Messages

These days it’s easy to communicate with someone in another location. You can talk on the phone. You can send a text message or an email. You could post on a message board or social networking website like Facebook. You could even send a postcard or letter.

A hundred years ago people sent far more letters than we do today. In big cities there were often five deliveries a day. You could send a letter in the morning and receive the answer in the afternoon.

These days people joke about the slowness of what they call ‘snail mail’. And letter writing may seem a lot of work. You need a pen, a piece of paper, an envelope, a stamp. Then you have to remember to post it.

But there is something uniquely personal about a letter. And the most passionate text or email will never be as romantic as a love-letter.

A hundred years ago people sent far more letters. In big cities there were often five deliveries a day. You could send a letter in the morning and receive the answer in the afternoon.

These days people joke about the slowness of what they call ‘snail mail’. And letter writing may seem a lot of work. You need a pen, a piece of paper, an envelope and a stamp. Then you have to remember to post it.

But there is something uniquely personal about a letter. And the most passionate text or email will never be as romantic as a love-letter.



Comprehension Exercise


Crossword
Vocab & Activities

New Phone
Prize Draw




The Fred and Rita dialogues come with a glossary and activities. They first appeared in Ming Pao Daily in 2008.

Text: © 2009 Kieran McGovern
Illustrations: © 2009 George Hayford-Taylor