Writing emails in English

In today's global business world most of communication is done via email. This can be tricky*, as we rely only on words to convey meaning. How to make sure the email is still polite and will have a positive effect on our reader?

Follow these five steps to make sure your emails sound polite and professional.

1.       Start with a greeting

2.       Thank the recipient

3.       Explain the purpose of the email

4.       Add your closing remarks

5.       End with a closing

1. Start with a greeting

Choosing a greeting depends on the relationship you have with the recipient. If you know them (well), you can start with 'Dear Peter' or 'Hi Martha'. If the relationship is more formal use their family name, eg. 'Dear Mr./Mrs./Ms. Fernandez'. If you don't know the name of the recipient write 'Dear Sir, Madam' or 'To who this may concern'.

2. Thank the recipient

To start your email politely and to refer back to previous email contact you might have had, thank the recipient by saying 'Thanks for your email' or, more formally, 'Thank you for sending/replying/etc'. 

3. Explain the purpose of the email

To make sure you won't lose the reader's attention, state the purpose of your email early on. You could use 'I am writing to enquire** about..' or 'I am writing with reference to..'. More informal would be 'I'm writing about/regarding..' Remember that most people receive a lot of emails every day and therefore want to find out quickly why they have received it and what the sender wants them to do.

4. Add your closing remarks

It's polite in English to close your email with a nice remark. You could say ' Thank you for your consideration/coorperation'. Or 'In case you have any questions/concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me'. Another one is ' I look forward to hearing from you/receiving your reply'.

5. End with a closing

Closing the email depends on how you have opened it. In case you know the recipient and your relationship is informal, you could say 'Best (regards)', 'Thanks' or 'Cheers'. If your relationship is more formal use 'Yours sincerely' when you know the recipient's name and 'Yours faithfully' when you don't.

Finally, before you hit send, make sure there are no spelling mistakes in your email and have attached any files you want to send. 

Glossary

*tricky - difficult /ˈtrɪk.i/ 

** enquire - ask about /ɪnˈkwaɪər/

Kirsten