Learn how to use interjections and exclamations to your speech, from a conversation between a hotel staff member and a guest
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Eric: Hi everybody! Eric here! |
| Becky: Hello everyone! Becky here. Using Interjections for More Personality |
| Eric: In this lesson, you’ll learn how to use interjections and exclamations to add personality to your speech. |
| Becky: This conversation takes place at the front desk in the evening. |
| Eric: It’s between a guest and a staff member. |
| Becky: The speakers are in a professional relationship, so they’ll be using formal English. Let’s listen to the conversation. |
Lesson conversation |
|---|
| Staff: While we are waiting for your credit card to be authorized, may I ask where you are visiting us from? |
| Customer: I flew in from Germany. |
| Staff: Wow! That is really far. Welcome to Japan! |
| Customer: Thank you. |
| Staff: It looks like there has been an error with our credit card machine. Oh no, this thing has been acting up all day! May I try to run your card through our other machine? |
| Customer: Sure. |
| Staff: Okay, it looks like this one worked. I apologize for the wait. You are in room 315. It is a non-smoking, full bedroom as you requested. The quickest way to your room is to take the elevator right behind you to the third floor and take a left when you get out. There is an information pamphlet with details of all of our amenities in your room. You can also dial 0 on your phone if you have any questions. |
| Customer: Thank you. |
| Staff: Well, if there isn’t anything else, please enjoy your evening. |
| Becky: Let’s hear the conversation one time slowly. |
| Staff: While we are waiting for your credit card to be authorized, may I ask where you are visiting us from? |
| Customer: I flew in from Germany. |
| Staff: Wow! That is really far. Welcome to Japan! |
| Customer: Thank you. |
| Staff: It looks like there has been an error with our credit card machine. Oh no, this thing has been acting up all day! May I try to run your card through our other machine? |
| Customer: Sure. |
| Staff: Okay, it looks like this one worked. I apologize about the wait. You are in room 315. It is a non smoking, full bedroom as you requested. The quickest way to your room is to take the elevator right behind you to the third floor and take a left when you get out. There is an information pamphlet with details of all of our amenities in your room. You can also dial 0 on your phone if you have any questions. |
| Customer: Thank you. |
| Staff: Well, if there isn’t anything else, please enjoy your evening. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Becky: I think most Western people prefer staff to act in a professional manner. However, they also tend to enjoy talking to staff members who are friendly and who know how to talk in a nice way. |
| Eric: When the conversation is flowing, it can be difficult to know when you need to be professional and when you need to be fun. |
| Becky: Exactly. In this lesson, we’ll look at interjections and exclamations and how those things can make you seem more natural and more fun. |
| Eric: That’s right. Since most conversations at a hotel are roughly the same, you can easily add in a few exclamations and interjections to the mix and make your speech seem more natural. |
| Becky: That’s right. Okay, now let’s take a look at the vocabulary. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Becky: Let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. The first phrase is... |
| Eric: If there isn’t anything else [natural native speed] |
| Becky: specialized question used to ask if something more could be done |
| Eric: If there isn’t anything else [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Eric: If there isn’t anything else [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next is... |
| Eric: credit card machine [natural native speed] |
| Becky: machine that processes credit card transactions |
| Eric: credit card machine [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Eric: credit card machine [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next is... |
| Eric: run your card [natural native speed] |
| Becky: swipe your card, use credit card information to finalize a purchase |
| Eric: run your card [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Eric: run your card [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next is... |
| Eric: dial [natural native speed] |
| Becky: to press buttons on a phone in order to call someone |
| Eric: dial [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Eric: dial [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| Becky: Let’s take a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first phrase we’re going to look at is "If there isn’t anything else." |
| Eric: You use this phrase when you don’t think there is anything else to talk about, and you’ve given the guest all the information you need to give them. |
| Becky: That’s right. In other words, you don’t have anything to say and you don’t think the guest has anything else to say, but you want to give them the option to say something if they want to. |
| Eric: And when you use this phrase, you usually follow it with whatever the next steps are for the guest. So, for example, "If there isn’t anything else then, sir, you can sign here and here." |
| Becky: The next phrase we’re going to look at is "run your card." |
| Eric: This phrase means use the person’s credit or debit card information to process a financial transaction. The idea is similar to the phrase "swipe your card." |
| Becky: Because credit cards and debit cards often have the same appearance, you won’t know if the person has given you a debit card or a credit card. That’s why you can just say "card" instead of "credit card" or "debit card." |
| Eric: If you need to check, you can use a sentence like "Should I run your card as debit or credit, ma’am?" |
| Becky: Okay, now onto the grammar. |
Lesson focus |
| Eric: In this lesson, you’ll learn how to use interjections and exclamations to add personality to your speech. |
| Becky: In the dialogue we heard the phrase, "Wow! That is really far. Welcome to Japan!" |
| Eric: One of the easiest ways to show your personality and make your speech seem more natural is to use interjections and exclamations. |
| Becky: Interjections and exclamations usually correspond to some kind of feeling. In other words, those feelings cause you to use these interjections. |
| Eric: So, as a hotel staff member, there are several words that you will use often as interjections and exclamations. Those words include, "wow!", "Really?", "Amazing!", "That’s interesting!" and "I’m impressed." |
| Becky: Of these, the most commonly used is probably "wow!" |
| Eric: I agree. But that doesn’t mean you can just use “wow” all the time. If the only thing you say is “wow”, your guests will notice and find it kind of strange. |
| Becky: So our main tip for how to use these interjections is to use the word that corresponds with your feeling in response to what has been said. So for example, if something has amazed you, you should probably say "amazing" or "that’s amazing!" |
| Eric: In contrast, if the guest tells you something you find interesting, you should say something like "that’s interesting." |
| Becky: Our last tip here is about using exclamations with negative feelings. Basically, don’t do it! Hotel staff need to be positive toward their guests at all times, so you should use positive exclamations at any opportunity. And be very careful to keep a cheerful tone and not use negative exclamations. |
| Eric: That’s right. Depending on your tone, exclamations like “What?” or “Really?” can sound a bit rude. |
| Becky: Also, remember that "cursing" or “swearing” is off-limits. Don’t ever curse. You'll hear cursing all the time in movies or on television, but it’s not language that should be used by any hotel staff members. |
Outro |
| Eric: Well, that’s all for this lesson. Thanks for listening! |
| Becky: And we’ll see ya next time! Bye! |
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