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English For Secretaries Part 1 March 2012 PDF
English For Secretaries Part 1 March 2012 PDF
FOR
SECRETARIES
[Level 1]
Haramaya University
Forward
This is a 12-session course of general-use English for all
secretarial staff designed to help secretaries communicate with
foreign visitors.
It also aims to develop professional skills in written English.
Speaking, listening, reading and writing are covered in each
session.
There is an end-of-course exam so that secretaries can see how
much they have achieved.
A certificate will be issued on the successful completion of the
course.
This can easily be modified for any higher education institution in
Ethiopia.
GOOD LUCK!
Linda Robertson
Haramaya University
Edited by
David J Fenech
ELIC Advisor
Ministry of Education
Addis Ababa
Feb, 2012
Table of Contents
FORWARD............................................................................. 1
GREETINGS ...................................................................................................................... 3
INTRODUCTIONS ............................................................................................................ 4
NAMES SYSTEM IN THE UK ......................................................................................... 7
NAMES SYSTEM IN ETHIOPIA ..................................................................................... 8
THE ENGLISH ALPHABET ............................................................................................. 9
COUNTRIES, NATIONALITIES & LANGUAGES ...................................................... 10
WELCOMING VISITORS RECEPTION SKILLS ......................................................... 11
PASSING ON MESSAGES IN ENGLISH ...................................................................... 12
TELEPHONE NUMBERS ............................................................................................... 15
TELEPHONE CALLS ...................................................................................................... 17
EXPLAINING PROCEDURES & REGULATIONS ...................................................... 21
REFERENCE PAGE DIRECTIONS ............................................................................... 24
GIVING DIRECTIONS TO VISITORS .......................................................................... 25
EXPLAINING PROBLEMS AND APOLOGISING....................................................... 27
WRITING & WORD PROCESSING .............................................................................. 30
FILLING IN FORMS ..................................................................................................................... 31
HELPING A FOREIGN VISITOR TO COMPLETE A FORM .............................................................. 31
EDITING TEXT & CHECKING ACCURACY OF WORD PROCESSING .............................................. 32
EDITING TEXT & CHECKING ACCURACY OF WORD PROCESSING.. ......................................... 34
WRITING BUSINESS LETTERS ..................................................................................................... 35
WRITING THE DATE ON LETTERS ............................................................................................... 35
TERMINOLOGY .......................................................................................................................... 37
WRITING A MEMO..................................................................................................................... 39
E-MAIL ....................................................................................................................................... 40
INTERNAL E-MAIL ...................................................................................................................... 40
SENDING A FAX.. ..................................................................................................................... 41
AGENDA
GREETINGS
Greeting
Good morning!
Good afternoon!
Good evening!
Hallo! / Hi!
How are you?
Goodnight!
Goodbye!
Have a good evening!
See you tomorrow!
Have a good weekend!
See you on Monday!
Bye!
When it is Used
Less formal
PRACTICE TASK
Work out and say the correct greeting for each situation as quickly as you can with
a partner!
1. It is 10:00am (Eth: 4:00) and a foreign visitor comes into your office.
2. It is 2:00pm (Eth: 8:00) and you want to greet a foreign visitor you see in the
Administration building.
3. It is 12:05pm (lunchtime) and you greet a foreign visitor entering the staff
canteen.
4. It is 7:00pm (Eth: 1:00) and you are walking back to your home when you
meet a foreign visitor on campus.
5. It is 5:00pm (Eth: 11:00) and you are finishing work. A foreign visitor is
leaving the building at the same time.
6. It is 8:00am (Eth: 2:00) and you see a foreign visitor in the corridor.
7. It is Friday at 5:00pm (Eth: 11:00) and you see a foreign visitor when you are
leaving your office.
8. You see a foreign employee on campus that you already know well.
QUICK QUIZ
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Test a Partner!
The day is divided into day (time) and night (time). Daytime is from approximately
6am (sunrise) to approximately 6pm (sunset). Nighttime is from sunset to sunrise.
Every day starts precisely at midnight. AM (Ante-Meridiem = before noon) starts just
after midnight. PM (Post-Meridiem = after noon) starts just after noon.
today
tomorrow
day
week
month
year
INTRODUCTIONS
When working as a secretary, you often make small talk to foreign visitors when
they are waiting in reception. It can make the visitor feel more welcome because
most people are happy to talk about themselves and their lives. It is also interesting
for you to find out about other people and to tell them a little about yourself..
An Example of a Short Introduction:
Hi! My name is Linda Robertson and I work at this
university.
I am a VSO UK volunteer in the Faculty of Education.
I have worked here for 3 months and my project in the
ELIC
(English Language Improvement Centre) will last for 2
years.
I am enjoying my work at HU very much.
I live on campus in an apartment.
I come from Scotland, UK and I am single.
In my family there are 5 of us my father, my mother,
my sister and brother-in-law and me!
Linda
PRACTICE TASK
SPEAKING PRACTICE
Work with a partner and practise asking for personal information and giving your
own answers.
(1)What is your name?
My name is
(2)Where do you work? What do you do? (What is your job?)
I work here at this university. / I work at Haramaya University.
I am a secretary in the
Department.
Office.
I am a secretary for the President / Academic Vice-President /
Administrative Vice-President.
I am the head secretary.
(3)How long have you worked here?
I have worked here for . years / months.
(4)Do you like working here?
Yes - I want to continue working here. I like my job.
I get on well with my colleagues and I have a lot of friends.
(5)Where do you live?
I live on campus.
I live in Harer and travel to work every day.
(6)Are you married?
No, Im single.
Yes, I am (married).
5
(If you found out any extra information about your partner and she does not mind
you telling the others, then feel free to add it in!)
WRITING
All about me
Mr. (/mista/)
Doctor (Dr.) / Professor
Unmarried woman
Married woman
Married or unmarried woman used by many
women instead of Miss or Mrs.
Very helpful if you dont know whether someone is
married or single
For a man married or single
(any status)
Other titles male or female
Please Note:
*I am called by my first name, Linda, by people who know me well.
*In a more formal relationship, the title and then the family name
would be used Miss Robertson but never Miss Linda.
*If you are in a formal situation and the person does not give his/her
Name, address a man as Sir and a woman as Madam.
(Please come with me, Sir.
Please take a seat, Madam.)
change
marries
first
title
children
fathers
GAME
lower case
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
p
q
r
s
t
u
v
w
x
y
z
vowels
a
e
i
o
u
& 21 consonants
Hangman
Pairwork
Practise with a partner spelling your own first and second names in
English:
(A) What is your name?
(B) My name is..
(A) Can you spell that, please?
(B) Of course, my first name is_ _ _ _ _
and my second name is _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
(A)Thank you.
(B) No problem.
Nationality
British
Language
English
10
(B) = secretary
(B) = secretary
11
MESSAGE
12
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
zero
one
two
three
four
five
six
seven
eight
nine
ten
eleven
twelve
thirteen
fourteen
fifteen
sixteen
seventeen
eighteen
nineteen
twenty
twenty-one
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
thirty
forty
fifty
sixty
seventy
eighty
ninety
100
101
one hundred
one hundred and one
200
two hundred
542
1000
one thousand
1,000,000 = 1 million
10,000,000= 10 million
13
(8) 92
(9) 103
(10) 528
(11) 237
(12) 999
(13) 874
(14) 150
(15) 1,236
(16) 3,843
(17) 9,999
(18) 20,000,000
(19) 15,000,000
(20) 800,000
1. 536
2. 1,712
3. 5,000,000
4. 3,829
5. 78
6. 15,000
7. 7,214
8. 981
9. 195
10. 20,452
14
TELEPHONE NUMBERS
What is your mobile phone (UK) number?
cellphone (USA)
LISTENING PRACTICE
Listen to the phone numbers and note them down correctly:
1. My mobile phone number is zero nine one one fourteen thirty-six zero nine.
2. My mobile phone number is zero nine one two fifteen twenty eighty-one.
3. My mobile phone number is zero nine one five sixty-five zero seven ninetytwo.
4. The office phone number is two five one zero two five six six one zero seven
forty-six.
5. The office phone number is two five one zero two five six six one four five
nine three.
15
6. The office phone number is two five one zero two five double six one five
three nine two Extension two three zero.
SPEAKING PRACTICE
Practise asking for the other secretaries mobile phone numbers and office phone
numbers. (They can also give you the office/university fax number and/or their
home phone numbers if they have them and wish to do so.)
Write the numbers down and check with the others that you have understood
correctly!
You should also be prepared to give the other secretaries your phone numbers when
they ask you.
16
TELEPHONE CALLS
Read the dialogues and answer the questions below.
Dialogue 1
(A)Secretary
(B)Caller
2. Find the phrase the secretary uses to ask the caller to wait and
not to hang up.
Dialogue 2
(A) Secretary
(B)Caller
(A) Hello. Haramaya University. Education Faculty. How can I help you?
(B) Hello. Can I speak to Dr. Lemessa, please?
(A) Ill just get him. Can you call back in 10 minutes, please?
(B) Yes, of course.
17
Dialogue 3
(A)Secretary
(B) Caller
(B) Yes. Could you ask him to call me back? I need to talk to him about the
workshop next week - its urgent. Here is my office phone number 025
6610918.
(A) Could you repeat the number for me, please?
(B) Of course, its 025 6610918.
(A) Thank you and could you also spell your name for me?
(B) No problem this is Steven Jones S T E V E N J O N E S.
(A) Thank you. Let me repeat that - your name is Steven Jones and your
office phone number is 025 6610918.
(B) Thats correct.
(A) Thank you Mr. Jones - Ill make sure he gets this message as soon as he
gets back.
(B) Bye! Thanks for your help!
(A) Youre welcome. Goodbye!
Now fill details of the message for your boss in the box below:
TELEPHONE MESSAGE
Message for:
From: ..
Telephone number:
Regarding:
.
.
19
2. Note down the way that the secretary explains she will say the
callers name and telephone number again so that the caller can
check them.
3. Find the phrase that the secretary uses to say that she will pass on
the message to her boss when he returns.
20
Sometimes
Never
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Toilets
Getting hot & Cold drinks
Staff lounge
Library
Borrowing
Items
(e.g. Stapler)
6. Post office
7. Transport
8. Making
Phone calls
9. Clinic
10. Photocopying
11. Security
12. Internet
Facilities
13. Shopping
Facilities
14. Water supply
15. Electricity
Supply
From your own experiences, can you now add any other areas to the list?
...........
...
21
Now use the prompts below to form a suitable answer for each question:
(1)
The Staff Lounge normally serves.............................................
You have to give .................................................
(2)
It opens at ...................................
It closes at ............................................................................................
It is open from to only.
(3)
It is possible for you to use the Internet
22
(5)
You can buy basic items .
(6)
Of course / certainly / no problem.
Please . it to me when you have finished!
PRACTICE IN GROUPS
*Think about other questions you are often asked by foreign visitors
*Work together to form suitable answers to these questions in English.
*Now feedback your ideas to the other participants.
A stapler?
A hole punch?
A pair of scissors?
A pen?
A pencil?
23
An envelope?
Some cello tape?
Some glue?
Some paper clips?
Some lined / plain paper?
The computer?
The printer?
The telephone?
Your memory stick?
Go straight on / ahead
Go up here
Go down there
Turn right
Turn left
PRACTICE: DIRECTIONS
(1) GROUP-WORK
Form small groups. Each secretary in the group should
then say to the others the name of the person who is:
On her right
On her left
In front of her
Behind her
Next to her
Person 2
Excuse me, please could you tell me how to get to the post office?
Person 3
Excuse me, can you please tell me how to get to the Presidents Office?
25
Person 4
Person 5
Excuse me, please can you direct me to the Education Faculty office?
Person 6
26
27
c) Im very sorry about that. There are d) So sorry, the lines are very busy this
shortages in this area and so we
morning.
restrict supply at certain times. I will
If you give me the number, Ill keep
check the situation for you.
trying for you.
e) Unfortunately, the staff responsible
for duplication have been very busy.
I will ask them to try to complete it
for tomorrow. Sorry for the delay.
29
Formal Letters
Lists Of Students
Internal Memos
Minutes Of Meetings
E-Mails
Invoices
Agendas
Filling In Forms
Timetables
Editing Texts / Checking For
Errors
Notices / Posters (E.G.
Announcement Of A Meeting)
Word Processing Of
Coursework Materials For Your
Department/Faculty
Are there any other writing
tasks which you do as part of
your work?
Most
Often
1 2
1 2
1 2
1 2
1 2
1 2
1 2
1 2
1 2
1 2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
7
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
9
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
Least
Often
11 12
11 12
11 12
11 12
11 12
11 12
11 12
11 12
11 12
11 12
10
11
12
10
11
12
10
11
12
30
FILLING IN FORMS
Quick Quiz!
Match up the following headings on a form with the correct
information.
The fastest team to complete the task correctly are the winners!
1. Forename
2. Surname
3. Gender
4. Title
5. Marital status
6. Date of birth (D.o.B)
7. Nationality
8. Occupation
9. Allergies / medical information
10. Next of kin
(a) Ms.
(b) British
(c) 22 May 1968
(d) None
(e) Female (F)
(f) Mr. & Mrs. F Robertson, UK.
(g) Linda
(h) single
(i) Robertson
(j) Teacher
Secretary:
Foreign visitor:
Secretary:
31
Your signature
Foreign visitor:
Secretary:
Foreign visitor:
32
Name
.
,
?
!
-
question mark
exclamation mark
hyphen
dash
oblique/slash
quotation marks
apostrophe
semi-colon
colon
Example
The meeting is on Monday morning.
I speak English, Amharic and Afan
Oromo.
How are you?
Help!
The university has a very up-to-date
computer system.
In each town Harer and Dire Dawa
there is a Ras Hotel.
Please press your browsers
Refresh/Reload button
The secretary said: Please sign here.
The Presidents Office
The Students Lounge
I dont watch TV very often; I prefer
to read.
Subject:
33
34
The month is usually written rather than using a number because Europeans put the day
first but the U.S puts the month first.
Months of the Year
January
May
September
February
June
October
March
July
November
April
August
December
36
10 May 2007
= Date
Haramaya University
Yours sincerely,
=
Dr. Alemayu Kebede
Academic Vice-President
Cc:
Enc:
37
copy to
signature (hand-written)
letterhead / logo
closing
recipient
salutation
body of letter
enclosure
subject
PRACTICE TASK
Now work in a group or with a partner and try to write a reply to Peter
Black.
He wrote to the university asking for information about courses for
foreign students.
Put the 8 phrases below in the correct order to form a suitable letter:
Haramaya University (Facts & Figures 2005/06)
Please find enclosed a leaflet with information about the university, including
details of fees charged to foreign students which I hope you will find of
interest.
I look forward to hearing from you again in the near future.
Thank you for your letter of 30 April requesting information about
Haramaya University and courses on offer to foreign students.
An application form for admission to the university can be provided on
request.
If you require more information, please feel free to contact me again and I
will be happy to be of further assistance.
With thanks for the interest you have shown in our university.
The university welcomes applications from Ethiopian students as well as
foreign nationals.
1. Who would receive a copy of the letter? Fill in the information in the
letter.
38
WRITING A MEMO
Memos are short, internal business letters sent to staff within the same company. A
memo may also be posted inside an institution for all to see. They are becoming less
common due to use of e-mail.
Memos do not usually include a salutation.
INTERNAL MEMORANDUM
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
Message starts here.
What would be a suitable ending for the memo? Add it to the end of your finished
piece of work.
39
E-MAIL
When using e-mail
mail in business, most of the guidelines for
formattingg business letters apply. Internal ee-mails are often
formatted more like a memo than a formal letter.
Some Guidelines For Business E
E-Mails:
Doo not use key words for the subject that could send the e--mail to the
recipients trash box.
Use the cc address line to copy more than one person with the ee
mail.
INTERNAL E-MAIL
CALLING A MEETING: PRACTICE TASK
Write an internal e-m
mail to the committee responsible for writing a summer
training course. It is from Ahmed Kebede (akebede@gmail.com)
40
SENDING A FAX:
READING PRACTICE TASK
Read the fax and find the following information:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Tigist Desso
Programme Support Officer
AGENDAS & MINUTES OF MEETINGS
41
AGENDA:
Finish:
Attendees / Present:
(If it is a big meeting then there is usually a list to be checked off)
1.
2.
3.
Apologies:
Work with a partner to discuss and make up possible information to go beside each
heading.
42
EXAM PREPARATION
Work in groups and discuss areas you would like to practise
more before the exam at the end of Level 1.
(E.g. Reception skills, phrases for apologizing, spelling of certain
words)
Feedback to the whole group. Group and tutor to decide on a
possible revision strategy.
43