Example Business Telephone Conversation: Role-Play. The following business telephone conversation can be used as a role-play in class to introduce a number of standard phrases to practice telephoning in English.

Here are many of the words and terms we use to talk about telephones and using them. With example sentences and special meanings related to landline phones, mobile phones and smartphones. You can check your understanding by doing the Telephone Vocabulary Quiz.

Teach Anyone to Read.
The telephones section is one of the subsections of the modern technology category. There are now 46 worksheets available on this topic for students of every age and ability level. Some talk about SMS language while others are for role-plays or learning about the history of telephones. This phone worksheet will help students learn about SMS.

Word	Example sentence	Meaning
answerverb	I phoned the shop but nobody answered so I guess they're closed.	to take the call and speak after a phone has rung
answering machinenoun	Leave a message on the answering machine and I'll call you back when I can.	a recording device a caller can leave a spoken message on if their call isn't answered
busy (AmE) orengaged (BrE) adj	If the line's busy and you can't get through, call again later.	already being used, of a telephone line or number
busy signal (AmE) orengaged tone (BrE) noun	Mum's always on the phone after dinner, so I'll get a busy signal if I call now.	the sound you hear if you dial a landline number that's already being used
callnoun	I'm sorry, but I really have to take this call.	the act of telephoning someone, or a telephone conversation
callverb	If you need a lift home, call me and I'll come and get you.	to try to contact someone by phone, either by dialling their number or finding their name in the list of contacts on a mobile or smartphone
callernoun	I spoke to hundreds of callers every day while I was a receptionist.	the person who calls a telephone number
chargeorrechargeverb	Don't forget to charge your phone before you go camping.	to connect a smartphone, tablet computer, digital camera, etc. to an electricity source to add power to its battery
conference callnoun	I'm having a conference call with some old friends tonight.	a telephone call in which three or more people can hear and speak with one another
cordless phonenoun	Have you seen the cordless phone? I had it in the bathroom but it isn't there now.	a landline telephone receiver you can carry for short distances while using
dialverb	Are you sure you dialled the right number?	to press numbers on a landline phone or touch numbers on a smartphone keypad to call someone
dialling tone (BrE) ordial tone (AmE) noun	I think the line's dead. There's no dial tone when you pick up the phone.	the sound a landline phone makes when you pick it up
hang upverb	Someone called, but as soon as they heard my voice they hung up.	to end a telephone call
hotspotorWi-Fi hotspotnoun	Why don't we use that free Wi-Fi hotspot at the public library?	a place where people can get Internet access either for free or by using a network access password
iconnoun	The icon for email on my phone is a white envelope on a blue square.	a graphic symbol or picture on a smartphone or computer screen that represents an application or file and opens it when touched
landlinenoun	We've all got smartphones, so do we really need a landline in the house?	a physical telephone line, or a telephone that uses one
lineorconnectionnoun	The line was really bad so I called again to get a better connection.	a telephone connection used to make a voice call
missed callnoun	I check my missed calls every night in case I've missed an important one.	a call that wasn't answered
mobile phone (alsocell phoneorfeature phone) noun	Oh no! I left my mobile phone in the taxi.	a portable phone with a SIM card for network connections, with more features than a landline phone but fewer than a smartphone
pay phoneorphone boothnoun	There aren't many pay phones left these days.	a public telephone that takes coins or phonecard payment for each call made
pick upverb	The phone rang and everybody stared at it. Then Maria slowly picked it up.	to answer a landline phone by lifting the receiver
receivernoun	The phone rang and John picked up the receiver and said 'Hello?'	the part of a landline telephone set you pick up and speak into
return a callorcall sb backverb	He didn't return my call, so I knew something was wrong.	to telephone someone who tried to telephone you
ringverb	The phone was in the bathroom so I didn't hear it ring.	(of a telephone) to make the sound that tells you someone is calling
ringtonenoun	I should change my ringtone. I'm sick of hearing this one.	one of many sounds a smartphone can make when someone is calling
robocallnoun	Most people hate getting robocalls, don't they?	an automatic call that plays a recorded message, usually to sell something or get votes in an election
saveverb	Don't forget to save his number if he calls again.	to keep a phone number, text message, e-mail or other digital data on a smartphone or computer
SIM cardnoun	You can use any mobile phone that's got your SIM card in it.	a small card with a microchip that's sold by a network provider and inserted into a mobile phone
smartphonenoun	We were on the bus watching video clips on my smartphone.	a small hand-held computer with a touchscreen that can be used as a mobile phone, web browser, media player, digital camera, etc.
telephone directory (alsodirectoryorphone book) noun	Do you have to pay to have your number in the telephone directory, or is it free?	an alphabetical list (online or in a book) of people and businesses with telephone numbers
text messageortextnoun	He sent me lots of text messages after I told him our relationship was over.	a Short Message Service (SMS) text-only message or a multimedia message (MMS) with dig

Sentences For Telephone Game