post

1.说“寄（信）”在英国多用post，在美国多用mail。I shall post the letter to him tomorrow是英国英语，I shall mail the letter to him tomorrow是美国英语。by post是英国英语，by mail是美国英语。Has the post come yet?是英国英语，Has the mail come yet?是美国英语。

关于post和mail的区别，下面几点该注意：

（1）用作动词时，post和mail有时都有双宾语。例如：We will post（或mail）you the booklet early next week.

（2）mail可以统指“信件”, post不可，如可以说He has a large amount of mail to answer every day和His desk is covered with unopened mail，但不可说He has a large amount of post to answer every day和His desk is covered with unopened post，该把post改作letters。在英国也有人用mail。mail往往包括报纸、杂志等。

（3）统指一包一包的邮件在英美都用mails。例如：The mails arrived by rail. 不可用post或posts。

（4）air mail（航空邮递），mail order（邮购、函购）和mail train（邮政列车）是英美通用的。

2.by post比by the post普通。但in the post和through the post里的the不可省去。The letter came by (the) post和The letter came through the post都可以说。The letter has gone astray in（或through）the post里的in（或through）the post不可改作by post或by the post。Please take this letter to the post里的the不可省去。

3.Post no bills（禁止招贴）是美国英语，相当于英国英语Stick no bills。

4.关于post card，参见postcard