotel room for two nights: Hotel City $120 a night in the downtown area, Hotel
Relax $110 a night near the airport
• Restaurant Recommendation: Chez Marceau - downtown - average price $70 a
person

Product Information

Student A:

You need to purchase six new computers for your office. Call JA's Computer World and
ask for the following information:

• Current special offers on computers

• Computer configuration (RAM, Hard Drive, CPU)
• Guaranty
• Possibility of discount for an order of six computers

Student B:

You work in at JA's Computer World answer student A's questions using the following
information:

• Two special offers: Multimedia Monster - with latest Pentium CPU, 256 RAM,
40 GB Hard Drive, Monitor included - $2,500 AND Office Taskmaster - cheaper
CPU, 64 RAM, 10 GB Hard Drive, Monitor not included - $1,200
• 1 Year guaranty on all computers
• Discount of 5% for orders of more than five computers
Leaving a Message

Student A:

You want to speak to Ms Braun about your account with her company, W&W. If Ms
Braun isn't in the office, leave the following information:

• Your name
• Telephone number: 347-8910 (or use your own)
• Calling about changing conditions of your contract with W&W
• You can be reached until 5 o'clock at the above number. If Ms Braun calls after
5 o'clock, she should call 458-2416

Student B:

You are a receptionist at W&W. Student A would like to speak to Ms Braun, but she is
out of the office. Take a message and make sure you get the following information:

• Name and telephone number - ask student A to spell the surname

• Message student A would like to leave for Ms Braun
• How late Ms Braun can call student A at the given telephone number

Selling Your Product

Student A:

You are a salesperson for Red Inc. You are telephoning a client who you think might be
interested in buying your new line of office supplies. Discuss the following information
with your client:

• New line of office supplies including: copy-paper, pens, stationary, mouse-pads

and white boards
• You know the customer hasn't ordered any new products during this past year
• Special discount of 15% for orders placed before next Monday
• Any order placed before Monday will not only receive the discount, but also
have its company logo printed on the products at no extra charge

Student B:

You work in an office and receive a telephone call from your local office supplier. As a
matter fact, you need some new office supplies so you are definitely interested in what
the salesperson has to offer. Talk about the following:

• New pens, stationary and white boards

• Do they have any special offers
• You would like to place an order for 200 packages of copy paper immediately