Brevity is the soul of wit

Email is one of the communication forms which main purpose is to pass information to another person or people. Its structure includes quite certain parts which should be written perfectly professional. Typically it begins with a salutation and expressing thanks to the recipient. The next part states the purpose of the massage which is followed by adding some closing remarks. The last part includes an appropriate closing with the sender’s name. Keep in mind that a descriptive subject line (the exact subject) should be used to reflect the massage content, and may contain a key word which helps the reader remember and search for a certain message in a crowded inbox. You do not need to write your mailing address or email address. Typically, you may include your business phone number and/or business website URL at the end of the email, writing this information under your name.

Be careful about the contents, and try to make your emails informative and polite avoiding emoticons, smileys or too many exclamation marks but use a neutral tone. Formal email cannot allow any personal comments, confidential information or ambiguous English.

Addressing the recipient by name requires a proper salutation. The person's titles (Mr. Mrs. Ms. or Dr.) are followed by their last names with a comma or a colon. Using a last name is more formal so the formal email may begin with “Dear Mr. Rouling”, “Dear Mrs. Pouling”. Start with “To whom it may concern”, “ Dear Sir”, “Dear Madam”, “Dear Sir/Madam”and Dear partners, / Dear managers if you don’t know the name of the person you are writing to. But it would be better if you really try to find the recipient’s name.

Typically the email should not be more than five paragraphs long with a line break separating each paragraph which may contain about five sentences. Keep the sentences clear and short because people want to read emails quickly. The first sentence should tell the reader what your email is about but do not forget to introduce yourself if you write for the first time. Your closing remarks should explain to the recipient what activities you are waiting from him. Making your purpose clear and moving into the main text, try to keep to only one point in each email.

In formal emails avoid using Caps Lock (even for important facts), contractions (e.g. it's, aren't etc...), too many punctuation marks (exclamation marks, question marks) and, what is more, many phrasal verbs which are considered by some people to be too informal and unprofessional. Don’t use informal chat contractions (lol = laughing out loud, thx = thanks, omg = Oh my God) and emoticons because they may appear unfamiliar to your recipient. To present a professional image of yourself you’ll also need to pay careful attention to proofreading of your message for content not to omit any important details.

Finally, before you hit the send button, review your email to make sure you haven’t repeated yourself and observed grammar, spelling and punctuation.

It’s polite to thank your recipient one more time before you end your email, and add some polite closing remarks such as “Thank you for your patience and cooperation”. You might also write “Thank you for your consideration” and then follow up with, “If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to let me know” and “I look forward to hearing from you”.

The last step in formal email is to include an appropriate closing with your name. Keep in mind that the correct form of leave-taking depends on your level of intimacy with the recipient. “Best regards”, “Sincerely”, and “Thank you” are all professional but “Best wishes” or “Cheers” are good for close friends.

Sign the email with your full name which is followed by your job title in the line after your name. You may also write the department or university or even website in the line after that. You may include your own blog or website related to the content of the e-mail below your name. If you want to send any attachments write about them anywhere in your message using the following words "Please refer to the attached document." Try not to send heavy attachments. Send your recipient web addresses or zipped files.

Table 19 Word List

Exercise 5.4.1

While writing a brief and informative email you should think about its structure and of the person who is going to read your message. Ask yourself, will he be able to clearly understand what you've written? How should you mention that your email includes an attachment? How should you end your email if it is a formal one? What are the correct forms of leave taking depending upon the relation between the recipient and the sender? Look through the table below and memorize the clichés for your correct emailing.