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English Conversation – The Post Office
The Post Office
This is the preparation material for an English Conversation Lesson about the Post Office. You can learn how to discuss mail, letters, packages, sending and receiving post and the services provided by a Post Office. Watch a video of an American man discussing the postal service in his neighbourhood; learn vocabulary relating to this subject and discover how to answer the most common conversation questions in relation to sending and receiving mail.
Video
- Randall can send mail directly from his mailbox. Can you do this in your country?
- Do you agree with Randall that there is a ‘personal touch’ to receiving letters and packages?
- Do you agree with his opinion that emails do not have a ‘personal touch’?
Vocabulary
| Nouns
Post office Postman Letter Postcard Package/parcel Courier Contents Postage PO box Address Return address Junk mail Air mail Post/Zip code Sender Receiver/Recipient Tracking number |
Adjectives
Fragile (package) Registered ( letter) Postal (service) Express (post) Foreign (currency) International (rates) Priority (mail) |
Verbs
Buy (stamps) Send/mail (letters) Weigh (the package) Register (the letter) Correspond Sign for (the letter/package) Deliver (mail) Dispatch (mail) Pack Ship |
Phrasal Verbs
- Pick up – “I am going to pick up my package from the post office”
- Drop off – “Can you drop this off at the post office on your way to work?”
Conversation Questions
- What do you think of the postal service in your country?
- Are letters and packages delivered directly to your door, or do you have to pick them up from another location?
- Do you think it’s better for postal services to be in private or government hands?
- How has the Internet changed the postal service?
- How often do you get real letters – those that are in envelopes and delivered to your door by the postal service?
- Do you think sending a letter is cheap or expensive?
- Do you send virtual birthday cards or real ones? Why?
- Do you think post offices are friendly, efficient places?
- What do you think of the job of a postman / mailman / postwoman / mailwoman?
- What postal services do you use most?
- Do you think postal services will disappear soon?
- Would you like to work for the postal service of your country?
- How important is the postal service in your country?
- How different was the postal service in your country 20 years ago?
- Do you prefer to send your mail registered? Why?
- Do postal workers in your country ever go on strike? Do you think they should?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of opening a savings account with the post office?
- Have you ever sent or failed to receive a letter that got lost in the post?
- Have you ever sent a fragile item that was broken in the post?
- Do you get excited if you see the mail delivery person at your door?
- What impresses you most about the postal service?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of sending letters through the post office verses using email?
- Would you rather receive a handwritten letter or a typed email?
- How do you feel about electronic postcards?
