Conversation Lesson 23:
Leaving or Taking a Message
Richard: Hello?
Lily: Hello, is Michael there?
Richard: No, he won’t be back till after nine.
Lily: Well, can I leave a message?
Richard: Sure, let me get a pen… OK, go ahead.
Lily: Tell him Lily called and I need to know if he
still wants to go on the camping trip this coming
weekend.
Richard: Mmm… camping… is that it?
Lily: Uh-huh.
Richard: He has your phone number?
Lily: Yes, but just in case, it’s 522-0777. Thanks.
Richard: No problem. Good-bye.
Lily: Bye.
Culture Note
• The person who answers the phone
usually asks if the caller wishes to leave a
message for the person he/she wants
when that person is not there.
• When taking a message given over the
phone, be sure to repeat the caller’s
information to make sure that you have
correctly. You might need to ask the caller
to repeat something or to ask for the
spelling. (See example, page 64.)
When the person asked for is not
there you can say . . .
I’m afraid he/she isn’t in (his/her office) at
the moment.
He/She is not here right now. Can I get
him/her call you back?
Sorry, he/she is just stepped out. Would you
like to call back later?
He/She is away for a few days.
I’m sorry, he/she is not available at the
moment.
To ask the caller to leave a
message you can say . . .
Would you like to leave a message?
Do you want to leave a message?
To leave a message
you can say . . .
Can I leave a message?
(Yes.) Could you tell him/her that …
Thanks, please tell him/her that …
Yes, please, let him/her know that …
To offer to take a message
you can say . . .
I’m sorry, he/she is in a meeting now:
Can/May I take a message (for you)?
Do you want me to take a message (for you)?
If you like, I can take a message (for you).
Is there any message?
To not leave a message
you can say . . .
No, I’d rather not leave a message. I have to
talk to him myself.
No, thanks. I’ll call back later.
When is she likely to be back? I’ll call her
then.
Will he be at home this evening (weekend)?
OK, I’ll call/try again in an hour (tomorrow).
To have the person asked for call
you back you can say . . .
Would you ask him to call Jim Smith before
5:30 this evening.
Please tell her to call Cathy at 555-6735.
Could you ask him to call me back? He has
my number.
Tell her Denny called and have her call me
back please.
I can be reached at 555-3571, extension
274.
Practice Leaving and Taking a
Message
• Work in pairs.
• Read the following situation and practice
leaving and taking a message.
Leaving and Taking a Message –
Situation 1
You and your American friend
One of your American friends is studying
Chinese in you city. You want to invite
him/her to see a Chinese movie together.
You dial the number of the home where
he/she is staying, but he/she is not in. A
member of his Chinese “family” answers the
phone, and you leave a message.
Leaving and Taking a Message –
Situation 2
You and the receptionist
Since you will graduate soon, you are sending
your resumé to some companies. On Monday you
got a call saying that the HR manager at Apple
Computer will interview you on Friday. Today is
Friday, but due to an emergency, you can not go
to the interview. You phone the company and the
receptionist answers. She tells you that the HR
manager is not in the office, so you leave a
message.
Leaving and Taking a Message –
Situation 3
You and your boss’s secretary
Your five-year-old child is sick and you
decide to take him to the Children’s Hospital
this morning. Before you go, you have to tell
your boss that you can’t come to work today.
Unfortunately, when you phone her, she is
not in the office. Her secretary answers the
phone. You leave your message with her.
Leaving and Taking a Message –
Situation 4
You and an unknown caller
You are in your office and you answer a
phone call. The person the caller wants to
speak to is your colleague. But your
colleague is out of town on a business trip.
You take the caller’s name, telephone
number and message.