How To Write an Email in English

Nowadays, emails have become the most common method of communication in the business world as they enable you to interact with people and businesses all across the globe without any delay, and people send emails almost every day. Therefore, they need to be professional. Being able to write a strong and clear email in English is an essential skill because English is such a widely known language and this will enable you to do so many more things.

This blog post will teach you the format of a typical English email, good vocabulary to use, some useful tips and the do’s and don’ts of writing emails!

One of the most important things to remember about emails in English is that they favour short sentences, very concise language and a simple structure. This should make it slightly easier if English is not your native language.

Structure of an Email:

Subject line

• Designed to grab the reader’s attention so they can see exactly what the email is about
• Sometimes a general subject line will be automatically deleted so keep make it specific

Salutation

• These are optional and are normally not used when replying quickly to work colleagues
• If in doubt, copy the greeting the sender used
• If you don’t know the name of recipient: Dear Sir/Madam
• Acquaintances: Dear
• Friends & colleagues: Hi
• Could open with I hope this email finds you well to set a polite tone

Reason for Writing

• The first sentence should tell the reader what the email is about
• Examples: I am writing to let you know/I am writing in response to
• If you are replying to a client’s inquiry be sure to thank them for their email

Main Point

• Write in paragraphs and don’t make the email too long
• End the main body of the email with something like I look forward to hearing from you or please let me know if you have any questions

Closing

• These are also optional
• Some common choices: best wishes, kind regards, many thanks

Signature

• This automatically appears are the end of all of your emails to save you the time of writing it out every time
• It should include: your name, job title, details about your company and a link to company website

Tips

• Keep emails short
• Remember the absence of standard salutations is common
• Use different paragraphs for each point: makes email clear and easy to follow
• Use simple and direct English: short sentences, common words and avoid idioms (especially important if the readers first language is not English)
• Be polite and use a neutral tone: your email could be forwarded to other people so don’t include any confidential information
• Tell the reader what you want them to do next, so they are not left guessing
• Check your email before sending: avoid spelling and grammar mistakes

Just remember be clear, brief and polite!