Important we have more information. Send full details of all your present activities and future arrangements. Information received so far not adequate. Hope all OK. Howells

Notice that Howells has shortened the message, leaving out all “unimportant” words. The message still makes sense.

In telegrams you can very often leave out:

pronouns: “I left London yesterday” can become Left London yesterday;

the verb “to be”: “Sadrina is in London “ can become Sadrina in London;

prepositions: “I’m arriving in Singapore on Monday” can become Arriving Singapore Monday.

But always make sure that the message is clear:

Sadrina is coming to London on Wednesday. I’m going to Hong Kong on Thursday.

This cannot be shortened to:

Sadrina coming London Wednesday. Going Hong Kong Thursday,

because this looks as if Sadrina is going to Hong Kong.

Here are some more examples.

Original message:

Can you send me ₤100 as soon as possible? I am staying in Bali until Thursday, then going to the Seaview Hotel in Hong Kong.

Telegram:

Send ₤100 soonest; staying Bali till Thursday, then going to Seaview Hotel Hong Kong.

(soonest means “as soon as possible”. It is only used in telegrams).

Telegram:

Arrived Singapore yesterday. Visited Sadrina offices. Sadrina in Manila. Send further instructions.

The original message was:

I arrived in Singapore yesterday. I have visited the Sadrina offices, but Sadrina is in Manila. Can you send me further instructions?

B.Now you work out the full message from these telegrams.

Returned Manila Sunday.

Need further details. Send to Tourist Hotel soonest.

3. Broken leg. Unable to travel two weeks. Please send ₤500 medical fees. Inform wife. Returned May 29.

Exercises

Exercise 1.Make up a short story developing the idea:

1. I want you to send this telegram at once. It’s very urgent. You know what happened today….

2. I have sent a telegram to Ann, telling her I’ll meet her at the station, but now I can’t go…..

Exercise 2.Imagine that you’ve received a letter without the sender’s address; you can’t recognize the hand-writing; the letter is signed “Nick”, but you have several friends whose name is Nick. Discuss this matter with your sister (or friend) and try to guess who it might be from.

Exercise 3.Imagine you and your friend are choosing greetings postcards with beautiful views of your native town to be sent off to your friends and relatives. Make up a short dialogue.

Exercise 4.Describe the occasion when you sent a letter to your friend (parents) and forgot to write the number of the house. Did the letter reach its destination? Why?

Exercise 5.Imagine you’ve just come back to the place you rent together with your group-mate. You’ve promised your parents to write to them to let them know you are safe and sound. You are not a very good correspondent and it takes you lots of time to write even a single line. Your friend watches you work at your letter but you don’t seem to be making much progress with it. Make up a dialogue.

Additional Materials for Comprehension

It’s Interesting to Know

Text A. Stamps

In 1840, Rowland Hill’s Penny Stamp Act became Law. Under this law, letters were paid for by weight. Previously, they had been charged according to the distance or number of sheets. It also became compulsory to pay for postage in advance. This had not always been done before and often people had refused to pay for letters which were delivered to them. Stamps were introduced in 1840 as an easy way of checking that postage had been paid. As Britain was the first country to use stamps widely, the country’s name was not written on them. However, the head of the ruling monarch has appeared on every stamp.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 963