email writing

Email Writing

The Basics

Adrian O’Donnell – Lado Business English Specialists

Contents

1) Register (formal/neutral/informal)

2) Missing words

3) Abbreviations

4) Opening and Closing

5) Endings

6) Subject Lines

7) Etiquette – Do’s and Don’ts

8) Key Phrases

9) Writing Exercise


Register

1. Formal

2. Standard/Neutral

3. Informal


Formal

What are the characteristics?

• Old-fashioned letter style • Impersonal• Polite and careful• Fixed expressions and long words• Grammar and punctuation important• Not common in emails (serious subjects)


Neutral/Standard

• Professional/work emails – common!• Simple• Clear• Direct• Short sentences• Contractions (I’ve = I have, etc.)• Quite personal• Not similar to speech (too direct)


Informal

• Between friends – common• Similar to speech• Everyday words and conversational• Reader is more tolerant of bad grammar,

etc.• Includes personal news or funny comments


Exercise

Rewrite the emails in your handout by substituting the phrases in italics with more informal phrases. Use contractions (e.g. I’ll) where appropriate.

Example

I am afraid I will not be able to attend the meeting on Thursday.

Sorry I can’t make it on Thursday.


Formal words vs. informal words

Formal assistance, due to, enquire, further, inform, information,

obtain/receive, occupation, possess, provide, repair, request, requirements, reserve, verify

Informal help, because of, ask, more, tell, facts, get, job, have,

give, fix, ask for, needs, book, check/prove

Notice longer words of Latin origin sound more formal, and shorter words sound more informal.


Missing words

Missing out words is common in emails and informal speech. It happens where people know each other very well and the situation is relaxed and friendly. The meaning is clear from the context, so the full grammatical form is not necessary.

ExampleThat’s a good idea! - Good idea!

I hope everything is ok. - Hope everything is ok.


Missing words exercise

1) I think your idea is great.

2) I’ll speak to you later.

3) If you have any problems, give me a call.

4) It’s a pity you can’t come.

5) Your idea is good, but it needs clarification.

6) Are you going to the conference?

7) I will catch up with you sometime next week.

8) Friday would be better than Wednesday.


Missing word rules

1. The subject ‘I’ can be left out, especially with mental verbs like think, hope, etc.

2. In a question, the subject ‘you’ and the auxiliary verb can be omitted.

3. The subject ‘I’ and the auxiliary (be, have, will) can be left out.

4. The words ‘that’ or ‘it’ can be left out, often with a form of ‘be’ as well.

5. The word ‘the’ can occasionally be left out.

6. A form of ‘be’ can be left out on its own.


Put the missing words back into the following email...

• Great evening, wasn’t it. Really enjoyed the meal, and nice to see Mary and Roger again. Had a chance to speak to Lucy yet? Don’t worry if you haven’t, will be seeing her tomorrow.

• About next week - film you suggested sounds great. Been talking to some colleagues about it. Not sure about the day, though. Tuesday might be difficult, Perhaps Wednesday better? Let me know.

• Going to my parents on weekend - looking forward to it. They live in Chichester. Ever been there?

• Sometime soon we need to talk about holiday plans for next summer. Things still a bit uncertain at work. Might be possible to take two weeks off in July, but can’t be sure. Three weeks impossible. A pity.

• Anyway, got to go now. Hope you’re well. See you next week.


Abbreviations

Only use common abbreviations or abbreviations you are sure the reader will understand!

Examples• i.e. (id est) … • e.g. (exempli gratia) …• NB (nota bene) …• PS (postscript) …• BTW (by the way)• asap (as soon as possible)


Other abbreviated forms

Do not treat email as text messaging!

Cul8r = ?

Qty = ?

Rec’d = ?

Pls = ?

Wd = ?

Hv = ?

Otoh = ?

Bw = ?


Opening and Closing

Some Beginnings• I am writing with regard to your recent email.

• Thanks so much for your recent present.

• Patricia, I’ve just read your email.

• I am writing with reference to our order number GK67.


Some Endings• I look forward to receiving this information as soon as

possible.

• Thanks again for the gift and give my regards to your family.

• I’ll call you at the weekend to see how things are.

• Should you require any further information, we will be happy to assist you.


Read the following sentences. Decide whether they are beginnings or endings. Then decide whether they are neutral or informal.

1. The computer network will be shut down for maintenance at 5pm on Friday.

2. What a surprise – how nice to hear from you?3. I’m so happy for you! Write again soon and tell me how

it’s going.4. Just a quick note to say I really enjoyed last night.5. Please find attached my report, as promised in

Monday’s meeting.6. Bye for now. See you soon.7. I hope that everything is okay, but do not hesitate to

contact me if you need clarification.8. We are writing to advise you about some changes in

our price list.


Subject Lines

To consider the reader, use only one subject per email.

The subject line should: - be clear and short - tell the reader exactly what is in the email


Example Email

Subject: Funded speaking engagement at Taichung University Message: Dear Dr. Lee,

My name is Joe Chen and I am the office manager for the Department of Engineering at Taichung University. I am contacting you at the request of Dr. Wang, the chair of the Department of Engineering to arrange for a speaking engagement at our university.

We bring in some of the best minds in the field of Engineering each year to speak to our graduating seniors. This year we hope that you will be able to join us.

The session will take place in the afternoon on Friday, March 5. If you are interested please let me know at your earliest convenience. We can further discuss funding, travel arrangements, and other specifics at that time.

Sincerely, Joe


Etiquette

Don't send private messages with the company account

Use BCC if necessary Be professional. Ensure your work emails don't

contain 'u', ‘cul8r', ‘ru', and/or several million other texting/chatroom acronyms

Check tone Don't use email when you are angry Get clarification Quoting – Cut and paste the most relevant

sentence from the message to which you are responding


Communicating & Effectiveness

Use meaningful subject lines Be brief Summarize Cheat with templates Use 'Reply All' when necessary Remember the telephone If it's urgent, say so On vacation? Proofread


Email Attachments

Keep attachments small Don't forward attachments Include an excerpt

Send a link instead


Informal – but unclear

Hello,

I read on your web site that you offer Music CD copying for large quantities of CDs. I'd like to inquire about the procedures involved in these services. Are the files transferred online, or are the titles sent by CD to you by standard mail? How long does it usually take to produce approximately 500 copies? Are there any discounts on such a large quantity?

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. I look forward to your response.

Joe Thomson Sales Manager, Young Talent Inc. (509) 467 - 3458


Clearer layout

Hello,

I read on your web site that you offer Music CD copying for large quantities of CDs. Please could you tell me:

Are the files transferred online, or are the titles sent by CD to you by standard mail?

How long does it usually take to produce approximately 500 copies?

Are there any discounts on such a large quantity?

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. I look forward to your response.

Joe Thomson Sales Manager, Young Talent Inc. (509) 467 - 3458


Important Points to Remember

Email is less formal than a written letter. Emails are usually short and concise.

If you are writing to someone you don't know, a simple "Hello" may be adequate. Using a salutation such as "Dear Mr Smith," is very formal.

When writing to someone you know well, feel free to write as if you are speaking to the person.

Use abbreviated verb forms (He's, We're, He'd, etc.) It is not necessary to include your email address as the

recipient can just reply to the email. Include a telephone number to the signature of the email.

This will give the recipient the chance to telephone if necessary.


Key Phrases I

Name• Dear Mr/Mrs/Ms Chen

• Dear Eva

• Hi/Hello Melissa

• John, … (or no name at all)


Key Phrases II

Previous Contact• Thank you for your email of …

• Thanks for your email.

• Further to your last email, …

• Re your email

• Sorry, I haven’t written for ages, but I’ve been really busy.

• With reference to your email sent (date), …


Key Phrases III

Reason for email• We are writing to inform you that …

• Just a short note to let you know that …

• I’m writing about …

• I am writing with regard to …

• Please note that …


Key Phrases IV

Good news• You will be pleased to hear that …

• We are able to confirm that …

• Good news!

• We can confirm that …


Key Phrases V

Bad news/Apologising• I apologise for …

• We regret to inform you that …

• Sorry for …

• Unfortunately, …


Key Phrases VI

Requests• I’d be grateful if you could …

• Please could you …

• Could you …

• Can I have …

• I wonder if you could …

• Do you think I could have …


Formal/Neutral StyleWrite to a customer to tell them that the product/service they want is not available at the moment.

Prepare the situation using the questions below. What is your company’s business? What

products/services do you offer? What is the particular product/service that you normally

offer, but is not available at the moment? Why? When is it going to be available again? Who is the customer that you are writing to? Why do they

need your product/service? Are you going to promise any action, give additional

information, offer help etc?


Check

• Grammar• Spelling• Punctuation• Style• Is everything clear, well-structured and

easy to understand?


Next Week

Giving Information

Making Requests

Arranging Meetings

Checking Understanding

Direct and Indirect

Softening the Tone

email writing

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