E Mail Writing in English
E Mail Writing in English: Email is the most common form of business communication; so it’s important to get it right. Although emails usually aren’t as formal as letters, they still need to be professional to present a good image of you and your company.
How to write a formal email
Follow these five simple steps to make sure your English emails are perfectly professional.- Begin with a greeting
- Thank the recipient
- State your purpose
- Add your closing remarks
- End with a closing
Begin with a greeting
Always open your email with a greeting, such as “Dear Lillian”. If your relationship with the reader is formal, use their family name (eg. “Dear Mrs. Price”). If the relationship is more casual, you can simply say, “Hi Kelly”. If you don’t know the name of the person you are writing to, use: “To whom it may concern” or “Dear Sir/Madam”.
Subject Line
- Always have a subject line that summarises briefly and clearly the contents of the message (example: Re: Summary of Our Meeting with ABC Suppliers).
There are many variations of greetings that you can start your email with, but the most standard ones are:
Dear Firstname Lastname
Dear Mr./Ms. Lastname
Dear Mr./Ms. Firstname Lastname
Dear Dr. Lastname
To whom it may concern
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Think of who your reader is going to be
Is it a colleague, a client or your boss? Should the email be informal or formal? Most business emails these days have a neutral tone. Note the difference between Informal and Formal: Informal – Thanks for emailing me on 15th February Formal – Thank you for your email dated 15th February Informal – Sorry, I can’t make it. Formal – I am afraid I will not be able to attend Informal – Can you…? Formal – I was wondering if you could….?
- Some emails to colleagues can be informal if you have a long working relationship and know them well. This is the style that is closest to speech, so there are often everyday words and conversational expressions that can be used. For instance, ‘Don’t forget’, ‘Catch you later’, ‘Cheers’. The reader may also accept or overlook minor grammatical errors in informal emails. However, if the email is going to a client or senior colleague, bad grammar and an over-friendly writing style will most probably not be acceptable. If you are replying to a client’s inquiry, you should begin with a line of thanks. For example, if someone has a question about your company, you can say, “Thank you for contacting ABC Company”. If someone has replied to one of your emails, be sure to say, “Thank you for your prompt reply” or “Thanks for getting back to me”. Thanking the reader puts him or her at ease, and it will make you appear more polite.
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Think about how direct or indirect you want to be
In some cultures, it is common practice to be very direct in email correspondence. However, this can cause a problem if you’re writing to someone in another country and in a language that is not your mother tongue. They might find your directness rude and possibly offensive. Consider these: Direct – I need this in half an hour. Indirect and polite – Would it be possible to have this in half an hour? Direct – There will be a delay Indirect – I’m afraid there may be a slight delay. Direct – It’s a bad idea Indirect – To be honest, I’m not sure if that would be a good idea. By adjusting your tone, you are more likely to get a positive response from your reader.State your purpose
If you are starting the email communication, it may be impossible to include a line of thanks. Instead, begin by stating your purpose. For example, “I am writing to enquire about …” or “I am writing in reference to …”. Make your purpose clear early on in the email, and then move into the main text of your email. Remember, people want to read emails quickly, so keep your sentences short and clear. You’ll also need to pay careful attention to grammar, spelling and punctuation so that you present a professional image of yourself and your company. -
Add your closing remarks
Before you end your email, it’s polite to thank your reader one more time and add some polite closing remarks. You might start with “Thank you for your patience and cooperation” or “Thank you for your consideration” and then follow up with, “If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to let me know” and “I look forward to hearing from you”.
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End with a closing
The last step is to include an appropriate closing with your name. “Best regards”, “Sincerely”, and “Thank you” are all professional. Avoid closings such as “Best wishes” or “Cheers” unless you are good friends with the reader. Finally, before you hit the send button, review and spell check your email one more time to make sure it’s truly perfect!
3-To solve the problem
10-To benefit greatly/enormously/considerably … from sth
15-To fulfil a requirement/condition/obligation
Introducing and Greeting People in English
Agreeing and Disagreeing
Never use a or an with a word that is plural (e.g. books, trees) or uncountable (e.g. water, advice):
I asked her for advice. √
I asked her for an advice.
Note that we use a in front of words that start with a consonant sound (a horse, a carrot) and an in front of words with a vowel sound (an apple, an elephant).
The next most important thing to understand is the difference between a/an and the. Basically, we use a/an when we don’t need to say which thing we are talking about. We use the to talk about a specific thing:
I caught a train to London. (it doesn’t matter which train)
The train was late. (that particular train was late)
We often use a when we mention something for the first time, and then change to the when it is clear which thing we are talking about:
He was talking to a man. The man was laughing.
She gave him a present. The present was very expensive.
We also use the when it is obvious which thing we are talking about or when there is only one of something:
Could you shut the door, please?
I cleaned the bathroom this morning.
He travelled around the world.
The sun is hot today.
If you stick to the rules above, you will be correct in almost all cases. However, there are a few exceptions, and the following are the most useful ones to learn:
We don’t use a/an before the names of meals:
We had lunch at noon.
We don’t use a/an before words like school, prison, or college when we are talking about them in a general way:
I hope to go to college.
He spent three years in prison.
With the word ‘hospital’, there is a difference between British and American English:
My brother’s in hospital (UK) / in the hospital (US).
We use the before the names of shops or places where we go for services when they are the ones we usually go to:
I need to go to the supermarket.
She went to the doctor’s.
The most important first step in choosing the correct article is to categorize the noun as count or uncount in its context**:
– A count noun is a noun that can have a number in front of it: 1 teacher, 3 books, 76 trombones, 1,000,000 people.
– An uncount noun is a noun that cannot have a number put in front of it: 
Note:
this, that, some, many
Comparison can be made using the three forms of the adjective.
Adjective is a word and it qualifies a noun. It gives more information about the noun.
Although it rained a lot, they enjoyed themselves. (Complex)
In spite of or Despite the rain, they enjoyed themselves. (Simple)
The food was very hot. We could not eat it. (Compound)
The food was so hot that we could not eat it. (Simple)
The food was too hot to eat. (Complex)