The chapter “Using The Telephone” focuses on communication over the telephone. There is a large focus on proper etiquette and politeness. It lets the learner know that if they are having trouble understanding what is being said over the phone, that they should politely ask the speaker to slow down, or to repeat what they have said. The chapter lays out some simple structures to use when making a phone call, such as greetings, farewells, and unexpected situations, such as what to do if the person they are calling for isn’t available at the moment, such as to leave a message or to hold. Since the book is a little older, it also speaks about how to deal with telephone operators and telephone directory books; this information is mostly obsolete.

              The activities are numerous and range from role playing a phone call with a partner, to calling the sanitation department to find out about recycling in your area. The activities are mostly semi-controlled, though there are a few free activities. The role playing includes a partner and is a low risk and simple practice activity. They appear at the beginning of the chapter, and slowly build into more complex activities. The next level of activity has them working alone and responding to provided situations on paper. The most difficult task requires the student to place real phone calls outside of class, including the use of a directory to find out where to direct their calls.

              On the positive side, there are many practices, and at the end of the chapter they even include ten extra role playing situations for further practice. They are all rather creative and would help the learner experience many different situations that could arise over the phone, such as having to leave a message and getting the wrong number. On the negative side, some of the information, such as calling an operator, is really outdated.