🎯 Learning Objectives
- Understand what public services are and how to use them
- Comprehend passages on call centres and telemedicine
- Use WILL vs GOING TO to express future actions correctly
- Write telephone dialogues for various public service situations
- Pronounce 2-syllable words with correct STRESS
4.1 What Are Public Services?
📞 Types of Public Services
Traditional: Police, Fire Brigade, Ambulance, Banks, Post Office, Bus/Train/Air services, Government hospitals, Electricity board
Modern: Call centres, Helpline services, Internet banking, Mobile libraries, Mobile clinics, Online services, Home delivery
Emergency Numbers (India): Police 100 | Fire 101 | Ambulance 102 | Disaster 108
4.2 Listening — Exam Confidence Tips (Tapescript)
The speaker describes how he was terrified of exams — he feigned sickness, complained of stomach aches, even pretended he was dying. Then his uncle gave him this advice:
• Put your books away the evening before — you've already studied, stop revising
• Go for a WALK — calm your body and mind
• Have a GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP
• In the morning, wake up smiling and say: 'I CAN REMEMBER EVERYTHING I'VE READ.'
• Do YOGA and BREATHING EXERCISES
• Have a GOOD BREAKFAST
• Sit with family and make small talk (NOT about exams)
• Do NOT RING FRIENDS or discuss the exam before entering the hall
4.3 Reading — Call Centres
📖 What is a Call Centre?
A
Call Centre is a telephone-based service centre where customers contact an organisation (via phone, email, website, or fax) to get help.
Infrastructure needed: Telecom facilities + trained consultants + wide database + internet
Hours: 24/7/365 — round the clock, all year
4.4 Reading — Telemedicine (IAMS)
🏥 How Telemedicine Works (IAMS)
IAMS = Indo American Medical Services — India's first telemedicine organisation.
A patient's medical reports (CT scans, ultrasounds, pathology images) are transmitted through
computer networks to a foreign specialist. The specialist reviews the information and sends back advice and treatment recommendations.
Real example: A farmer in remote Andhra Pradesh can consult a pediatric cardiologist in New York about his son's congenital heart disease — without leaving his village.
4.5 Grammar — 'Will' vs 'Going To'
WILL — Spontaneous Decision
Use when you decide to do something AT THE MOMENT of speaking. You had NOT planned it before.
'Radha phoned.'
'Oh! I'll phone her back.'
(Decision made RIGHT NOW)
GOING TO — Pre-Planned Decision
Use when you have ALREADY DECIDED to do something BEFORE the moment of speaking.
'Yes, I know Radha phoned.
I'm going to phone her back.'
(Decision already made)
⚡ Special Rule: Immediate Future
When something is ABOUT TO HAPPEN because of a present situation, use
GOING TO:
'Look at that tree — it's going to fall!' (You can see it leaning)
'I feel awful. I think I am going to be sick.' (You feel sick NOW)
Exercise Answers:
| Situation | Answer | Type |
|---|
| Doorbell rings — you decide to answer | I will get him. | WILL — spontaneous |
| Already decided to go to the club | I am going to the club. | GOING TO — planned |
| Friend spontaneously decides to join | I will join you. | WILL — just decided |
| Looking at a leaning tree | It is going to fall! | GOING TO — imminent |
4.6 Pronunciation — Word Stress Patterns
| FIRST Syllable Stressed | SECOND Syllable Stressed |
|---|
| 'PUB-lic, 'HON-or, 'KNOW-ledge | ad-'VICE, al-'THOUGH, mi-'STAKE |
| 'MAS-ses, 'WEL-fare, 'BAN-quet | a-'BROAD, a-'GO, de-'FINED |
Sample Telephone Dialogue — Complaint to Telephone Department:
Customer:
Good morning, sir. Could I speak to the area manager please?
Manager:
Good morning. I am the area manager speaking.
Customer:
My telephone has been out of order for 2 days. I have been calling the department regularly but nobody seems interested.
Manager:
Could you kindly give me your telephone number and area? We will attend to your problem. Sorry for the inconvenience caused.
Practice Questions & Answers
Q1. What are public services? Give 5 traditional and 5 modern examples.
Public services = services for the general public by government or private organisations.
Traditional: Police, Fire Brigade, Ambulance, Banks, Post Office
Modern: Call centres, Internet banking, Mobile libraries, Online services, Home delivery
Q2. What is a call centre? What infrastructure does it need?
A call centre is a telephone-based service centre for customer queries, complaints, and information.
Infrastructure: Adequate telecom + trained consultants + wide database + internet
Hours: 24/7/365
Q3. What is telemedicine? How does IAMS help patients?
Telemedicine uses computer/internet technology to connect patients in remote areas with medical specialists worldwide.
IAMS works: patient's reports transmitted digitally → foreign specialist reviews → advice sent back → delivered at affordable cost.
Q4. When do we use 'will' and when do we use 'going to'?
WILL: Spontaneous decision — made AT THE MOMENT of speaking. 'Oh! I'll phone her back.'
GOING TO: Pre-planned decision — already decided BEFORE speaking. 'I'm going to phone her back.'
Special: For something ABOUT TO HAPPEN due to present situation → use GOING TO: 'It's going to fall!'
Q5. What word stress patterns do 2-syllable words follow?
Pattern 1 — First syllable: 'public, 'honour, 'knowledge, 'masses, 'welfare, 'business
Pattern 2 — Second syllable: ad'vice, al'though, mi'stake, a'broad, a'go
Key: Always check a dictionary — the ' mark shows which syllable to stress.
Q6. Complete with will or going to: a) Doorbell rings, you answer it. b) You've already decided to go swimming.
a) I will get him. (WILL — spontaneous decision to answer the door right now)
b) I am going to the club. (GOING TO — already decided before speaking)
Q7. Give the exam confidence tips from the tapescript.
1. Put books away the evening before
2. Go for a walk
3. Get a good night's sleep
4. Wake up smiling — 'I CAN REMEMBER EVERYTHING I'VE READ'
5. Do yoga and breathing exercises
6. Have a good breakfast
7. Don't ring friends or discuss the exam
Q8. Why is stress important in English pronunciation?
Stress determines which SYLLABLE in a word you emphasise. Wrong stress can:
1. Make you hard to understand
2. Sound unnatural
Examples: 'PUBlic (correct) vs pub'LIC (wrong) | ad'VICE (correct) vs 'ADvice (wrong)
Q9. What is the 'Was/Were Going To' form? When is it used?
'Was/Were going to' refers to plans that were made but NOT carried out (past plans that changed).
'We were going to play football yesterday, but it rained.' (Plan made, then changed)
'He was going to give up his job but decided not to.' (Past intention that changed)
Q10. Write a short telephone dialogue for booking a hotel room.
A: Good morning. This is Hotel Oberoi. How can I help you?
B: I want to book a room for my friend arriving from Kolkata on the 22nd.
A: Just hold on... Yes, we can make a booking for the 22nd. Could you give us some details please?
B: His name is Sunil Arora.
A: Perfect. We'll send you a confirmation. Have a good day!
Let Us Sum Up — Quick Revision
- Public Services: Traditional (police, fire, hospitals) and Modern (call centres, internet banking, helplines)
- Call Centres: 24/7 phone-based service. Needs telecom + trained staff + database + internet
- Telemedicine: Computer networks connect Indian patients to global specialists at affordable cost
- WILL: Spontaneous decision — decided AT THE MOMENT of speaking
- GOING TO: Pre-planned decision — already decided BEFORE speaking. Also: about-to-happen events
- Stress Pattern 1: FIRST syllable: 'public, 'honour, 'knowledge, 'welfare, 'business
- Stress Pattern 2: SECOND syllable: ad'vice, a'broad, al'though, mi'stake, a'go