This week we will listen, speak, read and write. We will practice making a 911 call and returning items to a store.
1.Read and Listen
It’s very important for you to be able to get help in an emergency. Of course, calling 911 is the quickest way to get that help. Whether you want to report a fire, a robbery or a medical emergency, you must be able to tell your story quickly and clearly in English.
Click the link to listen to a sample 911 call from the OSY Migrant website. Read along. Do you know all the words? Can you spell the name of your street in English?
https://www.osymigrant.org/Student%20Site/site/LE-%20Sample%20Conversation%20911.html
2. Look at the conversation below. Pretend a friend or family member is having a medical emergency. Fill in the blanks with your own information. Write down your answers.
RING RING RING
OPERATOR: “Nine-one-one operator. What is your emergency?”
CALLER: I have a medical emergency. My name is ____________
OPERATOR: What is the nature of your emergency?
CALLER: My _____________ has fallen down. ____ cannot breathe.
OPERATOR: Where is the patient?
CALLER: ______ is at my home at __________________. Please send an ambulance!
OPERATOR: What is your _________’s name?
CALLER: _My _______’s name is _____________.
OPERATOR: Don’t hang up! Help is on the way!
3. Pronunciation. Practice reading the conversation you wrote down. Read the operator and the caller. Then, call my phone number, 323 391-4011. Read your conversation to me on my phone as a voice mail message. I will listen when I check my messages.
4. Learn more emergency words and phrases.
If you call 911 for a medical emergency, they might ask you other questions. The operator could even ask you to do some things to save a life. Please read the words below. Look up the ones you don’t know.
Can you describe what happened?
Is he breathing?
Does he have a fever?
Are his pupils dilated?
Is he bleeding?
Is he conscious?
How long has he been ill?
What time did you find him?
Can you stop the flow of bleeding?
Could you put pressure on the wound?
Is he experiencing any of these symptoms?
- Extremely difficult breathing (can’t talk without gasping for air)
- Blue-colored lips or face
- Severe, constant dizziness or lightheadedness
- Acting confused or inability to arouse
- Slurred speech (new or worsening)
- New onset of seizures or seizures that won’t stop
- Other life-threatening emergency signs as per your center’s standard protocol
5. Look at the questions below. Pick the best answer.
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6. Read the story below. Think about the sentences with phrases you don’t understand.
Dale Returns a Faulty Computer
I had bought a new computer at some time in January. I don’t remember when. When February came around, the computer started to make a funny noise. Whenever I turned the computer on, it got hot very quickly. I thought, “This could be a problem with the fan.” Can you imagine how a new computer could break so quickly? I was angry. And, until the following Friday, I couldn’t take time off to drive to the store, because I was working on a project. If my computer broke down during the project, then I would be in big trouble.
I got lucky. I was able to finish my project before the computer broke completely. After I finished my project, I packed up my computer and drove to the store. I wanted a refund, but whether they would give me one or not I didn’t know.
I went into the store and I walked up to the customer service and exchange counter. After waiting in line for about a half an hour, a customer service employee shouted, “Next!” He wasn’t very polite.
I asked, “Could you tell me if this computer is under warranty? Or, could you explain your return policy for defective merchandise?” He didn’t answer my question. Instead he asked, “What’s the matter with it?”
“I’m not sure why it gets hot whenever I turned it on,” I told him. I added that I wouldn’t know the exact problem until an expert looked at it. I asked him, “Do you know whether I need to pay to have someone check it out? It’s a new computer that I bought here in January.”
When I said “January,” the customer service representative looked surprised. Suddenly, he became very polite. He told me that such a new computer would fall under the six-month warranty. If the repair people didn’t find that I had broken the computer by disregarding the instructions, I would be able to get an exchange, a refund or store credit for the full amount. The diagnostic tests wouldn’t cost me a thing. I was so relieved!
Sometimes we ask a question inside a different question. In the sentence
Could you tell me if this computer is under warranty?
The first question is could you tell me…? The second, more important question is “Is this computer under warranty?”
We write questions this way to show that we are polite and gracious. It is considered nicer than demanding, “Is this computer under warranty!” Some of the question in question phrases are…
- Could you tell me
- I’d like to know
- I’m not sure
- Do you know
- I wonder
- Would you mind
- Let’s ask
We will practice these questions in a zoom meeting. Please study the words in BOLD TYPE.
You can also try a fun puzzle. Go to the ventures arcade site with this link.
https://www.cambridge.org/us/esl/venturesadulted/venturesarcade/
Go to “LEVEL 4, SHOPPING A BUYING AND RETURNING PUZZLE.”