Time for a new mind map. This one focuses on the vocabulary of phones and phoning.

The mind map has four sections. Three sections contain the nouns used to talk about and describe phones and phone numbers. The fourth section has a collection of verb collocations for talking about phone calls.

You can view the mind map on Popplet or click the button below to download the image file.

DOWNLOAD

After you have done that, test your knowledge with this short quiz. The answers are at the end of the blog post.

Quiz

Questions 1 – Verb collocations

Which of these verbs form collocations with the words ‘a call’?

1. 1. make
   2. miss
   3. do
   4. get
   5. take
   6. put
   7. hang up
   8. give

Question 2 – Common mistakes

Each of these sentences contains a common mistake. Identify and correct each mistake.

1. I have to call to my colleagues in Italy.
2. I’ll put you through my boss.
3. Your client called earlier. Can you call back him?
4. In my job, I do a lot of calls with customers.

Question 3 – part of a phone

Match these words to the parts of the phone.

1. earpiece
2. screen
3. keypad
4. handset
5. call button

 

 

Now check the answers to see if you were right.

Answers

Question 1

make a call

miss a call

get a call

take a call

give someone a call

Question 2

1. I have to call my colleagues in Italy.
2. I’ll put you through to my boss.
3. Can you call him back?
4. In my job, I make a lot of calls to customers.

Question 3

1. earpiece (b)
2. screen (c)
3. keypad (d)
4. handset (a)
5. call button (e)

 

Other telephone language

Here is some other blogs posts focusing on English for making phone calls.

Checking and clarifying on the phone – 1

Checking and clarifying on the phone – 2

Spellng words with the International Radio Alphabet

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If you have any questions about the mind map, leave a comment below.

Do you need to practise speaking English on the telephone? Send us a message.