Fun Easy English - new american english standard conversation for beginners lesson 23 Mailing Letters discourse.

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Home - Conversation - Lesson 23

Conversation Lesson 23

Lesson 23 - Mailing Letters

Dialogs for everyday use. Short situational dialogs for students of English as a Foreign (EFL) or Second (ESL) Language.

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Mailing Letters

Dean: Do you mind if we stop by the post office? 1 have to mail these letters and I don’t have any stamps.

Carol: Oh, I have some. We don’t need to go all the way to the post office.

Dean: That would save time. Can you let me have two airmail stamps and one regular one?

Carol: Here you are. Are you sure that’s enough?

Dean: Yes, that’s fine. Now all we have to do is find a mailbox.

Conversation Notes

Do you mind
Meaning is it all right with you…? or Do you have any objection…? This phrase is similar to, but somewhat more direct than, Would you mind…? (see 10). It is followed by an ifclause to provide for the change of subject from you to we: Do you mind if we stop…? However, if the speaker wishes simply to request the listener to stop by the post office (in which case there is no “we” involved, hence no change of subject), he will use an ing form complement: Do you mind stopping by the post office? Some additional examples of the “if’ type: Do you mind if Mary and Fred come with us? Do you mind if we talk about that later, when we have more time? Do you mind very much if I don’t come to see you today? Some examples of the “ing” type: Do you mind asking Mary and Fred to come with us? Do you mind discussing that later, when we have more time? Do you mind very much postponing our visit until tomorrow?
post office
A compound noun, with the principal stress on the first word.
That would save time
The strong stress on would and the fact that the intonation falls only partially at the end indicate a thoughtful, hesitant attitude.
Can you let me have
Meaning is can you give me…
two airmail stamps and one regular one
Note the contrastive stress on airmail and regular and on two and one. Note also the weak stress on stamps and on the corresponding pronoun one.
mailbox
A compound noun, with the stress on the first part.
all we have to do is
Meaning is the only thing that we must do is…, The one thing that remains to be done is… Some other examples: I’ve finished writing the story; now all I have to do is think of a title. He’s finished all his courses; now all he has to do is pass the examination. We’ve got the decorations all ready for the party; now all we have to do is prepare the food.

Source: U.S. State Department

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