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North American Phone Numbers

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Telephone numbers in Canada and the US have ten digits. They look like this: 123-456-7890.

When we tell people a phone number, we pause after each group of numbers. Say “one two three… four five six… seven eight nine zero.” Some people may divide the group of four numbers into two groups of two “seven eight… nine zero.” It’s your choice.

The first three numbers are called the ‘area code.’ There are usually only a few in a province. In British Columbia, there are three: 604 and 778 in Vancouver, and 250 for everywhere else in the province. Because there are so few, we mostly just say the area code as part of the number. When you’re giving a number to a person overseas, you can say “area code one two three… four five six… seven eight nine zero.” Americans have many more area codes than Canadians.

IELTS Reading Speed

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An IELTS reading test contains between 2000 and 3000 words in addition to the questions. Tip: Improve your reading speed before you take the test. By reading  quickly, you will have more time to find the answers!

(Most students will need between 20 and 30 minutes just to read the passages.)

Telephone Answering Scripts for Business

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When you answer the phone, you are responsible for the image of the company. By following these simple scripts, you can give an image of confidence, professionalism, and respect.

To answer the call:

Hello, thank you for calling {business name], this is [your name], how can I help you?

To say no:

I’m sorry, but we [can’t do that/don’t have that] right now. We should be able to [do that/have that] again on [day]. If you call the day before, I can give you a more concrete answer.

To ask for contact information:

Would you like to leave a message?

What is your name, please?

Could you spell [your first name/your family name] for me?

What is the best number to reach you at?

When is a good time to call?

Just to check, your number is [repeat number]

To end the conversation:

Thanks for calling.

Is there anything else I can help you with?/Do you have any more questions?

If yes, answer their questions. If no, say:

Thanks again.

Goodbye.

Telephone Message Script

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Leaving a message can be stressful. Use this script to leave a helpful message, focus on the details, and avoid rambling.

Hello, it’s [name] from [your company’s name]. My number is ][number], and it’s [time] on [today]. I’m calling for [person’s name] because I wanted to discuss [reason for call]. I’ll be available [day] from [time] to [time] if you’d like to call back, otherwise I’ll try again on [next day].

Tip: If you’re calling about a specific issue, use a reference code, part number, or invoice date so they can look it up before they call you back.

With my information, it looks like this:

Hello, it’s Dave Henderson from Awesome Manufacturing. My number is 123-456-7890, and it’s 3:30 on Tuesday. I’m calling for Alice Burrard because I wanted to discuss our sales invoice, number 111222. I’ll be available today from 4:00 to 6:15 if you’d like to call back, otherwise I’ll try again on Wednesday.

PowerPoint Perfection

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Have you ever watched a presentation where the speaker used PowerPoint? I’;m sure you have. Think about the slides – did they keep your attention and give you useful information? If you’re like most of us, the answer is no.

Presentation software can be a real help. However, it can be very easy to bore your audience with it. Today, I’m going to give you some hints from my years of watching presentations about how to avoid this unfortunate situation.

1- Remember the 6 by 6 rule. Limit yourself to a maximum of six points on one slide, each with six words at most. By avoiding long sentences on the slide, your audience will be able to concentrate on the words you say.

2 – Avoid animation. Slides that move, flip, or fade might look fancy, but they might remind your audience of cartoons or children’s movies. In order to project a professional image, your slides should help the audience focus on your ideas.

3 – Use photos when they help. Using something visual like a photo, diagram, or graph, can be very helpful when comparing technical details. The best photos are ones that you take yourself – stay away from internet sources if you can. Everyone can find the same images on the internet!

4 – Be familiar with the technology. Practice beforehand, using all the tools you plan to use for the real presentation. Juggling a remote, your notes, and a laser pointer during your presentation can really be stressful and detract from your ideas.

Those are the most important ideas that I think make presentations better. When you are writing one, always ask yourself “Does this change make my presentation easier to remember or understand?” If the answer is yes, your change is a good one.

Parallelism – Making Lists Easy To Understand

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Parallelism is an aspect of grammar that connects to lists. It means “to group similar parts of speech together.” The easiest way to learn about it is just to see it in real sentences:

Before: I like to eat pizza, watch movies, and dancing.

After: I like to eat pizza, watch movies, and dance. (gerund becomes infinitive)

Before: John should write the report quickly, accurately, and with precision.

After: John should write the report quickly, accurately, and precisely. (adjective becomes adverb)

Before: Alice will research the problem, gather information, and solutions will be evaluated.

After: Alice will research the problem, gather information, and evaluate solutions. (active and passive verb forms made only active)

Before: James played his guitar, was dancing, and had done yoga before we came home.

After: James had done yoga, played his guitar, and danced before we came home.(several verb tenses combined)

The easy rule is this: be consistent with parts of speech in your list. If it is a list of nouns, use only noun forms. If only verbs, use the same tense. Looking for these patterns will help you write and speak more clearly.

In creative writing, you can use the forms of the words and also the sounds or the spelling to create interest and excitement.