Session 11 Writing an e-mail

(a)Formal emails:

 Formal emails are similar to letters. Here are the parts of an e-mail when writing to someone you do not know his/her name:

 Opening:

Dear Sir or Madam    /   Dear Sir/Madam

Closing:

Yours faithfully (UK) /  Sincerely (US)

Writing to someone when you know the name:

Opening:

Dear Mr Thomas  /    Dear Dr Thomas    /   Dear John Thomas

Closing:

Regards   /    Your sincerely (UK)   /  Sincerely(US)

Contractions

When writing formal e-mails, do not use contractions such as I'm, didn't, I'll, etc.

 Informal emails

Opening

Hi John   /    Hello Ann

Sometimes we start with Hi or Hello without mentioning the other person's name.

Closing:

Best wishes,  /   All the best

Formal e-mails use different vocabulary from informal e-mails.

Formal	Informal
Thank you I would like to apologize for I would appreciate if you… Unfortunately, I will not be able to… I would rather not…..	Thanks Sorry for Can you…? I can't I don't want to….

 How can you make your e-mail more effective?(b)

To make your e-mail more effective, you have to:

•Use an informative subject line, which says what the email is about.

• Write the most important information first.

• Use numbers and bullet points to make the message clearer.

• Use simple grammar. Avoid things like the passive. (As emails are a fast means of communication, they tend to be less wordy and complex than formal letters.)

• Write short sentences.

• Use paragraphs to keep the email clear and easy to understand

Here is the format of the e mail:

To :         …….…

From:      ……….

About (Subject):……….

Dear …….,     The body     Love, ……………

You have received this email from your English-speaking friend, Jean. Write an appropriate reply.

To :  Tania @yahoo.com

From : Jean @yahoo.com

Subject : Asking about a birthday party.

 Dear Tania,

How are you? I hope you are fine. I hear you organised a surprise birthday party for your mother. I'd love to hear about it. What kind of party did you organise? Who did you invite? How did it go? How did you mum feel? Do tell me.

Love,

Jean

Write a reply to the previous email in an appropriate style. Open with an informal greeting / Start your reply by referring to the sender's email/letter.

 Hi Jean,

Good to hear form you again. I hope you're still enjoying your job.

Give reason for replying

I'm glad you asked me about the party I planned for my mother's birthday. Well, I have to say it was a fantastic success. I told my mother we were taking her out for a quiet meal at a local restaurant with just the family, but in fact I'd hired  (1) a large room in a hotel and invited all her old friends!(2)

Start a new paragraph as the topic has changed slightly. Use an informal linking word/phrase

    Anyway, I picked my mother up and told her I'd changed my mind. We were going to have a meal in a hotel. You should have seen her face when she walked into the room and everyone cheered! She just couldn't believe it and burst into tear (3). Then the party got going and it didn't finish until four in the morning. We were absolutely exhausted, but my mother had had a wonderful time.

When you close, make an excuse to finish.

Must dash now - I've got to go to college. Hope to hear from you.(4)

Make sure you finish with an informal phrase

Love,

Tania

 (1) Use contractions

(2) Use some exclamation marks (but not too many) to express emotion.

(3) Use a range of appropriate vocabulary and informal expressions

(4) Short sentences are acceptable