LEARNER’S NAME:
DATE:
ADULT CENTRE:
This LAB was created by
Denise Morel, Marisa Campanella, Clara Rantucci-Barone
on behalf of
Cosmo Della Rocca,
Director of Adult Education and Vocational Services, EMSB
ACTIVITY 1: Reading and Surveying Forms
1
FOCUS ON LANGUAGE: Capitalization and Abbreviations
8
FOCUS ON LANGUAGE: Writing and Saying Dates in English
14
FOCUS ON LANGUAGE: Saying Addresses
19
FOCUS ON LANGUAGE: Asking and Answering Questions about
Personal Identity
24
ACTIVITY 2: Role-play
28
IMAGE CREDITS
33
ACTIVITY 1
READING AND SURVEYING FORMS
In what situations do you fill out forms?
•
•
•
Registering for a course
Applying for a gym membership
Registering your child at camp
•
•
•
Most forms ask for your personal information. Look at some typical forms on the next
three pages.
1
LAB Personal Identification
LITERACY: Courses ENG B121-4, ENG
B122-4, ENG B123-4
English Course Registration Form
Please Print
Name:________________________________________________________________
(first)
(last)
Mr. 
Title:
Gender:
M
Mrs. 
Miss 
Ms. 
F
Marital status: Married 
Single 
Divorced 
Separated 
Widowed 
Date of birth: ________________________________
(month)
(day)
(year)
Address: _____________________________________________________________
(no.)
(street)
(city/town)
(province) (postal code)
E-mail Address: _______________________________________________________
Tel. No.: Home:__(________)_______________ Mobile:__( ________)___________
(area code)
(area code)
Citizenship status: Canadian Citizen 
Permanent Resident 
Student Visa 
Country of origin: _______________________
Mother tongue: _________________________
Other languages (besides English): _______________________________________
Signature: ________________________________
2
Date: ____________________
LAB Personal Identification
LITERACY: Courses ENG B121-4, ENG
B122-4, ENG B123-4
Gym Registration Form
USE BLOCK LETTERS
Surname:
Forename:
(no.)
Address:
(street)
(province)
(postal code)
Home phone number:
Work phone number:
Contact number (in
case of emergency):
Gender:
Male 
Female 
DOB:
YYYY
MM
Weight:
kilograms
Height:
centimeters
DD
Occupation:
Signature: _______________________________ Date: _______________________
3
LAB Personal Identification
LITERACY: Courses ENG B121-4, ENG
B122-4, ENG B123-4
CHILD INFORMATION
Family name: _____________________ Given name: __________________ Age: ____
Sex: M 
F
DOB: ___/____/___
Grade (in September): ______
yy / mm / dd
HOUSEHOLD INFORMATION
Household status: Single parent  Dual parent  Number of people in household: ___
Language spoken at home:
English 
Other: ___________________
(specify)
First parent/guardian
Family name: ___________________ Given name: ___________________
Relationship to child:
Father 
Mother 
Other  __________________
Address: _______________________________________________________________
(no.)
(street)
(city/town)
(province) (postal code)
Phone: Home: ________________ Work: ________________ Cell: _________________
Second parent/guardian
Family name: ___________________ Given name: ___________________
Relationship to child:
Father 
Mother 
Other  __________________
Address: Same as above  or:
_________________________________________________________________
(no.)
(street)
(city/town)
(province)
(postal code)
Phone: Home: ________________ Work: ________________ Cell: _______________
EMERGENCY CONTACT (Other Than Above) Authorized to Pick Up Child
Full name: __________________________________ Phone: _____________________
Address: _______________________________________________________________
(no.)
(street)
(city/town)
(province) (postal code)
Relationship to child: ______________________________
4
LAB Personal Identification
LITERACY: Courses ENG B121-4, ENG
B122-4, ENG B123-4
EXERCISE 1: FIND THE TERM
Refer to the three forms on the previous pages and find the answers to the following
questions:
1. Two other terms for first name:
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
2. Two other terms for last name:
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
3. Two titles you can use to address a married woman:
_______________ or _______________
4. A shorter word for telephone: _____________________________________
5. An abbreviation of the word telephone: _____________________________
6. An abbreviation of the word number: _______________________________
7. Another term for mobile phone: ____________________________________
8. A home where there is only one parent (either a mother or a father):
______________________________________________household.
9. H3X 2B1 is an example of a Canadian _______________________________
10. Another term for first language (the first language a person learns at home as a
child): _________________________________________________________
5
LAB Personal Identification
LITERACY: Courses ENG B121-4, ENG
B122-4, ENG B123-4
EXERCIE 2: FILL OUT THE FORM
Fill out the form below for Mary Lawson. Personal information about Mary
Lawson is provided at the bottom of the page, but it is in mixed-up order. You
must find the information that matches the heading in order to fill out the form
correctly.
LIBRARY
VOLUNTEER
Please Print
Family Name: ____________________Given Name: ________________________
Gender: M 
F
Marital status: Married 
Title: Mr. 
Single 
Mrs. 
Divorced 
Miss 
Ms. 
Separated 
Widowed 
DOB: ________ / ____ /____
Age:____________
yyyy
mm dd
Address: ______________________________ ________ __________________
(no. and street)
(apt.)
(city/town)
_____________________ _______________
(province)
(postal code)
Tel. no.: _______________________ E-mail: _____________________________
Citizenship: Canadian 
Other  _____________________________
(specify)
Occupation: ______________________________
Language(s) spoken: __________________________________
Days available (circle as many as apply):
M
T
W
T
F
S
S
Signature: _____________________________
Information about Mary Lawson:
- 350 Dunbar St.,
#212
- mlaws@go.ca
- Canadian
- Ms.
- Secretary
- Mary
- free on Monday
and Wednesday
- Mary Lawson
- Montreal
- Quebec
- Divorced
- 35
- English, French
- 514-555-1313
- 1980/06/25
- Female
- Lawson
- H4X 1P3
6
LAB Personal Identification
LITERACY: Courses ENG B121-4, ENG
B122-4, ENG B123-4
EXERCISE 3: CROSSWORD PUZZLE
Use the clues to complete the puzzle. If an answer has more than one word, separate the
words by a blank space.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
Created on TheTeachersCorner.net Crossword Maker: http://worksheets.theteacherscorner.net/make-your-own/crossword/
Across
Down
4. Capital letters are also called _____ letters
1. Marital status of someone
5. Given name (2 words)
7. The first three digits of a telephone number (indicating a
particular region of a country)
8. How old a person is
9. DOB (abbreviation of …: 3 words)
10. A woman (not a man)
11. A person's complete name: first name + last name (and
maybe middle name)
12. Job
15. A person's name, when it is signed personally
16. Marital status of someone who has never been married
17. Title of any woman, whether single, married or divorced
whose husband/wife has died
2. Place of birth (3 words)
3. Family name (2 words)
6. A person's sexual identity
(male or female)
13. Where someone lives
(number, street, city, province)
14. Title of a married woman
7
LAB Personal Identification
LITERACY: Courses ENG B121-4, ENG
B122-4, ENG B123-4
CAPITALIZATION AND ABBREVIATIONS
CAPITALIZATION USED ON FORMS
When you fill out a form, many of the words you use must begin with a capital letter.
Review the following rules and examples:
CAPITALIZATION RULES
EXAMPLES
Capitalize the names of people
(first name, last name, and middle
name(s)
John Doe; Peter Allan Jeffries; Mr.
and Mrs. Smith; Suzanne
Capitalize titles
Mr. Smith; Mrs. Smith; Miss Smith;
Ms. Smith
Capitalize the names of streets
(including the words “street”,
“avenue” or “road” and “east” or
“west”) that come after the name.
Victoria Ave.; Decarie Boul.; Queen
Mary Rd.; Sherbrooke St. W.;
Capitalize the names of cities,
towns, provinces, states
Montreal; Paris; Quebec; Ontario;
New York, Vermont
Capitalize the names of countries
and nationalities
Canada/Canadian; Russia/Russian;
the United States/American;
China/Chinese
Capitalize the letters in postal
codes
H2X 3R1
Capitalize the names of languages
English, French, Italian, Spanish,
Polish, Pakistani, Columbian
Capitalize the days of the week
Monday; Wednesday; Saturday
Capitalize the months of the year
January; April; July; October;
December
Reminder: Abbreviations (see below) of all the words above are also capitalized.
8
LAB Personal Identification
LITERACY: Courses ENG B121-4, ENG
B122-4, ENG B123-4
COMMON ABBREVIATIONS USED ON FORMS
Abbreviation: A shortened form of a word, in writing (it does not exist in speech).
The abbreviation is often, but not always, followed by a period. For example, Ave.
is an abbreviation of Avenue.
I. ADDRESSES
Study the abbreviations below and on the next page. They are used when filling out a
form or addressing an envelope or a postcard.
Written Oral
(How you write it on a (How you say it)
form or envelope)
St.*
= Street
St.*
= Saint
Sherbrooke St. Sherbrooke Street
St. Catherine St. Saint Catherine Street
Ave. = Avenue
Parc Ave. Parc Avenue
Rd. = Road
Queen Mary Rd. Queen Mary Road
Decarie Blvd. Decarie Boulevard
St. Joseph Blvd. Saint Joseph Boulevard
Blvd. = Boulevard
E.
= East
Sherbrooke St. E. Sherbrooke Street East
W.
= West
Sherbrooke St. W. Sherbrooke Street West
Apt. = Apartment
Apt. 21 Apartment twenty-one
MTL/Mtl. = Montreal
MTL or Mtl. Montreal
QC/Que. = Quebec
QC or Que. Quebec
*St. can stand for Saint or Street. If it comes before the name, it stands for Saint. If it
comes after the name, it stands for Street. For example:
Before
Name
After
Written:
St.
Catherine
St.
Oral:
Saint
Catherine
Street
How do you say the name of the street below?
•
St. Marc St. _________________________________________
Reminder: Don’t forget to capitalize addresses, including the abbreviations.
9
LAB Personal Identification
LITERACY: Courses ENG B121-4, ENG
B122-4, ENG B123-4
II. TITLES
Title
Example
Used for …
Pronunciation
Mr.
Mr. Smith
A man (married or single)
“Mister”
Mrs.
Mrs. Smith
A married woman
“Missus”
Miss
Miss Smith
An unmarried woman
“Miss”
Ms.
Ms. Smith
A woman (married or single)
“Miz”
Reminder: Titles always begin with a capital letter
III. MONTHS OF THE YEAR
When you fill in your date of birth or when you write the date next to your signature, you
may use an abbreviation for the month. You may also use all numbers: see Focus on
Language: Writing Dates.) Note that months with four letters or fewer are not abbreviated.
Month Abbreviation
Month Abbreviation
January Jan.
July (not abbreviated)
February Feb.
August Aug.
March Mar.
September Sept.
April Apr.
October Oct.
May (not abbreviated)
November Nov.
June (not abbreviated)
December Dec.
IV. DAYS OF THE WEEK
When you write the current date next to your signature, you may wish to include the day
of the week. Below are the abbreviations for the seven days of the week in English:
Sunday Sun.
Monday Mon.
Tuesday Tue./Tues.
Wednesday Wed.
Saturday Sat.
Thursday Th./Thur./Thurs.
Sunday Sun.
Friday Fri.
Reminder: The names of months and days of the week are always capitalized.
10
LAB Personal Identification
LITERACY: Courses ENG B121-4, ENG
B122-4, ENG B123-4
IV. OTHER COMMON ABBREVIATIONS ON FORMS
Some forms may also include the following abbreviations:
Abbreviation
Stands for …
DOB: Date of birth
Tel.: Telephone
No.: Number (e.g. telephone number, street number)
M: Male (a man)
F: Female (a woman)
Figure 1: htpp://daynews.com/cartoon-of-the-day/2013/01/abbreviation-10345 (Artist: Jason Polintan)
11
LAB Personal Identification
LITERACY: Courses ENG B121-4, ENG
B122-4, ENG B123-4
EXERCISE: CORRECT THE ERRORS
The form below has been filled out, but it contains several errors in capitalization and use of
abbreviations. Find the errors and make the corrections on the blank form on the next page.
Form with Errors
Audition Registration Form
Please Print
Family Name:
delgado
Given Name:
Gender: M 
F
Title: Mr. 
DOB:
vito_________
Mrs. 
Miss 
Ms. 
september 28, 1989
Address:
2062 madison avenue
(no. and street)
Tel. No.:
514-555-0101
Citizenship:
First language:
Quebec
h2y 3w8____
(province) (postal code)
E-mail: delgatov@home.com
canadian
Country of origin:
Occupation:
montreal
(city/town)
chile________
auto mechanic_____
spanish_______
Other languages: __english, french____________
Type of act/talent: Song 
Dance 
Skit 
Other: ______________
Playing an instrument  (type) _____________
Solo act 
Group act 
Experience as a performer: Yes 
Signature:
No. of participants _____
No 
Vito Delgado
Date: _wednesday, october 28, 2015
12
LAB Personal Identification
LITERACY: Courses ENG B121-4, ENG
B122-4, ENG B123-4
CORRECTED FORM
Audition Registration Form
Please Print
Family Name: ___________________________ Given Name: __________________
Gender: M 
F
Title: Mr. 
Mrs. 
Miss 
Ms. 
DOB: __________________________________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________________________
(no. and street)
(city/town)
(province) (postal code)
Tel. No.:
514-555-0101
E-mail: delgatov@home.com
Citizenship: __________________________
Country of origin: ____________________________
Occupation: ___auto mechanic___________
First language: ______________________
Other languages: _________________________________
Type of act/talent: Song 
Dance 
Skit 
Other: ________________
Playing an instrument  (type) _____________
Solo act 
Group act 
Experience as a performer: Yes 
Signature:
No. of participants ________
No 
Vito Delgado
Date: ______________________________
13
LAB Personal Identification
LITERACY: Courses ENG B121-4, ENG
B122-4, ENG B123-4
WRITING AND SAYING DATES IN ENGLISH
WRITING DATES ON A FORM
On a form, you may have to write your date of birth, or you may have to write the current
date next to your signature. There are two basic ways to do this:
1. You can use a combination of letters and numbers; or
2. You can use only numbers.
METHOD 1: USING A COMBINATION OF LETTERS AND NUMBERS
•
•
•
•
Dec. 14, 1968
Apr. 18, 2011
Sept. 30, 2015
July 23, 1995

EXAMPLES

Order:
Month
Day
Year
Rule:
Abbrev.
(Cap. + period)
Number +
comma
Number
(all 4 digits)
Dec.
14,
1968
Apr.
18,
2011
Sept.
30,
2015
July*
23,
1995
Examples:
*Months with fewer than 5 letters are not abbreviated.
14
LAB Personal Identification
LITERACY: Courses ENG B121-4, ENG
B122-4, ENG B123-4
METHOD 2: USING ONLY NUMBERS
In this method, the date is written in numbers only. The month is converted to a number.
For example:
•
•
•
•
January = 1 (or 01)
February = 2 (or 02)
March = 3 (or 03)
December = 12
A date has many possibilities; it depends on the order. See some of the options below.
Example: Sept. 8, 2012
Method 1:
Letters and
numbers
Sept. 8, 2012
Method 2: Numeric Dates
YearMonthDay
(Y – M – D)
MonthDayYear
(M – D – Y)
DayMonthYear
(D – M – Y)
•
2012-9-8
•
9-8-2012
•
8-9-2012
•
2012-09-08
•
09-08-2012
•
08-09-2012
•
12/9/8
•
9/8/12
•
8/9/12
When you use Method 2, it is important to know what the order is. Most forms tell you
what order to use by writing the letters Y, M and D for Year, Month and Day under the
lines. Look at the following examples for Sept. 8, 2012:
•
2012 /
YYYY
09 /
MM
08
DD
•
8/
D
9/
M
12
YY
•
09 /
MM
09 / 2012
DD YYYY
15
LAB Personal Identification
LITERACY: Courses ENG B121-4, ENG
B122-4, ENG B123-4
EXERCISE 1
Write the following dates, using only numbers (Method 2), in the order indicated.
1. Dec. 21, 1998
__________ / ________ /_______
YYYY
MM
DD
2. Nov. 15, 2008
__________ - ________ - _______
M
D
YY
3. Jan. 2, 1975
DD
4. Mar. 18, 2013
MM
YYYY
__________ / ________ / _______
YY
MM
DD
EXERCISE 2
Write out the date in letters and numbers, using correct spelling, capitalization and
punctuation.
1.
08 / 06 / 03
YY MM DD
_______________________________________________
2.
8 / 6 / 03
D M YY
_______________________________________________
3.
08 / 06 / 2003
_______________________________________________
MM DD YYYY
16
LAB Personal Identification
LITERACY: Courses ENG B121-4, ENG
B122-4, ENG B123-4
The date today is…
SAYING DATES ORALLY
When we are speaking, we never say the month in numbers. (We
would not say, “I was born on 09-21-2000”, but rather “I was born
on September 21st, 2000”.)
We say the date the same way as we write it according to Method
1, except that we use ordinal numbers (first, second, third, fourth,
etc.) instead of cardinal numbers (one, two, three four) for the day.
Compare the following examples of the written and oral forms:
WRITTEN: How we write the
date
ORAL: How we say the
date
(Cardinal numbers)
(Ordinal numbers)
Jan. 1, 2000
January first, two thousand
Jan. 2, 2000
January second, two
thousand
Jan. 3, 2000
January third, two
thousand
Jan. 4, 2000
January fourth, two
thousand
Jan. 5, 2000
January fifth, two thousand
Jan. 16, 2000
January sixteenth, two
thousand
Jan. 20, 2000
January twentieth, two
thousand
Jan. 21, 2000
January twenty-first, two
thousand
Jan. 22, 2000
January twenty-second,
two thousand
ETC.
ETC
17
LAB Personal Identification
LITERACY: Courses ENG B121-4, ENG
B122-4, ENG B123-4
How do we say the year?
Study the following examples. Notice that after the year 2000, there is more than one way to say the year.
Before 2000
Written
1997
Oral
•
Nineteen
ninety-seven
Between 2000-2009
Written
2000
Oral
•
Two thousand
From 2010 -
Oral
Written
2010
•
•
•
•
1975
•
Nineteen
seventy-five
2004
•
•
Two thousand and four
Two thousand four
2012
•
•
•
1850
•
Eighteen fifty
2008
•
•
Two thousand and eight
Two thousand eight
2015
•
•
18
I was born in…
Two thousand and ten
Two thousand ten
Twenty ten
Two thousand and
twelve
Two thousand twelve
Twenty twelve
Two thousand and
fifteen
Two thousand fifteen
Twenty fifteen
LAB Personal Identification
LITERACY: Courses ENG B121-4, ENG
B122-4, ENG B123-4
SAYING ADDRESSES
I. HOW TO SAY HOUSE AND APARTMENT NUMBERS
When you are giving your address to someone orally (e.g. on the telephone, in a taxi), there are different ways to say the
house number (or the apartment number), depending on the number of digits in the address.
What is a digit?
A digit is one of the 10 symbols (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) that make up a number. Every number has one or more digits.
For example, the numbers 8, 29, 351, and 1471 all have a different number of digits. Look at the table below:
My
address is…
Number
1 digit
8
2 digits
3 digits
4 digits
8
29
2, 9
351
3, 5, 1
1470
1, 4, 7, 0
Study the table on the following page. It shows you the different ways to say addresses in English, depending on how many
digits are in the address. The same rules apply to both house addresses (e.g. 720 Clarke St.) and apartment numbers (e.g.
Apt. 516).
19
LAB Personal Identification
LITERACY: Courses ENG B121-4, ENG
B122-4, ENG B123-4
TABLE: HOW DO I SAY IT?
1 AND 2 DIGIT
NUMBERS
I digit
•
8
EXACT HUNDREDS OR
THOUSANDS
Exact hundreds
Clarke St.
•
(eight)
•
Apt.
3
800 Clarke St.
3 DIGIT NUMBERS
Option 1: Say each digit as a single
number.
•
(eight hundred)
•
(three)
2300 Clarke St.
5600 Clarke St.
Option 1: Say each digit as a single
number.
•
862
Clarke St.
•
(fifty-six hundred)
5 3 0 Clarke St.
•
(five three oh*)
•
502
Clarke St.**
Exact thousands
•
79
Clarke St.
(seventy-nine)
•
Apt.
24
(twenty-four)
•
5000
Clarke St.
(five thousand)
Option 2: Say the first digit as a single
number and group the last two digits
together as a number ***
•
495
•
862
•
Apt.
5945
Clarke St.
(fifty-nine forty-five)
•
Clarke St.
(eight sixty-two)
7 9 0 9 Clarke St.
Option 2: Group the first two digits and the
last two digits together as numbers.
Clarke St.
(four ninety-five)
4 6 3 0 Clarke St.
(seven nine oh* nine)
•
•
2 0 2 1 Clarke St.
(four six three oh*)
(five oh* two)
2 digits
Clarke St.
(two oh* two one)
(eight six two)
•
5945
(five nine four five)
(four nine five)
•
(twenty-three hundred)
•
4 9 5 Clarke St.
4 DIGIT NUMBERS
2021 Clarke St.
(twenty twenty-one)
•
320
4630 Clarke St.
(forty-six thirty)
(three twenty)
Exception:****
•
7909 Clarke St.
(seventy-nine oh* nine)
* When saying addresses, the digit 0 (zero) is pronounced orally as the letter O (oh).
** When the middle digit is 0, you must use Option 1.
*** Option 2 cannot be used if the middle digit is zero (0).
**** If the third digit is zero (0), you can only group the first two digits together; the last two digits are spoken individually.
20
LAB Personal Identification
LITERACY: Courses ENG B121-4, ENG
B122-4, ENG B123-4
II. HOW TO ASK FOR AND GIVE AN ADDRESS
What’s your
address?
How do you ask for an address in English? How do you give an address?
Ask for an address
Give an address
What is/What’s the address of …
The address is … / It’s …
-
St. Joseph’s Oratory?
The Atwater Market?
City Hall?
What is/What’s your address?
-
3800 Queen Mary Rd.
138 Atwater Ave.
275 Notre Dame St. E.
My address is … / It’s ...
III. PRACTICE ASKING FOR AND GIVING ADDRESSES
Sherbrooke Street and St. Catherine Street are two major streets in Montreal. You can find many schools, stores and
entertainment venues on these two streets. Below are some examples. You will have to find their addresses.
Schools
Sherbrooke St.
•
•
•
St. Catherine St.
•
Stores
Entertainment
Dawson College
McGill University
Concordia University (Loyola
Campus)
Westmount High School
•
The Montreal Museum
of Fine Arts
The Botanical Gardens
•
Place des Arts
•
The Metropolis
•
•
•
•
•
Ogilvy’s Department Store
The Apple Store
The Eaton Centre
The Bay
21
LAB Personal Identification
LITERACY: Courses ENG B121-4, ENG
B122-4, ENG B123-4
WORKSHEET FOR PARTNER A
Ask your partner for the street addresses that are missing on your list and write them in the blank spaces. Answer your partner’s
questions.
Westmount High School
The Eaton Centre
1350 St. Catherine St. W.
705 St. Catherine St. W.
Dawson College
The Bay
Place des Arts
McGill University
845 Sherbrooke St. W.
Concordia University
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
1380 Sherbrooke St. W.
The Botanical Gardens
Ogilvy’s Department Store
1307 St. Catherine St.
The Apple Store
The Metropolis Concert Hall
59 St. Catherine St. E.
22
LAB Personal Identification
LITERACY: Courses ENG B121-4, ENG
B122-4, ENG B123-4
WORKSHEET FOR PARTNER B
Ask your partner for the street addresses that are missing on your list and write them in the blank spaces. Answer your partner’s
questions.
Westmount High School
The Eaton Centre
Dawson College
The Bay
3040 Sherbrooke St. W.
585 St. Catherine St. W.
McGill University
Place des Arts
175 St. Catherine St. W.
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Concordia University
7141 Sherbrooke St. W.
Ogilvy’s Department Store
The Botanical Gardens
4101 Sherbrooke St. E.
The Metropolis Concert Hall
The Apple Store
1321 St. Catherine St. W.
23
LAB Personal Identification
LITERACY: Courses ENG B121-4, ENG
B122-4, ENG B123-4
ASKING AND ANSWERING QUESTIONS ABOUT PERSONAL IDENTITY
Sometimes, instead of filling out a form yourself, a secretary asks you questions and fills out the form for you on a computer.
You need to be able to understand the questions and answer them orally.
NAME
QUESTIONS
POSSIBLE RESPONSES
your name? / your full name?
your first name?
your last name?
What is
Can you tell me
Jonathan Morrison.
Jonathan.
Morrison.
your brother’s name?
his name?
It’s
Patrick Morrison.
Sarah.
Blake.
your wife’s first name?
her maiden name?
ADDRESS, TELEPHONE NUMBER, DATE OF BIRTH
QUESTIONS
POSSIBLE RESPONSES
your address?
your brother’s address? / his address?
your sister’s address? / her address?
What is
Can you tell me
your telephone number?
your brother’s/his telephone number?
215 Forest Drive. Granby.
5023 Maple Grove, Toronto.
35 Hardwood Road, Ottawa.
It’s
514-555-3333.
416-555-0001.
March 13th, 1990.
June 21st, 1985.
your date of birth?
your sister’s/her date of birth?
24
LAB Personal Identification
LITERACY: Courses ENG B121-4, ENG
B122-4, ENG B123-4
AGE, MARITAL STATUS, OCCUPATION
QUESTIONS
POSSIBLE RESPONSES
your age?
your sister’s/her age?
What is
Can you tell me
25 (years old).
30 (years old).
I’m
He’s
She’s
your marital status?
your brother’s/his marital status?
your occupation?
your wife’s occupation?
married.
divorced.
a teacher.
unemployed.
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN, FIRST LANGUAGE
QUESTIONS
POSSIBLE RESPONSES
Russia.
Poland.
your country of origin / place of birth?
your wife’s/her country of origin?
What is
Can you tell me
your first language / mother tongue /
native language?
It’s
Russian.
Polish.
Polish.
your son’s/his first language?
your wife’s native language?
25
LAB Personal Identification
LITERACY: Courses ENG B121-4, ENG
B122-4, ENG B123-4
Can you spell your first and
last name for me, please?
QUESTIONS
How do you spell
Can you spell
POSSIBLE RESPONSES
your name?
your first name?
your last name?
your wife’s maiden name?
the name of your street?
Etc.
It’s
N-A-T-H-A-N-I-A-L
P-E-D-E-R-S-O-N
S-H-E-R-B-R-O-O-K-E
Etc.
My name is Carl Brown.
That’s C-A-R-L B-R-O-W-N.
The questions above are questions you will hear during a formal, impersonal interview
(e.g. when registering at a medical clinic, signing up for a course, obtaining a library card,
etc.). In informal situations (e.g. meeting people in a social situation), the style of
language will be different: it will be less formal.
26
LAB Personal Identification
LITERACY: Courses ENG B121-4, ENG
B122-4, ENG B123-4
COMPARE FORMAL AND INFORMAL LANGUAGE
FORMAL LANGUAGE
INFORMAL LANGUAGE
DATE OF BIRTH:
Q: What is your date of birth?
A: It’s March 25th, 1985.
Q: When were you born?
A: I was born on March 25th,
1985.
COUNTRY OF
ORIGIN:
Q: What is your country of
Q: Where were you born?
origin?
A: I was born in Russia.
A: It’s Russia.
AGE:
Q: What is your age?
A: I’m 25. / I’m 25 years old.
Q: How old are you?
A: I’m 25. / I’m 25 years old.
OCCUPATION:
Q: What is your occupation?
A: I’m a teacher.
Q: What do you do?
A: I’m a teacher.
FORMAL
INFORMAL
“Good morning. How are you, Sir?”
“Hey, Pal. How you doing?”
27
LAB Personal Identification
LITERACY: Courses ENG B121-4, ENG
B122-4, ENG B123-4
ACTIVITY 2: ROLE-PLAY
APPLYING FOR A LIBRARY MEMBERSHIP
Scenario
-
You are at the front desk of your local library.
You are applying for a library card.
The receptionist is filling out a form for you on the computer, so that you can
receive a library card.
Roles
Role of Receptionist:
Fill out the form for the applicant by asking questions (e.g. What
is your name? What is your address?).
Role of Applicant:
Listen to the receptionist’s questions and answer them.
(As an applicant, you can use your own personal information,
or you can make it up.)
Find a partner. Together, you will do two (2) role-plays. The scenario is the
same, but you will change roles with your partner.
Role-Play 1
Role-Play 2
Partner A = Applicant
Partner B = Receptionist
Partner A = Receptionist
Partner B = Applicant
Two application forms are provided on the next two pages, one for each roleplay.
28
LAB Personal Identification
LITERACY: Courses ENG B121-4, ENG
B122-4, ENG B123-4
ROLE-PLAY 1
APPLICATION FORM FOR PARTNER “A”
TO BE FILLED OUT BY PARTNER B
Last Name: ______________________ First Name: ________________________
Gender:
M
Marital status: Married 
F
Single 
Divorced 
DOB: ___________ / _______ /______
yyyy
mm
dd
Separated 
Widowed 
Age:____________
Address: __________________________ ________ __________________
(no. and street)
(apt.)
(city/town)
_____________________ ______________________
(province)
(postal code)
Phone: Home: _______________________ Mobile: __________________________
E-mail: ____________________________________________
Occupation: ______________________________
29
LAB Personal Identification
LITERACY: Courses ENG B121-4, ENG
B122-4, ENG B123-4
ROLE-PLAY 2
APPLICATION FORM FOR PARTNER “B”
TO BE FILLED OUT BY PARTNER A
Last Name: ______________________ First Name: ________________________
Gender:
M
Marital status: Married 
F
Single 
Divorced 
DOB: ___________ / _______ /______
yyyy
mm
dd
Separated 
Widowed 
Age:____________
Address: __________________________ ________ __________________
(no. and street)
(apt.)
(city/town)
_____________________ ______________________
(province)
(postal code)
Phone: Home: _______________________ Mobile: __________________________
E-mail: ____________________________________________
Occupation: ______________________________
30
LAB Personal Identification
LITERACY: Courses ENG B121-4, ENG
B122-4, ENG B123-4
Image Credits
All the images used in this LAB respect copyright laws be it though a Creative Commons
attribution license or according to the terms and conditions specified by their respective sources.
PAGE
Cover
1
IMAGES
Woman filling out form
Loan application
Marriage application
Canada Customs form
Gym membership form
Medical history form
Student loan application
Travel and
accommodations form
Parental permission form
Voter registration form
Insurance claim form
SOURCE
Credit / Attribution – Print © Can Stock Photo Inc. / photography33
Credit / Attribution – Print © Can Stock Photo Inc. / theerapoll
Credit / Attribution – Print © Can Stock Photo Inc. / eric1513
Credit / Attribution – Print © Can Stock Photo Inc. / FER737NG
Credit / Attribution – Print © Can Stock Photo Inc. / VIPDesignUSA
Credit / Attribution – Print © Can Stock Photo Inc. / phasinphoto
Credit / Attribution – Print © Can Stock Photo Inc. / AndreyPopov
Credit / Attribution – Print © Can Stock Photo Inc. / alexskopje
Credit / Attribution – Print © Can Stock Photo Inc. / alexskopje
Credit / Attribution – Print © Can Stock Photo Inc. / mybaitshop
Credit / Attribution – Print © Can Stock Photo Inc. / everydayplus
Online registration form
Public Domain
3
Gym/Workout icons
Free Clipart: http://www.clker.com/
4
Day camp kids
MS clipart (Licensed under Creative Commons: License Attribution 4.0
Intenational)
6
Volunteer sign
MS clipart (Licensed under Creative Commons: License Attribution 4.0
Intenational)
11
Abbreviation cartoon
http://www.daynews.com/cartoon-of-the-day/2013/01/abbreviation-10345
31
LAB Personal Identification
LITERACY: Courses ENG B121-4, ENG
B122-4, ENG B123-4
12
Cloud with blue skies
MS clipart (Licensed under Creative Commons: License Attribution 4.0
Intenational)
14
Cartoon man standing
Bing clipart (License: Free to use and share)
17
Cartoon woman speaking
MS clipart (Licensed under Creative Commons: License Attribution 4.0
Intenational)
18-19
Cartoon women speaking
MS clipart (Licensed under Creative Commons: License Attribution 4.0
Intenational)
26
Woman asking question
Credit / Attribution – Print © Can Stock Photo Inc. / lenm
26
Man answering question
Credit / Attribution - Print© Can Stock Photo Inc. / lordalea
27
Formal vs Informal
communication
MS clipart (Licensed under Creative Commons: License Attribution 4.0
Intenational)
28
Role-play
MS clipart (Licensed under Creative Commons: License Attribution 4.0
Intenational)
32
LAB Personal Identification
LITERACY: Courses ENG B121-4, ENG
B122-4, ENG B123-4