Instant messages

Read a conversation by instant messages to practise and improve your reading skills.

Do the preparation task first. Then read the text and do the exercises.

Preparation

Matching_MjIzMzU=

Reading text

You there, Beatriz?

Hang on, Andrew.

OK. What's up?

It's Caroline's birthday tomorrow.

Oh yeah, that's right!

You thought about what to get her?

You mean a present? Weren't you buying one from both of us?

I'm sorry! It totally slipped my mind!

And I'm working 'til late.

So …

Could you pick up a gift today?

I guess. What sort of thing were you thinking of?

Dunno. Got any ideas?

One sec. Phone.

OK, I'm back.

Just had an idea for a gift.

Go on.

New headphones?

Nah. Jeremy said he was getting her headphones.

OK. What then?

Have you seen those gift certificates for a spa? Maybe one of those?

She'd love that!

I'll pick it up today then.

Thanks a million. Appreciate it.

No worries. See you tomorrow then?

Yep.

What time was it again? 4?

4.30. I can pick you up at your house if you like.

CU then.

Bye for now.

Task 2

Exercise

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Discussion

What do you prefer – sending messages to your friends or phoning them?

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Worksheet129.04 KB

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Language level

B2 English level (upper intermediate)

As most of introverts, I prefer sending messages. But sometimes it is impolite and I strongly agree that if you really want to know someone's feelings and want to avoid eventually misunderstandings, phoning is quite better.

I prefer phoning my friends rather than messaging them .Hearing their voices helps me to understand them better and figure out their real state of being . As you know sometimes we send a smile by message while we are crying.

Send messages is the better way to avoid unnecessary talk so far ; by the way, you can answer anytime

I prefer phoning my friends, because I am very happy to hear my friend`s voice. But when they are not available, I used to send message.

it deppent on how highly urgue of matters. if I need a fast respon, i preffer to make a call because commonly peoples would have a fast response when the phone is ringing. its different with message, sometime we dont get a direct replied.

I prefer to sending messages because it's so simply and cheap

I prefer to send messages most of time because it cheaper and can avoid time consuming which is happen by making phone , but in emergency case or when I need immediate response I make a phone call.

I always call my mother because she is old and she lives alone so she needs to talk and hear voices . I prefer send messages to my husband, my children and my friends they ares very busy and I don’t like to disturb them. Of course I ‘ll call them if it's necessary.

Sending message is my last choice i prefer call

If you ask me , I'd say it depends on the situation I'm in which means if it's so important to talk to them about something , therefore I would rather make a phone call , but personally I would prefer sending messages to making a phone call since it's cheaper and better in a way which it does not disturb them as well .

it depends the thing we talk about and the situation we are. if I want to get the response immediately or something is important I'd like phoning my friends. on the contrary, if we are just having small talk or something not emergency I prefer sending messages to them.

I prefer sending messages to my friends rather than call them . Actually i always prefer sending message when i try to contact a person , becuase messages are archived and i can back to them if forget something , for example , Beatriz can back to the conversation with Andrew if she forget the time .

I prefer sending a message rather than a phone call. because it makes both of us go straight to the main point and prevents wasting time.

I prefer phoning my friends,because it is great to hear voices and I can express myself better by talking than writting a letter.

I prefer sending messages. This is mainly because most of my friends are always busy. It's impolite to disturb them especially at work, unless its very important then I will phone.

I prefer phoning them, because i can really express myself well and is also an opportunity for me to hear their voice expecially when they are very far away from me.

I prefer sending messages to my friends rather than phoning them, because if I phone them I force them to give me attention that moment, instead they talked to me whenever they want

I prefer phoning my friends - in most cases it takes less time!

Messages are cheaper and u can send them any time without bothering who u're texting.

It depends on the situation. If I want to talk about urgent matters, I prefer talking on the phone.

I prefer sending a message to a phone call.

I always prefer to text them because I can make sure they are available and it is cheap. You can remember them anything with a photo, video, recording..etc and you can have a chat with more than one.

It depends on what I have to tell them. If it's something brief with less than two or three informations, then I prefer to send a message. On the opposite, if I am waiting for their answer, I prefer to call them on the phone. Or when I have something delicate to say I prefer to call them to avoid to be misunderstood.

Instant messages

Preparation

Task 1

Task 2

Discussion

Language level