Biz-E-Training

Email practice

Email is still the most commonly used form of communication in business and learning to write better emails will help you get ahead in your career.

One problem is deciding which style of language to use. Most of the time, keeping things short and simple and using a relatively informal style is perfectly fine. It saves time and helps build friendly but professional working relationships. At other times, you may need to use a more formal style, for example, when applying for a job or an internship.

Standard formal email

Use this quiz and the notes that follow to look at the structure (paragraphing) and features of a standard formal email.

Put the different segments of the email in the correct order. This may be a little easier to do on larger screens.

Click on Notes to learn more about writing formal emails.

Make a note of the phrases used in the activity and read the following notes to help you write the style of email you need to send.

With paragraphing, the email looks like this:

Dear Sir or Madam

We visited your stand at the Rome Beauty trade fair, which was held last March, and we may be interested in purchasing your products for our beauty studios in China.

We are particularly interested in your pedicure and manicure products. Could you please send us your latest catalogue and price-list. If your prices and terms are competitive, we will be placing regular orders.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours faithfully

Wang Xiu Ying
Purchasing Manager

Things to note

  1. The combination of 'Dear Sir or Madam' and 'Yours faithfully' is used when the name of the recipient is unknown and the chosen style is formal. Other formal possibilities when you know the recipient's name are:
  • For men: Dear Mr Smith (US English 'Mr.')
  • For women: Dear Ms Smith (US English 'Ms.') Don't use 'Mrs' unless you are sure the person is married.
  1. The body of the email begins with a capital letter 'We visited'. Unlike German emails, this is always the case in English.
  1. Short paragraphs are used and in each of them the writer performs a different function:

1st paragraph: referring to previous contact and stating the reason for writing.
2nd paragraph: Giving details of the particular area of interest and requesting further information.
3rd paragraph: Providing an incentive to the recipient.
4th paragraph: Polite close with reference to expected future contact.

 
  1. As this is a formal email, no contractions (e.g 'I'm') are used. All the words are written in full.
  1. Standard email phrases are used. For example:
  • we may be interested in ...
  • Could you please ...
  • We look forward to hearing from you soon.
Formal or informal?

Despite advances in technology, emailing is still one of the most common forms of business communication, but the style and language used in emails can vary tremendously. So we need to be flexible and prepared to write in the style needed for the specific situation. One way we can do this is by having a clear idea of what the differences are between formal and informal writing styles.

In this quiz, you’re going to look at a range of standard email phrases that can be used in both formal and less formal emails.

Complete the email by choosing the more formal option for each part.

Click on Notes to learn more about the differences between formal and informal emails.

Make a note of the phrases used in the activity and read the following notes to help you write the style of email you need to send.

 
  1. Generally speaking, to write more formally you should
     
    • Avoid contractions (e.g. I’m, we’ve etc)
    • Avoid abbreviations (e.g. 'asap' or 'FYI')
    • Use longer words (e.g. 'assistance' rather than 'help') and sentences
    • Use standard phrases (e.g. 'Please do not hesitate to ask, if you have any further questions.')
    • Use language which is unlike normal spoken English (e.g. “Please find attached”)
  1. Informal and very informal emails might include
     
    • Ellipsis, that is, sentences with no subject and auxiliary verb (e.g. “Going to the meeting?”)
    • Phrasal verbs and other idioms
    • Friendly social language (e.g. “How’s it going?”)
    • Abbreviations (e.g. btw for “by the way”)
    • Emoticons
  1. The following resource will help you with your email writing:

Business Correspondence: a workbook produced by the publisher Cornelsen with lots of phrases you can use to perform different tasks in your emails and other business correspondence.

Getting things right

Use these quick quizzes to practise striking the correct professional tone by getting things right.

1. The right word
  1. Complete each of the sentences from an email by adding ONE word to each space.
  2. The first letter of each missing word is given.
  3. Click anywhere to check your answer.
2. The right phrase

Complete each of the email extracts by choosing the correct phrase.

Standard email phrases

Use this quiz to learn some phrases that you can use in the different types of email you may need to send.

  1. Read the informal email phrases.
  2. Complete the equivalent formal phrases by typing one of the words in the Word box in each of the spaces.
Word box

advise / afraid / attached / attend / could / dated / expense / further / grateful / hesitate / inform / pleased / reference / regret / require / requirements / return / stock / Thank / writing

Proofreading

One way of making sure your emails are clear and precise is to quickly proofread them before you press the send button. A quick check of the following should ensure that your emails sound more professional and communicate your message effectively:

  • spelling – did you run a spell check?
  • grammar – is the language correct?
  • word choice – have you checked the meaning of the vocabulary?
  • syntax – are your sentences correct and clear?
  • clarity – is your text easy to follow?
  • register – have you used the right level of formality?
  • attachments – did you remember to attach the files you mention?

Use this quiz to practise proofreading and identify some common errors made in emails.

  1. Read the email and find the 13 errors.
  2. Check your answer and decide how you would correct each of the errors.
  3. Open the Explanations to check your corrections.

Click on Explanations to learn more about these common email errors.

Here are the corrections with some advice to help you avoid making similar errors.

 
  1. Ms Jane Faraday => Ms Faraday (do not include the first name in formal greetings)
  1. i = I (always begin the body of an email with a capital letter)
  1. regarding to => regarding (check that the verb needs a preposition)
  1. enhanced => encouraged (check the meaning of new vocabulary)
  1. perspectives => prospects or opportunities (check the meaning of vocabulary even if it's similar to something in your language)
  1. having contact => being in contact (make sure the phrase has the meaning you want)
  1. more than interested => very interested (make sure you use phrases correctly)
  1. I'd => I would (this email is quite formal so avoid contracted forms)
  1. an advice => advice or some advice (check if nouns are countable or uncountable)
  1. It would be grateful => I would be grateful (make sure the phrase is correct)
  1. steps I should make => steps I should take (check you have the right collocation)
  1. to hear from you => to hearing from you (be careful with verb partnerships sometimes the second verb is in the -ing form)
  1. Yours faithfully => Yours sincerely (If you begin with Dear Ms Faraday, the formal closing is Yours sincerely)
Formal email application

Use this quiz to learn some useful language for writing more formal emails.

  • Read the formal email written in reply to an advertisement for internships.
  • Complete the email by adding ONE word in each of the spaces.
  • You can check each word you add by clicking anywhere. And you can retry if your word is not correct.

Click Notes to read the explanations and make a note of any phrases you would like to use in your formal email writing.

The language used in the email is formal and it includes some standard phrases.

 
  1. 'with reference to' is a phrase frequently used at the beginning of emails. It is more appropriate as a way of referring to previous contact than the similar phrase 'with regard to' which is also formal in tone and is used in texts to mean 'concerning a particular subject'.
  1. 'to inquire' is a more formal way of saying to ask. It can also be spelt 'enquire'.
  1. 'to gain' collocates with 'experience' and is more formal than 'to get'.
  1. 'to attach' is used with emails, whereas 'to enclose' is used with letters.
  1. 'to confirm' means to say that something is true or certain.
  1. 'I am afraid' is a formal way of saying 'sorry'.
  1. 'let someone know' is a less formal way of saying 'inform somebody'.
  1. 'at your earliest convenience' is a very formal way of saying 'as soon as possible'.
  1. 'Yours faithfully' is a very formal way of closing an email that has the greeting 'Dear Sir or Madam'.
Further study

If you prefer working offline with a book, email English has a wide range of exercises and includes a phrase bank of useful expressions.

The coursebook can be viewed on Amazon by clicking on this image below.