Phones & Texting

This lesson focuses on common vocabulary and expressions used with phones and texting in professional and everyday contexts. You will learn nouns, verbs, and phrases used when making calls, leaving messages, and sending texts — useful for workplace communication and customer service.

• Key words: call, text, voicemail, ringtone, carrier, data plan, battery life
• Common phrases: make a call, pick up, hang up, put on hold, send a text
• Register: know when to use formal language (e.g., "I'll call you") vs casual texting shortcuts (e.g., "BTW")

Choose words and tone based on the situation:

• Formal (business emails/calls): use 'call', 'send a message', 'leave a voicemail' — avoid slang and abbreviations.
• Informal (friends/texts): 'ring', 'text', 'ping', and abbreviations like 'BTW' or 'FYI' are acceptable.
• Be explicit in professional contexts: include time, purpose, and follow-up actions (e.g., 'I'll call you at 3 PM to review the report').

When in doubt, use the formal form for workplace communication.

Watch out for frequent errors when using phone-related vocabulary:

• Using the wrong verb form: say 'I called' (past) not 'I have called' for a finished action with a past time marker.
• Incorrect prepositions: say 'on the phone' (not 'in the phone') and 'call someone at 3 PM' (time uses 'at').
• Confusing noun/verb usage: 'text' can be noun or verb — check word order (e.g., 'I sent a text' vs 'I texted him').
• Missing articles: include articles when needed ('a voicemail', 'the ringtone'), unless the noun is uncountable in context.

Double-check verb tense, prepositions, and articles to sound natural.