Messages
. Listen and read. Does the text help you understand the dialogue above better?
C. Read again and answer the questions.
1. What are the two names for
chatspeak?
2. Where can you use chatspeak?
3. Why did people start using
chatspeak?
4. Why can chatspeak be a problem
for readers?
5. What is the most important
thing to remember when writing
chatspeak?
6. What do smileys show?
K-boy > How was the museum yesterday?
YOYO > :-(
K-boy > Y ?
YOYO > (-_-)zzZ
K-boy > LOL. R U coming 2 Jay’s L8R?
YOYO > No :-(
K-boy > PLS!
YOYO > OK :-)
K-boy > THX
YOYO > C U @ 9?
K-boy > OK. Don’t B L8!
Chatspeak
A beginner’s guide
Chatspeak is also called netspeak because you can use it
on the Net and in e-mails. Another name is SMS language
because lots of people use it when they write text messages
on mobile phones.
It all started because people wanted a short and easier
way to write messages. On mobiles the keyboard is small
and this makes writing difficult, and also, text messages
used to be expensive. It may be faster to write in chatspeak,
but sometimes, it can be slower to read than normal writing.
In chatspeak, you can type one letter and it can mean a whole word.
For example B means ‘be’ or Y means ‘why’. You can also shorten
words and use symbols and numbers. For example PLS means
‘please’ and L8TR means ‘later’. Another thing you can do is shorten
phrases to letters, like BRB means ‘be right back’. Or when something
is funny, you can type LOL, ‘laugh out loud’. There are no set rules
to chatspeak. You can shorten any word. Just make sure the receiver
of the message understands it.
You can also add smileys to your chatspeak, just to make it more
interesting. Smileys show people how you’re feeling, without using
words. So, if you’re happy, type : −) but if you’re sad, you can type
:−( . You can even type (-_-)zzZZ to show you are bored or sleepy.
So, can you understand chatspeak now?
Chatspeak and smiley dictionary on page 61.
A. Listen and repeat. What’s the
difference between a and b?
a. good b. group
good // group //
rule
put
wolf
soon
lose
pollution
bush
football
B. Listen and tick () the sound you hear.
Read the situations below and write
a note and a text message.
rite
Complete the sentences with the words in the box.
type text messages text receive note smiley
1. Can you Peter about tomorrow’s trip? He doesn’t know what time we’re leaving.
2. Jenny sent an e-mail to her cousin in Australia but she didn’t it.
3. I left a on the fridge. Didn’t you see it?
4. How fast can you on your computer?
5. My brother often adds a to the end of his messages and they always make me
laugh.
6. I sometimes send my parents and they can’t understand one word! They can’t
read chatspeak.
A. Look at the texts below. What are they?
calls and complete the missing
information.
You need something from the shops. Write a
note telling your brother that you’ve borrowed
his bike and tell him when you’ll be back.
Your Spanish class is going to finish late. Write
a text message to your friend saying you can’t
go to the bowling alley with him/her.
Ray
Meet me at
.
Be there before
.
Don’t be late!
B. Listen to two short telephone
R U at the
?
I need
and .
THX
TIP! When you’re writing a note:
• greet and sign off just by
writing names.
• keep the text short and give only
the important information.
• remember that you don’t have
to write full sentences.
When you’re writing a text
message:
• you don’t need to write
a greeting or to sign off.
• you only give the important
information and often you
shorten words and use SMS
language/chatspeak.
37
. Listen and read. Does the text help you understand the dialogue above better?
C. Read again and answer the questions.
1. What are the two names for
chatspeak?
2. Where can you use chatspeak?
3. Why did people start using
chatspeak?
4. Why can chatspeak be a problem
for readers?
5. What is the most important
thing to remember when writing
chatspeak?
6. What do smileys show?
K-boy > How was the museum yesterday?
YOYO > :-(
K-boy > Y ?
YOYO > (-_-)zzZ
K-boy > LOL. R U coming 2 Jay’s L8R?
YOYO > No :-(
K-boy > PLS!
YOYO > OK :-)
K-boy > THX
YOYO > C U @ 9?
K-boy > OK. Don’t B L8!
Chatspeak
A beginner’s guide
Chatspeak is also called netspeak because you can use it
on the Net and in e-mails. Another name is SMS language
because lots of people use it when they write text messages
on mobile phones.
It all started because people wanted a short and easier
way to write messages. On mobiles the keyboard is small
and this makes writing difficult, and also, text messages
used to be expensive. It may be faster to write in chatspeak,
but sometimes, it can be slower to read than normal writing.
In chatspeak, you can type one letter and it can mean a whole word.
For example B means ‘be’ or Y means ‘why’. You can also shorten
words and use symbols and numbers. For example PLS means
‘please’ and L8TR means ‘later’. Another thing you can do is shorten
phrases to letters, like BRB means ‘be right back’. Or when something
is funny, you can type LOL, ‘laugh out loud’. There are no set rules
to chatspeak. You can shorten any word. Just make sure the receiver
of the message understands it.
You can also add smileys to your chatspeak, just to make it more
interesting. Smileys show people how you’re feeling, without using
words. So, if you’re happy, type : −) but if you’re sad, you can type
:−( . You can even type (-_-)zzZZ to show you are bored or sleepy.
So, can you understand chatspeak now?
Chatspeak and smiley dictionary on page 61.
A. Listen and repeat. What’s the
difference between a and b?
a. good b. group
good // group //
rule
put
wolf
soon
lose
pollution
bush
football
B. Listen and tick () the sound you hear.
Read the situations below and write
a note and a text message.
rite
Complete the sentences with the words in the box.
type text messages text receive note smiley
1. Can you Peter about tomorrow’s trip? He doesn’t know what time we’re leaving.
2. Jenny sent an e-mail to her cousin in Australia but she didn’t it.
3. I left a on the fridge. Didn’t you see it?
4. How fast can you on your computer?
5. My brother often adds a to the end of his messages and they always make me
laugh.
6. I sometimes send my parents and they can’t understand one word! They can’t
read chatspeak.
A. Look at the texts below. What are they?
calls and complete the missing
information.
You need something from the shops. Write a
note telling your brother that you’ve borrowed
his bike and tell him when you’ll be back.
Your Spanish class is going to finish late. Write
a text message to your friend saying you can’t
go to the bowling alley with him/her.
Ray
Meet me at
.
Be there before
.
Don’t be late!
B. Listen to two short telephone
R U at the
?
I need
and .
THX
TIP! When you’re writing a note:
• greet and sign off just by
writing names.
• keep the text short and give only
the important information.
• remember that you don’t have
to write full sentences.
When you’re writing a text
message:
• you don’t need to write
a greeting or to sign off.
• you only give the important
information and often you
shorten words and use SMS
language/chatspeak.
37
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