VIRASITH Kathy Technical English How to write an email in English Formal email (company) Important v Messages should be polite, using polite sentences. v Use formal language. v Messages should be clear and concise. Try to keep it no longer than ten lines if possible. v Messages without any title or subject may not be opened and could be disregard and considered as spam or virus. Subject and Beginning 1. Give a title to the message in the subject line. Subjects should be short, concise and formal and aptly describe the content of the email. e.g. Order No. 2348X Delayed Shipment Laboratory Equipment Order 2. Start the message with greetings (“Dear…” optional). - If you do not know the recipient’s name, use “Sir”, “Madam” or “To whom it may concern”. - If you do not know the recipient but know their name, use their surname with a title (Mr, Mrs, Ms, Miss). e.g. Dear Mr Smith, (British English) Dear Ms. Jones: (American English) - If you are familiar with the recipient, you can use their first name. Body 1. In the introduction, give a clear indication of what the message is about. 2. Write full details in the following paragraphs. For each subject or idea, write a paragraph. 3. In the conclusion, make sure to indicate what should happen next. Attachments v If the message contains any attachment file, make sure to refer to them in the body of the message. v The title of the file should be clear and describe its content to avoid being considered as a virus. The title should not be too general. End 1. End the message in a polite way, using a formal ending. e.g. Yours sincerely, Regards, 2. Include full name (first name and surname) at the end of the message. 3. If you need to give details of your job title, department, etc., put them after your name. 1 VIRASITH Kathy Technical English Informal email (friend or family) Important v The language of the message depends on how familiar you are with the recipient. For close personal friends, immediate family or partners, the language can be very informal. Subject and Beginning 1. Write a short phrase for the title in the subject line. The subject must clearly relay the reason for the email. 2. Start the message with “Dear (name)” or a casual greeting. You can also start directly with the name of the recipient. e.g. Dear Amy, Arthur, Hello, Hi, Body 1. Introduce the body of the message with a question about the recipient’s health. 2. In the introduction, mention the reason for writing an email to the recipient. 3. Write about the main subject of the email in the following paragraphs. If writing about several subjects, make sure to write a paragraph for each subject. 4. In the conclusion, ask the recipient to write back. End 1. End the message with casual salutations. e.g. See you, Best regards, Best wishes, Bye, Love, (for close personal friends and family) 2. Include first name at the end of the message. 2 VIRASITH Kathy Technical English Resources v Centre for Independent Language Learning: http://www2.elc.polyu.edu.hk/cill/eiw/e-mail.htm v eHow Tech: http://www.ehow.com/how_2273597_write-email-friend.html v Carmen Luisa’s ESL site: http://www.carmenlu.com/first/writing/emails_letters1.pdf v English for Techies: http://www.english-for-techies.net/Q%20&%20A/Writing-emails.pdf v Using English: http://www.usingenglish.com/resources/letter-writing.php v Study British English: http://www.ukstudentlife.com/English/Writing.htm v Edit Avenue: http://www.editavenue.com/writingtip.asp?cid=93826 v Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/business-email-format.html 3