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

Upper intermediate: B2

I usually use Mesenger or FaceTime to communicate with old friend even my family members

I could use each form of communication with friends, maybe I will choose faster one /Viber, Messenger, e-mail... even calling on the cell phone/ but even on the post is easy in Uk. I came in Uk and even send it often post messages not only to my friends. Before I didn`t use that service in my country :)

For sure I will call them to say everything and have a chat with them.

if I am traveling for work, I would use a phone call to tell old friends important news.

In the same situation of Kath, I think I would have used whatsapp but I think that long email and letter as well it's a perfect way to make someone feel special. Nowadays with istant message we lost that kind of "magic". However I usually prefer texting people. After that, if they ask more details I ask them if I can call them and talk on the phone. But it depends how much "friends" they are, if they are close friend sure I call them, otherwise I think a simple text is enough.

Hi I usually use email official, like a doing job. Very rarely I use email to tell something to my friend when I can't connect them or they are not online. Also I am not good writer and I would prefer to call them. About my wedding, I have been married for 10 years.

When I got engaged which is a decade ago (I feel), I told my friends about it in person as we worked at the same place. For friends who lived abroad, I either texted or emailed.

I use the devices which support the internet and applications that we can use to send text and voice to each other or make an audio and video communication with each other.

When I got engaged, I informed my closest friend via text message to let her know as soon as possible. Later on, we talked on the phone. Thanks to sns nowadays, time difference between us would not separate our bond.

If I will tell my old friend a very important new, I prefer to call her or him, because I think the thelephone is the form of communication "warmer" than an email, considering that I don't write the letters any more, since many years.

that depends if it is something really important I make a call, but I don’t like to make calls, I prefer message apps and I think that is a best option if they are busy they can answer later or call me back if it is necessary to them. or I can message them to set an appointment.

For me personally, the best way to share an important news with an old friend is a phone call cause it's instantaneous and sure to be received.

Personally I call and communicate important messages to old friends . If they are not available, I send a text. Normally emails are used for official communication.

Honestly, I prefer met with my fruends face to face. But nowadays, we don't have free time. Unfortunately, we often very busy because we have work, family. Sometimes, we chat with mobile apps.

How I tell important news to my old friends depends on the urgency of this news. Of course, if it's urgent, I prefer calling. It's the fastest way to communicate with others. Not the best way sometimes, though but, definitely, the most straight like an arrow. Well, when the phones were with wires, and we knew nothing about the internet, we hadn't more variants to tell the news (calls or letters, actually). But now, we have to consider where your friends can be right now. Maybe at an important meeting, driving or something. So, sometimes, texting is the better choice. You can announce to your friends you have something important and just wait a bit for their reaction. If they ready to talk - call them. That's how I act nowadays. I think it works pretty well.

I generally use text message and sometimes I call them. I don't like writing e-mail. I thin calling or messaging easier than e-mail.

I am using an email to catch up with my friends. I love using an email. It saves time and easy to track it down. Especially when you away it will give you more time to reply to it.

Personally I believe that to travel to different places must be a dreamed work for anybody. On the other hand the lack of time to comunicate with relatives and friends is a difficulty to overcome in order to mantein contact with them. In spite of the constant travelling Kath seems to enjoy her job on the way she expresses herself about it. To me it seems like a whirlwind to be in so many different countries in such a short period of time to oversee other people's performance at work. To me to figure out the time to comunicate with family and friends is easier than it would be for Kath altough my job is as demanding as hers.

Personally, I believe in a verbally way to inform importance news to my old friends for instance I can call them directly or make a video calling to them in social network sites. Beside, I am able to write mail or chat with my friends as well.

I think it would be more polite to inform an important news to our old friends through the phone call. As maybe they wouldn’t receive or even read the important chat/email that we wrote.

I think I would love to write a letter, for some reason I feel it is more especial, though I could send a message or make a call too.

I usually text my friends on What's app but if its pretty Important I call my friends to tell them the new news.

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.

Actually it depends on what is the news I would like to telling, but often I prefer to use a text by WhatsApp to communicate with my friend, but if it’s an important news I use phone call that will be more fast to get her reaction.

For me, i prefare to comunicate on social media applications like Facebook, Whats App, and Twitter. These apps provide incredible tools which make the comunication between the people is more easy.

In Brazil, we are used to tell important news by phone. We think letters or text messages are very impersonal and without emotion.

I prefer use text for communicating with my friend to tell my old friend important news. I use a lots of social media application such as whats-app or telegram for this. due to importance of the news it can be using of sms for instant announcing

the best communication to give them very important news is to call and quote them somewhere If it was not such important news, I would communicate it by phone

Nowadays,we are used to communicating with each other by Facebook or WhatsApp .social media became the bisc method of communication. Especiall they are devolped in such a whirlwind way .on the other hand we lost a very humanitarian face to face touch . I think this is the most crucial price we should pay per using such modern widspread technology.

Today is different than 10 years ago, we can communicate with our family wherever they are. Now days we can use whatsapp video calls to talk with our family, also facebook and instagram.

Technology has changed the world ,it turned it into a global village where people could interact so easily with each other anytime and anywhere,and I just use the magic of Facebook, Instagram , Gmail and a lot of other means of communication in order to tell my old friends the important news .

For me, I use the email to communicate with my old friend to tell him about my news especially when we are far from each other but if we're in the some country I call him .

the one of the benefit when technology invented is to make human life easier. particulary in communication. with technology the distance is nothing. peoples could to keep in touch anywhere their are in. but the problem is the differential of time.

It's conceivable that the most suitable way to deliver a message is through technology, granted the constant development of instant messaging that has been taking place overtime. Merely, because of the accurate features that current technology provides to the users that ease such processes as well as they offer several ways to customize the message and give it a more detailed touch according your tastes. Nevertheless, I consider keeping the traditional way of giving news through post gives it a more meaningful touch, especially when it comes to such an important topic as it's a wedding, for instance.

I prefer to use instant messaging from my smartphone when it comes to tell old friends important news. However, the problem is not that simple. Usually when we're trying to communicate with some old friends, we don't have their contacts (phone number). So, we will try to reach them through their social media account.

I still live near to my best friends but If one day I'll live many miles away from them I think I'll call for all of them as much as possible.

also, May i know why the answer is not c. planning to get engaged in task 2?

Hello Rosalind,

Kath and Michael are not planning to get engaged because they are already engaged. We know this because they have a date for their wedding:

The wedding's going to be at home in London in September

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

I usually talk to friend via Line app. It is a most popular communication tool in Taiwan.

It obviously that the modern life keep us so far from the people we love most, and it seems that as many ways there for us to communicate as harder for us to do, but I prefer to talk by phone when I wont to talk with my old friend so I can get the reaction and communicate better than just writing words.

If I were to tell old friends important news, I'd rather talk to them personally; in case I couldn't contact them personally, I'd write a letter.

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