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
Adrian O’Donnell – Lado Business English Specialists
Register
1. Formal
2. Standard/Neutral
3. Informal
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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)
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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)
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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
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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.
Adrian O’Donnell – Lado Business English Specialists
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.
Adrian O’Donnell – Lado Business English Specialists
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.
Adrian O’Donnell – Lado Business English Specialists
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.
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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.
Adrian O’Donnell – Lado Business English Specialists
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.
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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)
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Other abbreviated forms
Do not treat email as text messaging!
Cul8r = ?
Qty = ?
Rec’d = ?
Pls = ?
Wd = ?
Hv = ?
Otoh = ?
Bw = ?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Email Attachments
Keep attachments small Don't forward attachments Include an excerpt
Send a link instead
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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
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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
Adrian O’Donnell – Lado Business English Specialists
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.
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Key Phrases I
Name• Dear Mr/Mrs/Ms Chen
• Dear Eva
• Hi/Hello Melissa
• John, … (or no name at all)
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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), …
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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 …
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Key Phrases IV
Good news• You will be pleased to hear that …
• We are able to confirm that …
• Good news!
• We can confirm that …
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Key Phrases V
Bad news/Apologising• I apologise for …
• We regret to inform you that …
• Sorry for …
• Unfortunately, …
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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 …
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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?
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Check
• Grammar• Spelling• Punctuation• Style• Is everything clear, well-structured and
easy to understand?
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Next Week
Giving Information
Making Requests
Arranging Meetings
Checking Understanding
Direct and Indirect
Softening the Tone