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Process: Sorting Letters
Here is a description of the process of sorting letters in the UK.
First of all, letters and packets are collected in bags from pillar boxes, post offices and firms, in post office vans. They are then taken to the sorting office, where the bags are emptied and the letters separated from the packets. Following this step, the letters are put through machines so that the stamps can be cancelled. In this process the date and place of sorting are put over the stamps on each envelope.
In the next stage, the sorting of the letters takes place, according to the county they are addressed to. This is done by placing them in the appropriate pigeon hole. Subsequently, the letters are taken from the pigeon holes and placed in baskets, which are then put onto a conveyor belt. While on this conveyor belt, the baskets are directed to the appropriate secondary sorting section by means of coding pegs. At the secondary sorting frames, the letters are put into towns in the county.
Later, the letters are tied in bundles and a label is put on showing the towns they are addressed to. Finally, the letter bundles are placed in bags, which have the Post Office seal, Post Office Railway number and Destination Code number on them, and then these are sent to the railway station.
Notes & Exercise
Notice that the passive form of the verb is used a lot. This is because in this type of writing, we are usually more interested in the process than in the people doing the work.
- Underline all the passive forms.
- Highlight all the link words.
More Reading
This link describes how letters are sorted in the US postal system and the work of postal clerks and mail carriers: http://federaljobs.net/psclerks.htm