Making appointments: booking and rescheduling
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Think about these questions before reading. Share your ideas with a partner.
- How do you usually book an appointment, for example, with a doctor or a hairdresser?
- What information do you need to give when you make an appointment?
- Why do people sometimes need to change or cancel an appointment?
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Making an Appointment
Listen to the dialogue. Notice how the vocabulary and grammar from the lesson are used.
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Read the sentences about making appointments. Decide if each statement is true or false based on the article.
01An appointment is a plan to meet someone at a specific time.
02You can only book an appointment by calling on the phone.
03A receptionist helps you find a good time for your appointment.
04‘Rescheduling’ means changing the time of your appointment.
05It is okay to miss an appointment without telling the office.
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Key vocabulary for appointments
Vocabulary
These expressions will help you communicate more naturally about this topic.
Examples
make an appointment — to arrange a time to see a professional, like a doctor or a hairdresser.
This is a very common phrase. You can say, 'I would like to make an appointment, please.'
cancel an appointment — to tell someone you cannot come to a meeting you planned.
It is polite to cancel as soon as you know you can't go. For example: 'I'm sorry, I need to cancel my appointment for tomorrow.'
be available — to be free to do something at a particular time.
Use this to talk about your time or ask about someone else's. 'Are you available on Friday?' or 'I'm not available in the morning.'
fully booked — when there are no more appointments available on a specific day.
A receptionist might say this. For example: 'Sorry, the doctor is fully booked today. The next appointment is on Wednesday.'
confirm an appointment — to check that an appointment is correct and you will be there.
You often get an email or text message asking you to confirm. For example: 'Please reply YES to confirm your dental appointment.'
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Vocabulary for appointments
Learn some new words to talk about booking appointments.
Match the words with their meanings.
Drag or click to match
Definitions
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Grammar: Past simple passive
Grammar
We use the past simple passive (was/were + past participle) to talk about past actions when we don't know who did the action, or it's not important. In the topic of appointments, we often focus on the action, not the person.
Examples
The appointment was booked for 3 PM.
Here, the important information is that the appointment is booked. We don't need to say who booked it.
The confirmation emails were sent this morning.
Use 'were' for plural subjects like 'emails'. The receptionist probably sent them, but the action is the focus.
My call wasn't answered, so I left a message.
For negatives, use 'wasn't' or 'weren't' before the past participle.
Key points
- Form: was/were + past participle (e.g., booked, sent, canceled).
- Use 'was' for singular subjects (I, he, she, it) and 'were' for plural subjects (we, you, they).
- Common mistake: Using the simple past verb instead of the past participle. Say 'The message was written', not 'The message was wrote'.
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Find the mistake
Read the sentences below about making appointments.
Each sentence has one mistake. Find the mistake and write the correct sentence.
01The appointment were booked by my assistant last week.
Corrected version
The appointment were was booked by my assistant last week.
02I need to do an appointment with the dentist.
Corrected version
I need to do make an appointment with the dentist.
03The email confirmation was send yesterday afternoon.
Corrected version
The email confirmation was send sent yesterday afternoon.
04Is the doctor available in Friday at 3 PM?
Corrected version
Is the doctor available in on Friday at 3 PM?
05I'm sorry, we are full booked for today.
Corrected version
I'm sorry, we are full fully booked for today.
06Can I book a appointment for next Monday?
Corrected version
Can I book a an appointment for next Monday?
07Yesterday, I call the clinic to change my time.
Corrected version
Yesterday, I call called the clinic to change my time.
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Booking a doctor's visit
Read the story about Maria's visit to the doctor.
Fill in each blank with the correct word from the word bank.
Word bank
Maria needed to see a doctor, so she called the clinic to an appointment. At first, the receptionist said they were for the whole week. Maria asked, 'Will the doctor next Monday?' Luckily, there was a free time. The day before her visit, the clinic sent a text message to the appointment. It's always important to call early if you need to an appointment so someone else can take your place.
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Discuss these questions with a partner. Try to use vocabulary from the lesson.
- Is it better to make an appointment online or by phone? Why?
- In your country, is it easy to make an appointment with a doctor? Or are clinics often fully booked?
- Is it okay to cancel an appointment at the last minute? Why or why not?