Hi,everyone. I have been living in Austin, TX USA since Sept.10, and still find it hard to handle daily things, for this is my first time to be abroad. This past Tuesday I bought a used book entitled God Says No on Amazon.com and Amazon told me that UPS would be responsible for the shipping. Then on Wednesday I tracked my package on the website of UPS and got to know that my book would be delivered to my door on Friday by end of day. Over here I live in a rental apartment on the second floor and I seldom leave my door open like the other guys do who rent other rooms in the same apartment building. I feared that the UPS deliveryman might forget to knock at the door or that I might fail to hear his knocks at the door as I might be sleeping or listening to things online at the time of his coming, so I sticked a note on the door, reading: Mr. UPS Deliveryman: Please knock at the door. I am inside. Thanks. Richard In the afternoon, the UPS deliveryman came and knocked at the door and I heard it while watching a video online. I opened the door and after signing electronically got the book. I thanked him and said "Have a good day!" to him. As I always urge myself to be an avid learner of English and be clear about English language points I have come across or tried to make good use of in communication, I beg you, especially native English speaking members of this forum, to do me a favor and tell me whether there is anything wrong with my note for the UPS deliveryman-- in any aspect of the language used in this note. Can I say "Mr. UPS Deliveryman" and use it as a salutation? If so, should "Deliveryman" be capitalized or should it be not? And is it proper to say "I am inside."? What would you say in this same situation? Or if you had been in my situation, what differently-phrased note would you have left on the door for the deliveryman? I am sure that I will learn a lot about the English language from your answers. Thanks a lot. Richard
I don't know if this will help you at all. But if I was going to leave a note it would say: Dear UPS, I am inside waiting, please knock. But honestly, for future reference, UPS and FEDEX always knock and or ring the door bell when they drop something off. The only difference is that when you live in an apartment complex they will not leave the package on your door step, so it doesn't get stolen. So if you do not come to the door they will drop it off at managements office. That is how things are supposed to be anyway, sometimes obviously a driver doesn't do what they are supposed to.
Thanks for replying to my post, Jhunter. I live in an apartment building whose apartments have all been rented out. When I first arrived in Austin, my American neighbor told me that several months ago she got her parcel of a pair of shoes lost but the express mail service company said they dropped it at her door and would not be responsible for her loss. This is why I thought of leaving a note on the door to make sure that I would get the book. You are right in saying "anyway, sometimes obviously a driver doesn't do what they are supposed to. " Thanks a lot for your help.
Your note is fine. It's perfectly clear and includes no cause for offense that I can see. Well, I suppose that you're assuming that the delivery person will be male instead of female, so you could have used a salutation of "UPS:" or "UPS Delivery Person:", but, really, I doubt that anyone would actually be offended. If I were writing this note, I probably would have written: UPS: I'm home! Please knock when you deliver the package. Thanks! But mine isn't any better, it's just different. ChickenFreak
Hi, ChickenFreak. Your reply is great! Thank you! When I am communicating with others in English, there will be a lot of "creative" work involved but afterwards I will always find some expressions improper. This is really learning from one's mistakes(in this case it is mine) and I love this process although many of my Chinese colleagues insist that this overthinking is a waste of time and energy. I disagree with them and I will keep this habit. It is never an easy thing to learn English well in a non-English environment and the only way out is to put more and more effort into this task. I have been working at a university as an English writing teacher and I have to be accurate in my English writing and explain to my students how I came up with a certain idea or expression and how I've made mistatkes very often. During my 6-month stay in Austin I will try my best to improve my English. Thanks again.
i'm with our friendly, helpful 'clucker' on this, richard... but i would have kept it even simpler, with nothing after 'knock'... and i've been getting packages delivered pretty regularly, for decades... i'm happy to hear you're getting along so well in a foreign land... love and hugs, maia
Hey Richard As has been well said, the note you left was absolutely fine. However, it met the first of your concerns - that the UPS person might not knock - but not the second - that you might not hear them. In the future, should you be in the same position, something like the following might, then, be better still: Dear UPS Please knock loudly. I am in but might be snoozing. Many Thanks.
Thanks a lot, art. Yours is a perfect version. "Dear UPS" will not sound offensive if the delivery person is a woman and when "loudly" and the reason for the need to knock loudly are added to the note, we have everything needed in this note. Thanks again for making a reply to my post. Richard
actually, that's very like the sign i used to hang on my door... it read: 'i'm here! please knock loudly when the A/C is on'
Since my arrival in Austin, I have found that the central heating and cooling system you Americans use in residences produces a big noise indeed. In China, most families use independent split systems which are noiseless generally.
Wall units are indeed really loud. Central heating and air is silent though. But those are generally in houses and upscale apartments/condos.
Your note was great In a similar circumstance I would likely have written something like 'Dear UPS - Please knock, thank you!' and I'd like to add that the UPS guy who delivers to my neighborhood does NOT always knock or ring the bell and I have occasionally had expensive deliveries simply abandoned on my doorstep.
Dear Mr. UPS package carrier. If you're reading this, there are already two snipers aiming at your head (don't look for red dots. In real life snipers don't use visible laser sights anymore.). Also, the pressure sensor trap must be already activated, so try not to make sudden moves unless, for some reason, you are immune to shredding. Now, leave the package you carry in the conveniently package-sized hole in front of you and say the password "The package has been delivered.". Please do not let the package drop as the last delivery man; one of our snipers has a slight PTSD problem and sudden sounds make him nervous, as you can verify by the long red streak in the wall to your left. Thanks for your cooperation. Dr. M. Alignus
Thanks a lot, Jhunter. Perhaps I took wall units for central heating and air-conditioning. So, is it that there are these three systems that we usually use: the independent split system, wall units, and central heating and air-conditioning? Am I right about the names? Thanks.
Honestly, I am not sure what you mean by "independent split system." And as far I know here in America we have wall units (the small box sized units that are usually connected through a window or a hole in the wall) and central heating and air which is throughout the whole house/apartment through vents in the ceiling or floor.
A split unit, as I understand it, is a heating/cooling unit where the compressor sits outside somewhere, and connects through a tube to a unit that's inside the building. Since the compressor is outside, that isolates the building, to some extent, from the compressor's noise. You may well have seen them and never quite noticed that they were there - that's how I was until I knew what one was. (The obvious question is, what's traveling through the tube? Refrigerant? Can' t remember.)
Yeah, that would be central heating and air. I just have never heard that technical name used before.
Hmmm. No. That is, you're absolutely right that my description describes central heating and air, but it also describes a split unit, which is a very different thing. Dang. I can't come up with the distinction.
yes, the 'split' is relatively recent... and is gaining popularity it seems, despite being more costly than the 'in the window' type units... google for 'a/c split' and you'll see the difference...
Yes，ChickenFreak, you are right about a split unit, which is used in most Chinese homes. Besides, if the split unit is a product of quality, its compressor placed outside the window and attached to the wall usually does not produce much noise unless it is old. There is a part in the compressor for storing freon, which is not environment-friendly but very convenient to use and can be refilled. To my knowledge, what travels through the tube is sheer air heated or cooled, but I may be wrong. By the way, some Chinese families are starting to use one giant unit which produces heat or cool air for all the rooms in an apartment (most Chinese city residents live in condos, unlike most of you guys in America living in houses) to save the trouble of installing one split unit for each room. In China, that one-piece unit inserted in the window is not used now, for many people see it as something odd and,what's more, its installation may get the window or the wall ruined in appearance. Compared with the trendy split unit which becomes more and more energy efficient, the one-piece unit is more costly in terms of energy consumption.
