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- Is it correct to write the telephone abbreviation as Tel when the . . .
In business communications, the courtesy of specifying the type of phone (for reasons of calling cost) is less important than in private communications, as calling both is a business expense However if you are giving a landline and a mobile number it makes sense to specify which is which (Tel: and Mob: would be the normal way to abbreviate them in British English) The meaning of Mob: may not
- articles - Is it correct to say via a? - English Language Usage . . .
Is it considered proper English to say something like this? I called her via a telephone Or should the indefinite article be omitted entirely? I called her via telephone If the indefinite art
- punctuation - Standard format for phone numbers? - English Language . . .
The recommended style of presentation of new telephone numbers is based on customer research Brackets are used to identify the national code - which is omitted when dialling within the same area
- grammar - Past continuous or simple past tense - English Language . . .
I was having a shower when the telephone rang (Past Continuous for interrupted action) I was in the shower when the telephone rang Why is Past Simple used in the second sentence?)
- How was tin can phone string phone called before telephone invented?
According to the Wikipedia article on the "History of the Telephone", the "two tins cans linked by a string" phone is formally called an " acoustic telephone ", and "has been known for centuries"
- politeness - How should I tell someone I called you but you didnt . . .
Follow up email: I'm writing to discuss [subject matter] I tried to reach you by phone last week but I couldn't get through (or, you were unavailable) So I wanted to ask you about [back to subject matter] Benefits: courteous, polite, easy-going clearly points out your attempt to call keeps focus on what you really want With minor adjustments, the same message could be used in a voicemail or
- Cell phone? Cell? Mobile phone? Whats the correct term?
In Australia, it has traditionally been a "mobile" - never a "cell" (unless you are deliberately trying to sound American!) However, it is increasingly becoming just a "phone", as landlines continue to disappear from households The one clarifying term might be "my phone" - this would guarantee it to be a mobile phone, rather than a landline
- vocabulary - Is plunger a familiar word for part of a phone . . .
2 I was looking for the name of the button on a telephone that you push to hang up On older phones where the receiver sits horizontally over two buttons, I've seen them called "plungers " Are people familiar with this term? Is there another term? Is the single button also called a "plunger?"
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