You know what the word "touch" means. As I type these words, my fingers touch the computer keyboard. If I touch something hot, I will burn myself.
But what does it mean if I say that I am "in touch" with someone? Here are some examples.
I have a friend. We were at university together. His career and mine have taken very different paths. We now live about 300km apart. But every Christmas we send each other Christmas cards and a letter saying what we and our families have been doing during the year. Every few years I go and visit him. We are IN TOUCH with each other — we have regular contact with each other. We can also say that we STAY IN TOUCH or that we KEEP IN TOUCH with each other.
I have another friend. We were at school together. But many years ago we stopped writing to each other I do not know what he is doing or where he lives. We have LOST TOUCH with each other. You remember that in our recent podcast, Terry and Terry also lost touch with each other.
However, recently I saw my friend's name on a university website. Surely it must be the same person. So I am going to send him an e-mail, and see if he remembers me. I am going to GET IN TOUCH with him. (I will tell you what happens in a later podcast).
A year ago, my daughter left primary school and started secondary school. But many of her friends from primary school go to different secondary schools. This is how she KEEPS IN TOUCH with them.
I telephone some of my friends and chat with them. Sometimes we arrange that they can come and stay overnight at my house, or I can go to their house.
Her friend Amber KEEPS IN TOUCH with her friends like this.
I have got a website with photos and games and music, and a shout box where my friends write messages to me. I have MSN messenger, and 65 of my friends have MSN messenger too. And sometimes I write a letter to my Nan.
You see. that is the difference between young people like Amber and old people like me. Young people KEEP IN TOUCH with MSN messenger. Old people send each other Christmas cards.
(I have re-recorded the sound file on my wonderful new Edirol R-09 solid state recorder. It is much better!)