Phone messages: who called, why, and what to do next
Every phone message is built on three anchors: the caller's name, the reason (calling about, returning your call), and the action (call back, stop by, confirm). Extension and phone numbers come digit by digit — write them as you hear them, don't wait for the end.
Read the sentences below, then practice the whole lesson with audio.
- 1Hi, this is Laura from the dental clinic calling about your appointment.
- 2I am calling to confirm your cleaning at two on Thursday afternoon.
- 3Please call us back before noon if you need to change the time.
- 4You have reached the sales department of Grandview Furniture.
- 5Our office is currently closed, so please leave a short message.
- 6This is Mark returning your call about the broken office chair.
- 7The replacement part arrived this morning, earlier than we expected.
- 8I can stop by your office tomorrow between nine and eleven.
- 9Let me know which time works best, and I will confirm it.
- 10Hello, I am calling about the invoice you sent last week.
- 11The total seems higher than the quote we agreed on.
- 12Could someone from billing call me back at extension four five nine?
- 13Sorry I missed you, I was in a meeting all afternoon.
- 14I will try you again tomorrow, or you can reach me on my cell.
- 15Thanks for calling, and have a great rest of the day.
FAQ
- How does this dictation practice work?
- Play a sentence, type exactly what you hear, then press check — Dictation Trainer shows word-level feedback: which words you misheard, misspelled, confused for a homophone, or missed.
- Do I need an account, and is it free?
- You can read the sentences here without signing up. To practice with audio and save progress, create a free account — practice runs on Echoes you earn for free, starting with 100.
- What level is this lesson?
- This lesson is graded B1 on the CEFR scale and has 15 sentences. Dictation Trainer lessons currently run from A1 to B2, with more lessons on the way.