English, baby!

Sincerely Yours

Date: Aug 17 2007

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

When is the last time you sat down and wrote a letter by hand? If it’s been a while, you should try it. There’s something nice about putting ink to paper. You can do it outside or in an easy chair without the glow of the computer.

It’s also much more personal to open an envelope and unfold a letter. When Kevin left the country for a while, he found the best way to stay connected to his friends was to write letters and send them snail mail.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Kevin

Mason

Kevin: So you know I know that everyone uses email and that’s all people want to do…

Mason: I, like, don’t even use paper anymore.

Kevin: ...and text messages. I was definitely going down that path for a number of years and then about two years ago when I was working in Japan, I just…I was really far from all my close friends, so I started to send them letters…

Mason: From Japan?

Kevin: Yeah.

Mason: Wow.

Kevin: Just, like, it was nice to send one and get one and one of my best friends loves to write letters so he was really excited that I loved to write him letters so I’d send him a letter every week and he’d send me one, and it was awesome.

Mason: That’s so classical. I like the [def ]romantic[/def] idea of it, but I don’t know if I’d be patient enough to wait for the interchange of an overseas letter.

Kevin: But if you know that it will come like every week, like you send one and get one back that same week, it’s fine, you know. And it’s kind of exciting. It just means a lot more than an email.

Mason: I completely agree with that, but I gotta say my handwriting is terrible.

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Discussion

People usually communicate electronically now that most everyone has an email address and mobile phone. Mason says he hardly uses paper anymore. Perhaps that’s what makes him so surprised when Kevin says he likes to write letters. In this day and age, writing letters is a rare thing to do.

Kevin started writing letters when he was in Japan. One of his good friends was really into it and the two of them exchanged letters every week. This regularity made up for how long it takes to send a letter overseas. Mason’s not sure if writing letters sounds like fun to him. He agrees it’s a significant gesture, but complains that his writing is bad.

When is the last time you wrote a letter? Can you think of anyone who would like to receive one?

Comments

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sojel143

Pakistan

hi nice friend my name is ahmed i have new admision and i want to real friend for ever i want to improve my english because my national langauge is URDU

i have so much trble to understand english any body help me plz how i got knowledge from this site how i got leson every day and how leson is 1st day i must take becaue you know when we larn somthing then we start to 1st so i dont know how is starting and how is end so plz anyody help me im very thankful to all

with regards

naveed ahmed

Perlafina

France

Send and get letters is wonderful

hj198522

China

I am a student,I want my English study will be good.But I don't how to do it ,can you help me.

hj198522

China

I am a student,I want my English study will be good.But I don't how to do it ,can you help me.

hj198522

China

I am a student,I want my English study will be good.But I don't how to do it ,can you help me.

hj198522

China

I am a student,I want my English study will be good.But I don't how to do it ,can you help me.

dreamerfly

Bhutan

i love the handwriting , i feel very joy when i put my ink in a paper who will be full of my emotion and feelings, even we don't use this kind of art anymore, but still the charm and elegance in handwriting, i think poeple should try this kind of letters even they are abd in it, but the feeling is awesome.

chris zhou

China

in my memory,I only write 5 letters to my friends.Because i think it is very slow to writing letter to my friends,and my firends also think that it is very complex.in my opinion,sending e-mail is a very quickly ways to my friends.

pcbill

Taiwan

I always wrote the email to friends with the glow of computer. It sounds a good idea to write a instant letter to friends or family on special days.

Do-La

China

I love receive letters,but I don't like to write them.'Cause my handwriting is so bad…..

I remember,once,I went to a new city.I felt lonely there,so I sent messages to my friend and required a letter,but she didn't wanna write it at first.I was waiting and waiting,at last,I really received one.I was so happy,and when I saw the familiar handwriting,it seems that she was just in front of me!!

liru

China

aha, I got a letter by handwriting today. It made my day, today is chinese valentine's day, 7th July.Happy valentine's day day to everyone in love.

Cherry Han

China

Hello everyone I would like to make friends with you

jj99

Canada

I like to write letters all the time. However, I have to say, it depends the person you want to write to. Like my husband, he would never write a letter to anybody. He is such a lazy guy.

Fares

United Arab Emirates

how is everybody im new in chat baby :D and i like to learn English Meet You in Chat

Ozgur Ahmet

Turkey

It’s a good conversation, we really forgot sending letters to each other. Writing letter is a lot more significant than e-mail.

KiRtAsH

Spain

It's strange… now thet u mencion it…. I think I haven't written a letter in my life! xD… And I'm 17!

highddr

Taiwan

The last time that I wrote a letter by hand was third grade in elementary school. Because it was an assignment. And now technology is so convenient that everyone has replaced letter with email. So few people write letter in now days.Besides, I think there's another reason why people write rarely. That's because lifestyle has been changed, people living now days have so many things to do. Work, errands and trivial things. what a busy life. they don't have much time to wait the letter to come. They want to know the response at once.

zeus2006

Turkey

Actaually,I don't remember when was the last time I wrote a letter by hand.But I got a birthdaycard from My girl friend last month.

All these were in the past after technological development.To write a letter by hand looks to listen to music by record or Longplay instead cd or ipod.Which one is the best you should decide.If you miss past you can write by hand as a nostalgia.Zeus:)