I’ve got 3 pen pals now – they’re all based in America. The pen pals started through some
research I was doing and I found the Letter Writers Alliance on the internet. It’s like a
dating service but for pen pals, they just link you up with somebody else and all you get is
their address and then you just start a dialogue with them.
Jackie: She said she linked up with some of her pen pals through an agency which was a
bit like a dating service! It seems to work though…some people remain pen pals
for only a short time, while others continue to exchange letters for the rest of their
lives. Some pen pals eventually arrange to meet face to face and there are even
stories of some pen pals getting married!
Kate: You can still have a pen pal even if you prefer to use email….these are sometimes
called 'key pals' as you write letters on the keys of your computer rather than with
a pen. Let's have a quick recap on the vocabulary we've come across today….
Jackie: put pen to paper – to deliberately writing something down
came through/come through – a phrasal verb we use when talking about a letter or parcel which is posted to us
taking the time – to spend the time to do something exclusively – special or for one person only tactile – nice or pleasant to touch
long standing – something we have been doing for a long time link up – another phrasal verb meaning 'to connect with'
Kate: And finally, to the question I asked at the beginning of the programme – the term we sometimes use for the traditional postal service is…..
Jackie: I said it was 'snail mail' as compared to email and the telephone, sending a letter is
a slow as a snail!
Kate: That's right. Thanks Jackie – until next time.
Both: Goodbye!