An email from a friend

Read an email from a friend you haven't heard from for a long time to practise and improve your reading skills.

Do the preparation task first. Then read the text and do the exercises.

Preparation

Reading text

Hi!

I've been meaning to write for ages and finally today I'm actually doing something about it. Not that I'm trying to make excuses for myself, it's been really hard to sit down and write, as I've been moving around so much. Since we last saw each other I've unpacked my bags in four different cities. This job has turned out to be more of a whirlwind than I expected, but it's all good!

I went from London to Prague to set up a new regional office there. You know I'd always wanted to go, but maybe I was imagining Prague in spring when I used to talk about that. Winter was really hard, with minus 15 degrees in the mornings and dark really early in the evening. But at least it was blue skies and white snow and not days on end of grey skies and rain, like at home. It's tough being away from home over Christmas, though, and Skype on Christmas Day wasn't really the same as being with everyone.

From there I was on another three-month mission to oversee the set-up of the office in New York. Loved, loved, loved New York! It's like being in one big TV show, as everywhere looks just a little bit familiar. I did every tourist thing you can think of when I wasn't working, and must have spent most of my salary on eating out. It was really hard to leave for the next job, especially as I kind of met someone (!) More about Michael later ...

So then I was posted to LA, which felt like a whole other country compared with the East Coast. I could definitely get used to that kind of outdoor, beach lifestyle, but I didn't spend as much time getting to know California as I could have because I was flying back to see Michael every other weekend. He came to see me when he could, but his job means he's often working at weekends, so he couldn't make the flight very often. Those three months flew by and then I was off again, to Frankfurt, which is where I am now. And … so is Michael! He got a month off work and we're trying to work out how we can be in the same place at the same time for a while. We figure the first step in that direction is getting married, which is also why I wanted to write – I can't get married without my oldest friend there! The wedding's going to be at home in London in September and I hope you can come!

Anyway, tell me all your news and I promise not to leave it so long this time!

Lots of love,

Kath

Task 1

Matching_MjMyMTk=.xml

Task 2

MultipleChoice_MjMyMjA=.xml

Discussion

What form of communication would you use to tell old friends important news?

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Language level

B2 Upper intermediate

Topics

family and friends

travel and transport

I usually use messenger to communicate with my friends. Sometimes I use phone to speak with them. I think using phone is more effective because we promptly get the response of person from other side.

I think the best way to keep old friendships is conversation by Social Media, such as Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram etc. These platforms work all the time and people are always connected. So I think the response time is shorter than other ways.

Hi, Hope everyone spending good time learning and practicing reading tasks and exercise, Could any one tell how much time we should spend to finish this reading exercise, I mean this task for instance " An email from a friend" with its two tasks.

Hello nabily,

I would recommend you spend the time you need. If anything, I think most users spend too little time on our pages, just reading or listening quickly and then doing the exercises and moving on. Everyone learns differently, but I'd recommend making notes of words and phrases from the email that you would like to learn. This will mean spending more time on the page, but if you study the words and phrases you write down, you will end up learning more.

I hope this helps.

All the best,

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

I would use Whatsapp or a phone call for tell my important news.. I think, these days,the people don't work with e-mails

I would like to thank you for this teaching platform in these strange times. I learned a lot. Thank you. Thank you very much

I would have used written communication in the beginning. Though there is nothing formal or informal between friends but because you are writing after a long time, it's better to begin formally. In written communication, I would have preferred an e-mail over letter writing or whats app to convey some important news. Whatsapp numbers may change and so someone's home address but emails usually don't. So the best way is writing an email first.

I would used written form of communication through either e-mail or social media platforms.

WhatsApp is the thing for me. I find it to be the most reliable form of both informal and formal communication. It's far more convenient than doing emails. I can be assured of my messages being delivered, read or not read by the recipient because it's kind of commonly used for keeping in touch with friends and family. Guys often tend to spend days on end with this app anywhere and at anytime just to feel the presence of their loved ones. Subsequently, a significant message from me to any of my friends wouldn't go unnoticed if delivered through WhatsApp!

I like to write longer e-mails, not just short messages - sometimes I feel a little bit old-school in my (late 30s) generation. However, it works well with some of my friends or family members older than me.