A Telephone Call

.. .. A Telephone Call (Phone rings) Barbara: Hello Fred: Hello, May I speak to Alice Weaver, please? Barbara: Just a minute Alice, it's for you. Alice: Hello Fred: Hi, Alice. This is Fred. Would you like to go to a movie tonight? Alice: Thanks, I'd love to. I haven't been to a movie for a long time. Fred: Good. I'll pick you up around seven-thirty, then. The movie starts at eight. Alice: Fine, I'll be ready. (Phone clicks down) LANGUAGE NOTES * A simple Hello is the usual way of answering the telephone. Business firms, however, frequently identify themselves when answering the telephone: Jones Construction Company, or Good morning, Jones Construction Company, or, possibly, Jones Construction Company, Mr. Smith speaking. * May I speak to Alice Weaver, please? A possible alternative is I'd like to speak to Alice Weaver. Or the person calling may identify himself: Hello. This is Fred Young. May I speak to Alice Weaver, please? * Would you like to...? This is a "polite" form of do you want to ? It should be carefully differentiated from do you like to...? which has quite a different meaning. * I'd love to = I would love to, a somewhat more enthusiastic response than I'd like to. (All of these are "polite" equivalents of I want to.) Care should be taken to include d in these expressions in both speech and writing, to differentiate them from I love to and I like to, which differ from them in meaning as well as in form. I haven't been to... = I haven't gone to... Other examples: I haven't been to England yet, but I hope to go there soon. Have you been out today? We've been to the theater three times this week. We hadn't been there at all until last weekend. This use of BE is rather strictly colloquial and is generally limited to the perfect tenses. * I'll pick you up... = I'll come to your house so that we can go together. Pick up is a separable two-word verb. Around seven-thirty = about seven thirty - perhaps a few minutes before or after 7:30. To indicate a more precise time, the speaker would say at seven-thirty. To emphasize punctuality or the exactness of the appointed time, a speaker might say "at seven-thirty sharp," "at eight o'clock sharp," etc. (Notice that o'clock is often omitted in these expressions.) Although this dialogue ends with the line Fine, I'll be ready, a telephone conversation usually ends with each speaker saying good-by. When your students perform this dialogue, it would probably be useful, therefore, to have each of them say good-by at the end of the conversation. ..