Spelling names and emails on the phone
CEFR: B1
Read/Listen first
“Good morning, support desk, Alice speaking.” — “Hi, this is Daniel Lopez. Could you update my email?” — “Of course. Could you spell it?” — “Sure: capital D, then a-n-i-e-l dot l-o-p-e-z at company hyphen labs dot com.” — “Thanks. Is that a hyphen between ‘company’ and ‘labs’, not an underscore?” — “Yes, a hyphen. And Lopez has a zed at the end.” — “Got it. Let me read it back: Daniel dot Lopez at company hyphen labs dot com.” — “Almost. It’s Daniel without the second ‘i’.” — “Right, D-a-n-i-e-l? Wait, that includes the second ‘i’.” — “Sorry, my mistake. D-a-n-i-e-l is correct. Also, my order number is RQ seven two nine.” — “RQ729, noted. I’ll send a confirmation email now. Anything else?” — “That’s all. Thanks for checking the details.”⚡ Learning goals
- Spell, confirm, and correct information clearly over phone or email.
- Politely request repetition and clarify capital/lowercase, hyphens, and underscores.
- Check back important details like names, postcodes, and reference codes.
✨ Key language
- “Let me spell that for you…” “Let me spell that for you: capital A, then two es.”
- “Could you repeat the last part?” “Could you repeat the last three digits?”
- “Did you say hyphen or underscore?” “Is that a hyphen or an underscore?”
⚙️ Rules & Grammar — 4 Structures
1️⃣ Polite requests with could/would
Rule: Use could/would to make requests sound polite and indirect.Examples: Could you spell your surname?; Would you repeat the last part?; Could you confirm the domain?
Common pitfall + fix: Using imperative forms may sound too direct — Add ‘could you’ or ‘would you’.
Which sentence is the most polite?
Tip: Polite requests use modal verbs plus base verb.
Fill with the best answer: _____ you spell that slowly, please?
Tip: Lowercase the modal; keep it simple.
2️⃣ Capital vs lowercase letters
Rule: Name letters explicitly: say ‘capital A’ or ‘lowercase a’.Examples: Capital D at the start; Lowercase after the dot; Zed at the end
Common pitfall + fix: Saying ‘big A’ or ‘small a’ in formal calls — Use ‘capital’ and ‘lowercase’ instead.
How do you say ‘A’ clearly on the phone?
Tip: Use the standard term ‘capital’.
Fill with the best answer: It ends with a _____ zed.
Tip: We specify lowercase for letters in addresses.
3️⃣ Clarifying with read-back
Rule: Repeat back key items to confirm accuracy.Examples: Let me read that back; So that’s RQ729; I’ll spell it to check
Common pitfall + fix: Assuming details are correct without confirmation — Use a short read-back before saving.
Which phrase signals confirmation?
Tip: A read-back explicitly restates information.
Fill with the best answer: So that’s RQ_____ , right?
Tip: Keep letters/numbers exactly as given.
4️⃣ Hyphen vs underscore
Rule: Ask and state the symbol explicitly to avoid confusion.Examples: Is that a hyphen, not an underscore?; Use hyphen between words; No underscore in Lopez
Common pitfall + fix: Saying ‘dash’ without checking — Use ‘hyphen’ or ‘underscore’ clearly.
Which symbol is used in company-labs?
Tip: A hyphen joins words; underscore sits low.
Fill with the best answer: Write company _____ labs in the domain.
Tip: Spell the symbol as a word.
✍️ Vocabulary
uppercase
Meaning: letters written as capitalsSynonyms: capital letters, caps
Chunk/Idiom: capital A
Example: Please start with uppercase D.
Morphology: noun/adj.
Self-practice: Spell your name with uppercase/lowercase.
lowercase
Meaning: small letters a–zSynonyms: small letters, lower case
Chunk/Idiom: lowercase zed
Example: The code ends with lowercase z.
Morphology: noun/adj.
Self-practice: Rewrite your email in lowercase.
hyphen
Meaning: short line joining wordsSynonyms: dash, minus
Chunk/Idiom: hyphen between words
Example: Use a hyphen, not underscore.
Morphology: noun
Self-practice: Say three emails with a hyphen.
underscore
Meaning: low line character _Synonyms: low dash, underline
Chunk/Idiom: underscore in username
Example: Is that underscore or hyphen?
Morphology: noun
Self-practice: Spell two usernames with underscores.
read-back
Meaning: repeating information to confirmSynonyms: confirmation, verification
Chunk/Idiom: do a quick read-back
Example: Let me do a read-back.
Morphology: noun/verb
Self-practice: Read back a phone number politely.
reference code
Meaning: letters and numbers identifying a caseSynonyms: order number, ticket ID
Chunk/Idiom: order reference code
Example: My reference code is RQ729.
Morphology: noun
Self-practice: Create three sample codes to spell.
☁️ Examples (+ audio)
Could you repeat the last three characters?
It’s capital D, then lowercase a.
Let me read that back to you.
There’s a hyphen, not an underscore.
✏️ Exercises
Grammar
Choose the best request for spelling an email:
Tip: Modal + base verb + please is polite.
Select the correct confirmation phrase:
Tip: Confirmation requires restating details.
Fill with the best answer:
Write company _____ labs in the address.Tip: State the symbol in words.
Fill with the best answer:
It ends with _____ zed, correct?Tip: Letters can be capital or lowercase.
Vocabulary & Comprehension
Which word names the symbol ‘_’ ?
Tip: Underscore sits low on the line.
Which phrase means ‘say it again’ politely?
Tip: Use modal verbs to soften.
Fill with the best answer:
Please use _____ letters for the first initial.Tip: Uppercase = capital letters.
Fill with the best answer:
I’ll do a quick _____ to check.Tip: Read-back confirms details.
✅ Guided practice
Mini-dialogue:
A: Could you spell your email for the confirmation?B: Sure, capital D, then a-n-i-e-l dot lopez at company-labs dot com.
A: Thanks. I’ll read it back to check.
Why this matters:
Spelling avoids failed deliveries. Read-backs reduce costly mistakes. Clear requests keep the call efficient.Verb & Adjective Pack:
confirm — Could you confirm the last three digits?clarify — Let me clarify: there’s a hyphen.
spell — I’ll spell it slowly for you.
Try & compare:
Fill with the best answer: RQ ___ ___ ___ — type the three digits you heard.
Tip: Digits must match the code exactly.
Self-correction: Fix the sentence: Please repeat me your email.
Tip: Use ‘repeat your email’, not ‘repeat me’.
Practice aloud: Listen, repeat, then type the sentence.
Let me read that back to check your address.
Tip: Practice natural stress and pausing.