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Perfect Phrases for ESL Everyday Situations

CHAPTER   image
The Post Office
The United States Postal Service (USPS) does much more than just deliver the mail. The USPS sells stamps, postal supplies, and money orders. It also sends mail and packages, including the necessary customs forms for sending mail and packages out of the country. For U.S. citizens, it has all the necessary forms for getting or renewing a passport—and will even take a passport photo.
Additionally, the post office has an active role in community affairs such as helping to find missing children, trying to locate bone marrow donors, alerting the neighborhood about wanted criminals, and performing other valuable services.
The USPS also can help customers connect with other government agencies.
Phrases You May Hear at the Post Office
image    How may I help you?
image    Next person in line, please!
image    Is there anything___________(hazardous, liquid, breakable, fragile) in this package?
image    Would you like to insure this?
image    Would you like to track this package?
image    Do you want delivery confirmation?
image    How quickly would you like this to arrive at the destination?
image    Do you want to send this Media Mail? You can do this if it is only a book or a video.
image    You forgot to put the zip code on this letter. Do you know it or should I look it up?
image    There is no return address on the upper left corner of this letter. Do you want to___________(add it, put it on, do it and return to the window)? You don’t have to wait in line again.
image    Please tape this box securely.
image    Would you like to buy stamps as well?
Phrases to Say at the Post Office: Mailing
image    When will the (letter, package) that I’m sending arrive?
image    What are my shipment choices and prices for each?
image    How much does it cost to send this package___________ (first class, two-day mail, overnight, media rate)?
image    I sent a___________(letter, package) last week and it hasn’t arrived. Can you check?
image    I want to send this with___________(tracking, return receipt, signature request).
image    I want to send this___________(regular mail, priority mail, overnight).
image    May I insure this package for___________($50, $100, $500)?
image    Is it OK to use this box for shipping?
image    Is this envelope___________(too large, too thick, too heavy) for a first-class stamp?
image    Which is faster, Priority or Express Mail?
image    How much does it cost to send a one-ounce letter to ___________(Ecuador, Russia, Thailand)? How much does each additional ounce cost?
image    May I use a Forever Stamp on this letter to Canada?
image    How much will the postage be to send this letter to Mexico?
Phrases to Say at the Post Office: Services
image    What are your hours, and are you open on weekends?
image    Do you sell___________(address labels, Scotch tape, packing tape, post cards)?
image    May I have___________(change-of-address cards, a card to request that you hold my mail), please?
image    I’d like to buy___________(a roll, a sheet, a book) of stamps.
image    How much does a___________(roll, sheet, book) of stamps cost?
image    Can you hold my mail for___________(a week, a month)?
image    I received a notice that you’re holding a___________(letter, package) for me.
image    I’d like to rent a post office box.
image    I need change-of-address cards, please.
image    I’d like a money order, please.
image    How much does a money order for___________($150, $300, $1,000) cost?
image    May I pay my electric bill here?
Idioms and Other Vocabulary
Book: see Roll
Change-of-address cards: information cards you fill out to ensure that your mail is sent to the new address when you move
Forever Stamp: USPS term for a stamp without postage printed on it that is good no matter what the current postage rate is
Fragile: delicate, easily broken
Hazardous: dangerous
Hold my mail: keep my mail at the post office when I go away, so I can pick it up there when I return
Media Mail: USPS term for a postage rate that is cheaper than regular mail but can be used only for books and videos
Notice: communication sent to you from the post office (For example, sometimes the post office sends you notices about mail it is holding for you or other postal issues.)
Overnight: mail sent one day to be received the next day
Rent a post office box: pay for the use of a storage box at the post office that may be rented for a relatively small charge (Different-size post office boxes may be rented; your mail can be sent there instead of to your home or office.)
Return address: your address in the upper left corner (If the mail you are sending doesn’t arrive at the destination, this information can help the post office return it to you.)
Return receipt: receipt signed by person to whom you sent a letter or package
Roll (or sheet or book) of stamps: quantities of stamps that you may buy
Sheet: see Roll
Too large (or too thick or too heavy) for a first-class stamp: greater than the size or weight that you may mail for the price of one first-class stamp (Size or thickness may make it necessary to use additional postage.)
Tracking: following information about your mail to check the date and time it was delivered and who received it
Zip code: one of the five-digit numbers assigned to every area in the United States (The zip code helps the post office deliver the mail more easily.)