SYKES ACADEMY DAY 8

IDIOM OF THE DAY: Call someone about something

To call someone on the telephone seeking information about someone or something

EXAMPLE: “Good morning sir, are you calling about the number 8907634?.”

/u: / vs. /ʊ/ vs. /ə/

(Luke vs. Look vs. Luck)

/u:/ : To make this sound, push your lips forward into a circle. Pull
your tongue up and back. /u: / is a long sound. Push your lips into
a tighter circle as you say it.

/ʊ/: Practice the sound /u: /. Open your mouth a little more for
/ʊ/. Your lips should be less round. Do NOT push them into a tight
circle. /ʊ/ is a shorter, more relaxed sound than /u: /

(Illustration taken from Pronunciation Pairs. Cambridge University Press, 2007.)

Exercise 1: Practice the following minimal pairs with your teacher.

fool full foot food

pool pull Luke look
suit soot stewed stood

Exercise 2: Practice the following dialogue. Identify all the words with the sounds /u:/ & /ʊ/:

Judith Brookes: In the Food Program study today, we have two cooks, Julian Woolf and Susan Fuller.
They are going to choose Christmas presents for a new cook. Julian Woolf, your kitchen is full of useful
tools. If you could choose just two things for a new cook, what would you choose?
Julian Woolf: I’d choose a fruit juice maker. You just put the fruit in and it produces fruit juice. It’s super.
And secondly, I’d choose a really good butcher’s knife. Every cook could do with a good knife. Susan
Fuller: I’d choose a good cookery book, full of beautiful pictures. He could look at the book, and it would
give him good ideas. And secondly, I’d choose a computer.

What’s the deal with the Schwa Sound?

/ə/: To produce this sound, your lips need to be completely relaxed

and slightly parted. Your tongue should also be relaxed in a middle
position.

Note: The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) symbol for the

stressed vowel is /ʌ/ and for the unstressed vowel it is /ɘ/. They are
basically the same sound.
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Exercise 1: Read the following sentences and identify the words with the /ɘ/ sound.

1. Mr. Sumter, I already submitted this request for you.

2. What was the amount of the purchase?
3. Ma'am. Please press the home button.
4. Sir, we have your Social Security Number as a dummy number. You can update it, right at the
corporate store with your issued photo id."
5. We will definitely refund this fee as a courtesy.
6. The funds are available right now.
7. Let me confirm what you just told me, Mr. Melendez.
8. There is a recurrent charge for $100.
9. For security purposes, may I have your verbal password?
10. I will be more than glad to help you, let me pull up your account right away.

Exercise 2: Odd-one-out. Circle the word with the different vowel sound.

EXAMPLE: foot look blood push

1. soon book boot room

2. confirm submit cut rude
3. shoes does true blue
4. pull full put rule
5. button group occur upper
6. suddenly run blue luck

PERFORMANCE:
Use previous chart plus any other word with schwa sound to create a conversation about success:
- How would you define success?
- Do you think failures can contribute to a person's success?

Reported Speech (Indirect Speech)

If we report what another person has said, we usually do not use the speaker’s exact words (direct
speech), but reported (indirect) speech. Therefore, you need to learn how to transform direct speech
into reported speech. The structure is a little different depending on whether you want to transform a
statement, question, or request.

Statements
When transforming statements, check whether you have to change:

1. Tenses
As a rule when you report something someone has said you go back a tense. That is called back-shifting.
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Modal verb forms sometimes change:

Note! Could, would, should, might and ought to do not change.

You can use the present tense in reported speech if you want to say that something is still true i.e. my
name has always been and will always be Lynne so:
Direct speech Indirect speech
"I work at Sykes", she said. She said she worked at Sykes. Or She said she
works at Sykes.

You can also use the present tense if you are talking about a future event.
Direct speech (exact quote) Indirect speech (not exact)
"Next week's lesson is on reported She said next week's lesson is on
speech ", she said. reported speech.
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2. Pronouns
In reported speech, you often have to change the pronoun depending on who says what.
Example:
She says, “My husband didn’t attend the meeting today.” – She says that her husband didn’t attend the
meeting today.

3. Place and time expressions

For place and time expressions you have to check whether place and time are the same in direct and
reported speech or not. In the following table, you will find ways of transforming place and time
expressions into reported speech.

Direct Speech Reported Speech

today that day
now then
yesterday the day before
… days ago … days before
last week the week before
next year the following year
tomorrow the next day / the following day
here there
this that
these those

Note! It is possible to omit the relative pronoun that after the reporting verb (he said that...; he told
that...). In general, USE this relative pronoun when you are writing and OMIT it when you are speaking.

Note! That cannot be dropped after certain verbs (e.g. reply, telegraph, shout), and it is not usually
dropped after nouns.
Examples:
-I replied that I did not intend to attend the conference.
-He disagreed with the agent’s answer when he called for assistance.

Questions
When transforming questions, there are some steps which are the same like in statements: (changing
pronouns, backshifting of tenses, changing of expressions of time and/or place).

Note!: In reported speech there is no question anymore, the sentence becomes a statement. That's why
the word order is: subject – verb Yes/No questions are reported by using: 'ask' + 'if / whether + clause

Examples:
- Do you speak English?" - He asked me if I spoke English.
- "Are you British or American?" - He asked me whether I was British or American.
- "Is the phone ringing?" - She asked if it was ringing.
- "Can you type?" - She asked if I could type.
- "Did you attend the conference?" - He enquired whether I had attended the conference.
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Wh-questions are reported by using: 'ask' (or another verb like 'ask') + question word + clause.

Examples:
- "What is your name?" he asked me. - He asked me what my name was.
- "How old is your mother?", he asked. - He asked how old my mother was.
- "What time did the technician arrive?" she asked. - She asked what time the technician arrived.
- "When can we have a meeting?" she asked. - She asked when we could have a meeting.
- Peter: "When do you pay your mortgage?" - Peter asked me when I paid my mortgage.

Requests
When transforming questions, check whether you have to change:
 Pronouns
 Place and time expressions

Requests are reported by using: (not) to + simple form

Examples:
- He said, “Don’t give up, Bob.“ – He advised Bob not to give up.
- He said, “Carol, speak English.“ - He told Carol to speak English.

EXERCISE 1

Reported Speech without backshift – Change of Pronouns

Helen is in front of the class holding a presentation on London. As Helen is rather shy, she speaks with a
very low voice. Your classmate Gareth does not understand her, so you have to repeat every sentence
to him.

Complete the sentences in reported speech (no backshift). Note the change of pronouns and verbs.

Helen: I want to tell you something about my holiday in London.

Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that _____________________________________
Helen: I went to London in July.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that _____________________________________
Helen: My parents went with me.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that _____________________________________
Helen: We spent three days in London.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that _____________________________________
Helen: London is a multicultural place.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that _____________________________________
Helen: I saw people of all colors.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that _____________________________________
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Helen: Me and my parents visited the Tower.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that _____________________________________
Helen: One evening we went to see a musical.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that _____________________________________
Helen: I love London.
Gareth: What does she say?
You: She says that _____________________________________

EXERCISE 2
Rewrite the sentences in reported speech. Change pronouns and time expressions where necessary.

1. She said, "I am checking my bank statement." → She said that she was checking her bank
statement.
2. They said, "Lines are busy." → They said that __________________________
3. He said, "I need a lower APR (annual percentage rate)." → He said that ___________________
4. She said, "My credit card was declined last night." → She said that ______________________
5. He said, "I will call her." → He said that __________________________
6. The agent said, "The package has just arrived." → The agent said that ___________________
7. He said, "I will remove the restrictions." → He said that __________________________
8. She said, "I did not say that." → She said that __________________________
9. She said, "I don't know when my warranty expires." → She said that _____________________
10. The customer said: "I won't use my credit card abroad." → He said that ______________________

Check the following websites for practice:

http://www.english-zone.com/verbs/indirect1.html
http://www.englishlearner.com/tests/reported_speech_quiz_1.shtml

SAY VS TELL

Say and tell have similar meanings. They both mean to communicate verbally with someone.
But we often use them differently.

The simple way to think of say and tell is:

 You say something
 You tell someone something

You say something You tell someone something

She said that he hung up. He told her that he hung up.
Anthony says you have a new job. Anthony tells me you have a new job.
Tara said: "I work." Tara told John that she worked.
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But, of course, it is not always so easy. Here are a few rules to help you.

1. Personal object
We usually follow tell with a personal object (the person that we are speaking to). We usually use say
without a personal object:
- She told me that she assisted John.
- He told everybody that he had to leave.
- She said that she assisted John.
- He said that he had to leave.

2. Say "to someone"

With say, we sometimes use "to someone":
- He said to me that he didn’t answer.
- The boss said to Raul that he had done very well.
- Anthony said to her, "I hope you call again."
- "I'd like a new phone," she said to him quietly.

Direct speech
We can use say with direct speech. We use tell only with direct speech that is an instruction or
information:
- Amanda said, "Hello John. How are you?"
- "That's great'" she said.
- He told her: "Assist him properly."
- She told me, "I have never updated a phone."

We can use say with direct questions, but we cannot use tell:
- She said: "Can you help me?"
- The supervisor said to the agent, "Where were you at 8am?"

Reported speech
We can use say and tell to talk about reported information:
- She said that the invoice was wrong.
- She told me that she would call at 2pm.

We cannot use say or tell to talk about reported questions. We must use ask (or a similar verb):
- She asked if I had ever updated a phone.
- They asked what I wanted to send.
- She asked where he lived.
- He asked if she wanted to attend the meeting.

Orders, advice

We use tell + object + infinitive for orders or advice:

- She told him to be quiet.
- They told me not to wait.
- Tell Neil to be on time tomorrow.
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Phrases

Here are a few fixed phrases with tell. We cannot use say with these phrases:
 tell (someone) a story
 tell (someone) a lie
 tell (someone) the truth
 tell the future (= to know what the future will bring)
 tell the time (= know how to read a clock)

Right and wrong

Read these examples of correct and incorrect usage:

EXERCISE 1
Write say or tell to complete each statement.

1. Ann ___________have a good day and hung up.

2. _______us about the phone. Did it work?
3. Don't just stand there ! ___________something !
4. I wonder where Sarah is. She _______she would be here at 10 o'clock.
5. Bill was taking a long time to find a solution, so I _______him to hurry up.
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6. Gary couldn't help me. He _________me to ask Caroline.
7. Did she _______you what happened?
8. No, she didn't ________anything to me.
9. Ron __________me that he was assisting an angry customer.
10. The agent _______that I should turn it on first.
Check the following website.
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/confusing_words/say_tell.htm

PERFORMANCE:
Roleplay warm transfer: inform the customer where you are transferring them and why. Provide to the
next agent the customer’s reason for calling

LISTENING: "Security Systems" https://www.esl-lab.com/difficult/security-systems/

Listen to the audio and answer the following questions:

1. The man tries to rob the business by _____. c. A bank

a. using a fake weapon
b. trying to pass a stolen check 4. The robber's car is ______ while he is in the
c. pretending to be a police officer bank.
a. hauled away
2. The female bank employee tells the man that b. is stolen
______. c. hit by another vehicle
a. the business is closing early
b. she doesn't have much money to give him 5. What do you think happens next?
c. she can't open the cash register a. The robber uses his gun to escape.
b. The man is arrested and taken away.
3. This conversation takes place at ______. c. The woman complies with the robber's
a. A hotel demands.
b. A restaurant

Asking for Clarification

PERFORMANCE
Role Play the following situations. The agent has to use the expressions studied in class about how to ask
for clarification.

CASE #1
A: You are a customer calling Capital One. The ATM confiscated your debit card and you don’t know
what to do. You are very upset about this. You need your money right now!
B: You are the agent from Capital One. You have to explain the client she/he needs to wait at least
2 days to get her/his card back. Your client is very upset about this.

CASE 2:
A: You are a customer calling Citi Bank You are very late in your credit payment and you want to
know if it’s possible to extend the period in which you can pay. You are very happy because the agent is
being very helpful.
B: You are the Citi Bank agent, and you try to help the customer, so he or she can expand the
period for the payment.
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CASE 3:
A: You are an angry customer calling AT&T. It seems your brand new, $450 cell phone is too
sophisticated for you, and you have not been able to use it. You are calling the customer’s service line
for help on how to use your cell phone.
B: You are the agent for AT&T. You are going to explain the customer the basic functions of his/her
sophisticated cell phone.

CASE 4:
A: You are a customer who’s trying to access his/her online banking account. You are trying to log in
using your username and pass code, but the system is giving you an error message saying: “Your pass
code has been revoked”. You call Bank of America Customer Service to ask for help.
B: You are the Bank of America CSR. You are going to authenticate the customer first by asking for
the last 4 digits of his/her social and his/her day of birth, then you are going to create a new pass code
for the customer, and confirm he/she is able to see his banking information online.

CASE 5:
You do not know much about computers and your spouse has just bought one for you. Your spouse
helped you install most of the things, but you had to guess with what was left and installed it yourself.
There is a device that is oval shaped, has a long wire, and some sort of button in the middle. You believe
this device is some sort of pedal and you have placed it underneath the table. You have tried to make it
work for a long time but have not been able to figure it out. Call for assistance.

Check the following website for extra practice.

http://www.effective-public-speaking.com/clarification/menu.php

Vocabulary - OSi Model

1. Trace 16. Perform
2. Received 17. Semantics
3. Transmission 18. Encryption
4. Layers 19. Decryption
5. Concerning 20. Set up
6. Endpoints 21. Authentication
7. User 22. Reconnection
8. Architecture 23. Interruption
9. In turn 24. Accomplish
10. Data flow 25. Routing
11. Source 26. Ensure
12. Hardware 27. Overwhelm
13. Transmit 28. Electrical
14. Ethernet 29. Mechanical
15. Fiber optic

PERFORMANCE:
E-mail OSI model: You are the owner of an online store your costumers are upset because they can't
access your website, send a formal complaint email to IT department specifying what layer of the OSI
model you think is been affected
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1
How the OSI model works
IT professionals use OSI to model or trace how data is sent or received over a network. This model
breaks down data transmission over a series of seven layers, each of which is responsible for performing
specific tasks concerning sending and receiving data.

The main concept of OSI is that the process of communication between two endpoints in a network can
be divided into seven distinct groups of related functions, or layers. Each communicating user or
program is on a device that can provide those seven layers of function.

In this architecture, each layer serves the layer above it and, in turn, is served by the layer below it. So,
in a given message between users, there will be a flow of data down through the layers in the source
computer, across the network, and then up through the layers in the receiving computer. Only the
application layer, at the top of the stack, doesn’t provide services to a higher-level layer.

The seven layers of function are provided by a combination of applications, operating systems, network
card device drivers and networking hardware that enable a system to transmit a signal over a network
Ethernet or fiber optic cable or through Wi-Fi or other wireless protocols.

7 layers of the OSI model

The seven Open Systems Interconnection layers are:

Layer 7: The application layer: Enables the user (human or software) to interact with the application or
network whenever the user elects to read messages, transfer files or perform other network-related
activities. Web browsers and other internet-connected apps, such as Outlook and Skype, use Layer 7
application protocols.
Layer 6: The presentation layer: Translates or formats data for the application layer based on the
semantics or syntax that the application accepts. This layer is also able to handle the encryption and
decryption that the application layer requires.
Layer 5: The session layer: Sets up, coordinates and terminates conversations between applications. Its
services include authentication and reconnection after an interruption. This layer determines how long a
system will wait for another application to respond. Examples of session layer protocols include X.225,
AppleTalk and Zone Information Protocol (ZIP).
Layer 4: The transport layer: Is responsible for transferring data across a network and provides error-
checking mechanisms and data flow controls. It determines how much data to send, where it gets sent
and at what rate. The Transmission Control Protocol is the best known example of the transport layer.
Layer 3: The network layer: Primary function is to move data into and through other networks. Network
layer protocols accomplish this by packaging data with correct network address information, selecting
the appropriate network routes and forwarding the packaged data up the stack to the transport layer.
Layer 2: The data-link layer: The protocol layer in a program that handles the moving of data into and
out of a physical link in a network. This layer handles problems that occur as a result of bit transmission
errors. It ensures that the pace of the data flow doesn’t overwhelm the sending and receiving devices.
This layer also permits the transmission of data to Layer 3, the network layer, where it is addressed and
routed.
Layer 1: The physical layer: Transports data using electrical, mechanical or procedural interfaces. This
layer is responsible for sending computer bits from one device to another along the network. It
determines how physical connections to the network are set up and how bits are represented into
predictable signals as they are transmitted either electrically, optically or via radio waves.
1
https://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/definition/OSI
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