screen is frozen
The image stays still and the device does not respond.
My screen is frozen.
Unit 3 · Sessions 6–8
Technology, How It Works and Digital Safety
Move from describing a problem to asking for help, giving clear instructions, and making safer digital decisions. Every section follows the same path: understand the situation, notice the language, learn the form, and use it.
Ask for helpExplain a deviceProtect informationAudio models
01Notice
Start from a useful, real-world situation.
02Understand
See the grammar, meaning, and form together.
03Check
Make one low-stakes decision and get feedback.
04Use
Finish with a phrase you can say in real life.
No matching Unit 3 explanation was found.
01Technology basics: name the problem firstUse precise vocabulary to explain what is happening before you ask for help.
Real situation
A helpful support conversation starts with the problem, not with “It doesn’t work.”
Compare My phone has a problem with My screen is frozen and the app keeps crashing when I open the file. The second sentence gives a listener enough information to help.
app keeps crashing
The app closes or stops repeatedly.
The app keeps crashing.
cannot connect
The device cannot join a network or service.
I can’t connect to the Wi-Fi.
battery is low
The device needs power soon.
The battery is running low.
Useful report
Give three pieces of information
What is affected?
My laptop is not responding.
What happens?
The page keeps loading.
When does it happen?
It happens when I try to upload a file.
Too general
My computer is bad.
My computer won’t turn on.
Name the observable problem.Wrong preposition
I can’t connect the Wi-Fi.
I can’t connect to the Wi-Fi.
Connect to a network or service.
Support modelHear a clear technical-problem report before the help
request.
02Ask for help with embedded questionsSound polite and keep statement word order after the question opener.
Grammar focus
An embedded question contains a question inside a longer, more polite request.
Start with Could you tell me…?, Do you know…?, or Can you show me…?. After that opener, the rest uses statement order: subject before verb.
Where is the Wi-Fi setting?
Useful with a friend, but direct.
Could you tell me where the Wi-Fi setting is?
Polite and natural for technical support.
Do you know if the update is available?
Use if or whether, not a question-word.
Form
Build the sentence in two steps
Choose a polite opener
Could you tell me + question word…?
Could you tell me how…?
Use statement order
question word + subject + verb
…how I can reset the password?
Question order after the opener
Could you tell me where is the setting?
Could you tell me where the setting is?
Do not invert the verb and subject inside the embedded question.Using do after the opener
Do you know where do I save the file?
Do you know where I save the file?
The opener already carries the question structure.
Embedded-question modelListen for the direct question and its polite
transformation.
03How technology works: functions and instructionsExplain what a device does, then guide another person through a short process.
Communicative goal
Good instructions answer two questions: what is this for, and what should I do next?
Use to + verb to explain purpose, then use clear imperatives and sequence words to explain a procedure.
use + device + to + verb
You use a cloud drive to store files.
imperative + object
Press the power button.
Do not disconnect
the cable.
first → then → finally
First, connect the charger. Then, restart the device.
Manual language
Keep one action in each instruction
First you can maybe connect it and then the button.
First, connect the device to power. Then, press the start button.
Device manual modelHear purpose language, imperatives, and sequence words in one
short explanation.
04Phrasal verbs and idioms: meaning, order and soundUnderstand the category, use six technology actions, connect three idioms, and pronounce each expression naturally.
Start with the category
What is a phrasal verb?
A phrasal verb combines a main verb with a short particle such as up, down, off, or apart. Together they function as one vocabulary unit. The particle may create a meaning that is different from the verb alone: look means use your eyes, but look up an error code means search for information.
The six technology phrasal verbs below are transitive and separable: they take an object, and a noun object can appear after the complete phrasal verb or between the verb and particle. An object pronoun must appear in the middle.
verb + particle; it has its own meaning and grammar
turn the volume down → turn it downa conventional word combination that is usually literal
connect to Wi-Fia fixed expression whose complete meaning is figurative
the network is up and running
Pronunciation before repetition
Keep the verb and particle in one sound group
Stress the main content word, keep the particle audible, and connect the final consonant to the next vowel: hook_up, look_up, pick_up. Use Slow model to notice the link and Natural model to hear the expression inside a sentence.
- Do not pause: not “look / up,” but “look_up.”
- Keep final sounds: the /k/ in look and pick must be audible.
- Reduce the pronoun: say “turn_it_down” as one rhythm group.
Six separable technology actions
Meaning, word order, context and pronunciation
hook up
Meaning: connect equipment so it can work together.
Noun: Hook up the monitor. / Hook the monitor up.
Pronoun: Hook it up before the meeting.
Sound: HOOK_up · link the final /k/ to up.
look up
Meaning: search for a fact, word, code, or instruction.
Noun: Look up the error code. / Look the error code up.
Pronoun: Look it up before you call support.
Sound: LOOK_up · release the /k/ into the vowel.
pick up
Meaning: receive or detect a signal, sound, or transmission.
Noun: The antenna picks up the signal. / It picks the signal up.
Pronoun: It cannot pick it up inside this room.
Sound: PICK_up · keep the /p/ in up clear.
put off
Meaning: delay an action until a later time.
Noun: Do not put off the update. / Do not put the update off.
Pronoun: Do not put it off until tomorrow.
Sound: PUT_off · connect the /t/ to the vowel.
turn down
Meaning here: reduce the level of sound, light, or power.
Noun: Turn down the volume. / Turn the volume down.
Pronoun: Turn it down during the call.
Sound: TURN_it_DOWN · keep one steady rhythm group.
take apart
Meaning: separate a machine or object into pieces.
Noun: Do not take the device apart without guidance.
Pronoun: Do not take it apart yourself.
Sound: TAKE_it_aPART · stress the final content syllable.
Three connected technology idioms
Figurative expressions for systems, access and difficulty
These are idioms, not phrasal verbs. Learn each complete phrase as one unit and use it in informal or semi-formal conversation.
up and running
Meaning: operating correctly after installation or a problem.
Use: The network is up and running again.
Sound: UP_and_RUNning · reduce and to /ən/.
at the touch of a button
Meaning: very easily or immediately through a simple control.
Use: You can back up the files at the touch of a button.
Sound: at_the_TOUCH_of_a_BUTTON · stress touch and button.
not rocket science
Meaning: not extremely difficult to understand or do.
Use: Updating the app is not rocket science when you follow the steps.
Register: informal; avoid saying it if it could make another person feel inadequate.
Sound: not_ROCKET_SCIENCE · keep three strong beats.
Pronoun after the particle
Turn down it.
Turn it down.
With a pronoun, the object goes between the verb and particle.Unsafe instruction
Take apart it before checking the manual.
Do not take it apart before checking the manual.
Correct grammar can also carry a useful safety message.05Compare technology fairlyUse “on the one hand / on the other hand” to present two relevant sides of a decision.
Reasoning language
A balanced comparison does not mean you have no opinion. It means you show the benefit and the limitation before you decide.
Use the pair to connect two contrasting, relevant ideas about the same topic.
On the one hand, cloud storage makes files easy to access. On the other hand, you need a secure password.
On the one hand, my phone is new. On the other hand, I like music.
The two ideas must answer the same decision or topic.
Comparison modelHear a balanced opinion about convenience and security.
06Identity theft: protect sensitive informationDistinguish ordinary information from details that should never be shared casually.
Safety concept
Identity theft happens when someone uses private information to pretend to be you or access your accounts.
In this course, use fictional examples only. Never enter a real password, PIN, bank number, or account detail into an activity or a message.
personal information
Information that identifies a person, such as a full name or address.
sensitive information
Details that can open or control an account: passwords, PINs, or bank details.
secure network
A trusted connection protected by proper security.
strong password
A unique, long password that is difficult to guess.
Decision rule
Pause before sharing
Who is requesting it?
Verify the sender through a trusted route, not the message link.
Why do they need it?
A real service should explain the purpose clearly.
Do not share secrets
Passwords and PINs are not needed to “verify” a surprise message.
Information-safety modelListen for the difference between ordinary and sensitive
information.
07Scams, Trojans, and viruses: notice the red flagsRecognize pressure, suspicious links, and requests for information before you react.
Critical reading
A suspicious message often tries to make you act before you have time to check.
Scams may promise money, threaten an account closure, or imitate a job offer. Malware, including Trojans and viruses, can enter through unsafe files, links, or downloads.
A scam tries to take money or information.
A phishing message imitates a trusted organization.
A Trojan looks safe but installs harmful software.
A virus can damage or spread through files.
“Act now or your account will close. Send your PIN to confirm.”
Urgency plus a request for a secret is a reason to stop and verify.
“I will open the official app myself and check the account there.”
Use a trusted route instead of the message link.
Scam-awareness modelHear the warning signs and a calm, safe response.
08Give digital-safety advice clearlyMatch the grammar to the strength of the recommendation, warning, or rule.
Grammar focus
Use modal verbs to show whether you are offering advice, stating an important rule, or warning someone not to act.
These choices are not interchangeable. Should gives advice; must states a strong requirement; mustn’t marks a prohibition.
should / shouldn’t + base verb
You should use a unique password.
must + base verb
You must protect your PIN.
mustn’t + base verb
You mustn’t share your password.
Safety condition
Use an if-clause to connect a risk and an action
If a message asks for your password, do not reply.
If you receive a suspicious link, report it.
After if, use the present form for this general safety rule.
Modal + to
You should to update the app.
You should update the app.
Modals take the base verb without to.Weak response to a secret request
You could share your PIN if the message looks official.
You mustn’t share your PIN.
A PIN is sensitive information.
Advice modelListen for advice, prohibition, and an if-condition in one
safety response.
09Put it together: one useful conversationCombine a technical problem, a polite request, clear steps, and a safe digital decision.
Transfer task
You are ready when you can move through the whole situation, not only repeat one grammar rule.
Read or listen to the model, then use the checklist to make your own short response about a real or imaginary device problem.
Self-check
I can…
- describe a device problem with a specific symptom and context.
- ask a polite embedded question without question word order.
- give a short, sequenced set of instructions.
- use a technology phrasal verb with a pronoun correctly.
- recognize a request for sensitive information as a warning sign.
- give clear digital-safety advice with should, must, or mustn’t.
Integrated modelListen once for the situation, then again for the grammar
choices.