E-MAIL WRITING

HLPUEMW0916

E-MAIL FORMAT KEY POINTS

1.

Use a proper salutation.

Dont just start with your text while writing an e-mail. Address the recipient. If you dont know the person well, you
may be confused about how to address him/her (What do I call my boss?). When in doubt, address someone more
formally to avoid offending them.
Use the person's title (Mr. Mrs. Ms. or Dr.) with their last name, followed by a comma or a colon. Optionally, you can
precede the salutation with "Dear... or "Hello...". If you don't know the name of the person you're writing to, use "Dear
Sir/Madam" followed by a comma or colon.
Some common ways to address your reader are:
Dear Sir,
Dear Professor Smith,
Hello Ms. Sheela,
If the e-mail addresses a diverse group, try something generic, yet polite:
To whom it may concern,
Dear HR Team Members,
Hello everyone,

SMART Tip
First Name vs. Last Name
In the west, the standard way of addressing people in the formal context is to use title and last name. For example,
Dear Dr. Smith
X

Dear Dr. Rhonda Smith

However, in the Indian context, since many people use initials and not always have a family name, it is acceptable to
use title and first name or full name.
Dear Mr. Haridas
Dear Mr. Haridas Kumar Pal
Unless you are on a first-name basis or on very friendly terms with the recipient, it is safer to use titles. Use Mr. for
adult males and Ms. for adult females (Ms. is applicable for married and unmarried females and therefore better
for professional use.), unless the person has an academic (Dr. or Prof.) or military title (Col., Lt., Major, etc.).

2.

Introduce yourself in the first paragraph (if necessary).

If you are writing to someone for the first time (for instance, a prospective customer or vendor) or someone who may
not be very familiar with you (like your top boss or old contact), it makes sense to briefly introduce yourself.
My name is Anita Ravi. I obtained your e-mail address from the advertisement published in The Hindu last week. I am
interested in getting a quotation from you for
When you write to your immediate boss or supervisor, team members, usual clients or vendors with whom you
regularly correspond, it is not be necessary to introduce yourself.

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So you can straight get to WHY you are writing.

Your opening sentence could be:
I hope you are well.
Thank you very much for your email. I am glad to hear that
Thank you for your prompt reply.
I apologise for not replying sooner, but I have been very busy these last few weeks.
Thank you for your email of [date]. Please find my reply to your query below.
I am writing with regard to XXXX.
Thank you for contacting us regarding XXXX.
With reference to your email of [date], I would like to bring the following to your attention.
As a follow-up to our phone call this morning, I would like summarise the key issues.
In reply to your query regarding XXXX, I would like to make the following points.

3.

Write the actual message.

Be sure to get your point across without rambling. Try to break up the message into paragraphs to make your
message more logical and digestible.

4.

Sum up with a closing line.

Your closing line could be:

I look forward to hearing from you.
I look forward to receiving your reply.
I look forward to meeting you.
I look forward to speaking to you on this matter.
Thank you for your understanding.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Please let me know a convenient time for us to meet.
If you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please feel free to call me any time on my mobile: 0099 999 999 999
I would appreciate your immediate attention to this matter.
As this matter is urgent, I would be grateful for a swift response.

5.

Use the correct form of leave-taking.

For your closing, something brief but friendly will do for most correspondence:
Thank you,
Best wishes,
See you tomorrow,
Regards,
For a very formal message, such as a job application or request to your top boss, use the kind of closing that you might
see in a business letter:
Sincerely,
Respectfully yours,

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6.

Sign with your full name.

Your signing off is extremely important because it lets the reader know who is contacting them. Always sign off with
your name at the end of your e-mail.
If you are writing an internal mail to people who know you well, just your name in full is sufficient.
However, if you dont know the reader well, you might also consider including your title and the organization you
belong to; for example:
Haridas Kumar Pal
Junior Research Associate
X Company

SMART Tip
If your writing task requires you to write as someone else possibly specifying a name be sure to sign off in that
name and not your real name!
Similarly, check the question to see if your job title is mentioned in which case be sure to sign off with your
question name and job title.

EMAIL ETIQUETTE OR NETTIQUETTE

1.

Put your main point in the opening sentence. Most readers won't stick around for a surprise ending.

2.

Don't use ALL CAPITALS (no shouting!), or all lower-case letters either.

3.

Remember to say "please" and "thank you."

4.

Avoid the use of contractions in formal mails. Common contractions include Im, were, youre, wont, wasnt.

5.

Use exclamation points sparingly: The maximum number of exclamation points in a business e-mail? Only one.
Otherwise, you risk looking unprofessional.

6.

Avoid using shortcuts to real words, emoticons, jargon, or slang: messaging language or using shortcuts such as
"4 u" (instead of "for you"), "Gr8" (for great) in business-related e-mail is not acceptable. Also, you shouldn't put
a smiley face or emoticon on your business correspondence. Use for your information, as soon as possible
instead of FYI, ASAP etc. Avoid contractions instead of cant, full form of it (cannot) can be used.

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STEP-WISE GUIDE FOR BETTER E-MAILS:

Think about
your message
before writing

Read the key words and phrases to determine

(a) the purpose of the e-mail
(b) what outcome is expected from it
(c) the audience and what he/she/they may need in order for your
e-mail to have the intended result.

Jot down brief notes about what information you need to convey, what
questions you have, etc., then organize your thoughts in a logical
sequence.

Organise your
Lists and mapping may help.
thoughts

Reflect on the
tone of your
message

When you are communicating via e-mail, your words are not supported
by gestures, voice inflections, or other cues, so it may be easier for
someone to misread your tone.
Caution: When in doubt, err on the side of formality.

Briefly state your purpose for writing the e-mail in the very beginning
of your message.
Strive for
clarity and
brevity

Use paragraphs to separate thoughts.

Finally, state the desired outcome at the end of your message.

Use line space to separate paragraphs into separate blocks.

Bullet important details so that they are easy to pick out.

Format your
message so
that it is easy
to read

Proofread

Use bold face type or capital letters to highlight critical information, such
as due dates. (But do not type your entire message in capital letters or
boldfaceit may be perceived as shouting)

Re-read the e-mail write-up before submission. Use proper grammar,

spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.

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SMART Tip
State the desired outcome at the end of your message.
If youre requesting a response, let the reader know what type of response you require (for example, an e-mail
reply, possible times for a meeting, a recommendation letter, etc.) If youre requesting something that has a due
date, be sure to highlight that due date in a prominent position in your e-mail. Ending your e-mail with the next
step can be really useful, especially in work settings (for example, you might write I will follow this e-mail up with
a phone call to you in the next day or so or Lets plan to further discuss this at the meeting on Wednesday).
If you want a reply from the person you are writing to, then the best and most universally acceptable sentences to use
are either, "I look forward to hearing from you soon", or "I hope to hear back from you within the next few days".

SUMMARY OF PUNCTUATION MARKS

Punctuation Mark

Name

Example

full stop or period

I like English.

comma

If you need further assistance, call the

helpline.

semi-colon

I don't suggest TR Solutions; I prefer Global

Group.

colon

You have two choices: finish the work today

or lose the contract.

hyphen

This is a rather out-of-date report.

dash

In each townLondon, Paris and Rome

we had meetings to attend.

question mark

Where is Shangri-La?

exclamation mark

"Help!" she cried. "My systems crashing!"

slash, forward slash or

oblique

Please press your browser's Refresh/Reload

button.

backslash

C:\Users\Files\jse.doc

double quotation marks "You are late," she said.

apostrophe

This is John's car.

underline

Have you read the Annual Sales report?

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underscore

arun_kumar@gmail.com

round brackets

I went to Bangkok (my favourite city) and

stayed there for two weeks.

ellipsis mark

One happy customer wrote: "This is the best

programme...that I have ever seen."

Recap:
(a) Proof reading

1.

Find two spelling mistakes in the email.

2.

Find three grammatical mistakes in the email.

3.

Informal expressions in two places in the mail are not appropriate. Find the expressions. Can you make them
more appropriate?

(b) Read the email and decide which parts are

the intro
the details
the action
the close
Dear Simon,
Thank you very much for showing me round your production facilities. I was most impressed.
I'm pleased to tell you that your company is one of two short-listed for the production of our new website video. This
is an important part of our marketing strategy and we are sure you will treat this with the importance it deserves.
I need to have a draft outline of your thoughts for this video by the end of the month. Please send this to me by email
as an attachment.
If you need any further help, feel free to contact me.
Best wishes.
Sandy Benny
Marketing Manager

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(c) Look at the e-mail below and answer the following questions:

Who is the e-mail to?

Who is it from?
Is there a signature?
Who has received a copy?
Is there a clear subject heading?
Why was it sent?
What action is required of the readers?
Is the tone appropriate?
(d) Look at the following suggestions about using e-mails for business writing. Which ones are good advice,
and which ones are bad advice?
1.

E-mails are normally read quickly and need to be easily understood. It is important that the first paragraph
includes any action that is requested.

2.

If an e-mail is too long it may not all be read. Remember the four Ss when writing an e-mail: keep it Short, Simple
and Straightforward, and Spell correctly.

3.

People often reply very quickly to e-mails and this means that the message is not always clear. Make sure your emails are as long as possible.

4.

Dont use emoticons. Many people dont like them, and some people dont understand them.

5.

Avoid using abbreviations unless you are sure that your reader will understand them.

6.

Do type your message IN CAPITAL LETTERS this grabs the attention of the reader.

(e) Four key words are given ATTACH, ENCLOSE, REPLY and FORWARD. Fill in the blanks in the sentences
given using the most appropriate key word in the most appropriate form.
E.g.: I am sending you all the information about the conference. Please forward it to your colleagues.
1.

I wrote to him three weeks ago but he hasnt ________ yet.

2.

In the file _______ to the email you can see the statistics for the last six months.

3.

The discount that our suppliers are offering is for this week only, so please ________ to them as soon as possible.

4.

Please see the _________ files for further information.

5.

Have you received ________ his letter yet?

6.

Our price list _________.

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Practice:
1.

Choose the correct answers to complete the email.

Dear Ms Kopke,
I have been 1. ___________ your name by Malle Corbineau in Paris, who has recently used your agency for the
recruitment of three Czech engineers.
We are 2. ___________ to open a new R & D unit in Poland in three months' time, and we are 3. ___________ in your playing a
headhunting role for us in that country.
I would therefore be 4. ___________ if we could meet up some time soon to discuss our needs in more detail. Please
5. ___________ me know when and where this might be possible.
I look forward to 6. ___________ from you shortly.
Yours sincerely,
Didier Bergougnoux
Trollberg Engineering
1.

(a) advised

(b) given

(c) promised

2.

(a) soon

(b) planning

(c) hopeful

3.

(a) interested

(b) interest

(c) interesting

4.

(a) recognized

(b) appreciate

(c) grateful

5.

(a) inform

(b) make

(c) let

6.

(a) hearing

(b) reading

(c) calling

2.

Choose the correct answers to complete the email.

Thank you for your email of 17/10 1. ___________ the damaged packaging on your last order. I am 2. ___________ that this was
due to a technical defect on the packaging machine, which was not detected by the Quality Control team.
The machine has now been 3. ___________ and we are currently working on an action plan to prevent such an error in the
future. I appreciate that you find this situation 4. ___________. However, I would like to 5. ___________ your attention to the fact
that our quality record so far this year has been excellent, and I hope you will see this incident as just a one-off.
I do apologize once again for the inconvenience 6. ___________ to your logistics team.
Yours sincerely,
Danny Ladlow
1.

(a) related

(b) referring

(c) regarding

2.

(a) sorry

(b) afraid

(c) regret

3.

(a) repairing

(b) repair

(c) repaired

4.

(a) unsatisfactory

(b) unhappy

(c) insufficient

5.

(a) retire

(b) attract

(c) draw

6.

(a) made

(b) caused

(c) failed

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Look at the text from three emails that contain words which can often be confused. Underline the correct or
most appropriate word.
3.

Email 1

I am writing with (1) connection/reference/regarding to our telephone conversation this morning about your order
7895LG. I must (2) regret/apologise/sorry for the delay in processing this order. I can now confirm that the goods
have been shipped and should (3) arrive/reach/deliver you within 10 working days. We have taken special
(4) care/attention/caution to make sure that the items are exactly as you requested.
Once again, please (5) take/have/accept our apologies. If you have any further questions, do not (6) stop/fail/hesitate
to contact me again.
4.

Email 2

I was (1) sorry/unhappy/afraid to hear about the damage to the products that you received this morning. However, I
am (2) afraid/apologise/regret that we cannot (3) accept/except/have responsibility in this (4) topic/material/matter.
All our products are (5) controlled/checked/looked very carefully before leaving the factory, and the damage in this
case must have been caused in transit. I (6) propose/suggest/tell that you contact the shipping company directly about
possible compensation.
In the meantime, we can ship the same order to you again, if it would help. If you give us a firm instruction to do so
(7) until/by/within the next few days, it should reach you (8) until/by/within the end of the month.
5.

Email 3

I am writing to you (1) affecting/connecting/concerning the meeting that we (2) combined/appointed/arranged for
this Friday. I am afraid something urgent has come up and I will not be able to attend. Can we
(3) cancel/postpone/schedule the meeting until next week? I can make any time Wednesday or Thursday.
I apologise for any (4) disadvantage/inconvenience/unfortunate this may cause, and I (5) look forward/wait/anticipate
to (6) hear/hearing/know from you.

Email Writing Exercises:

6. You are Navin, working in an organization that works with overseas clients. There is a call scheduled for
March 27 with the client leader German national living in Berlin. Suddenly you realize that March 27th is Holi.
None of your team members would be coming to office (in India) that day. You realize that you need to
reschedule the call. You are a little busy so you send an email to the German client in Berlin. Write the email
using the following phrases:
Outline:
Cancel-meeting-March 27th - Holi- national holiday - reschedule - response - email - apologize - inconvenience - date
7. Use the given outline to write an email to a member of your team, Michael, appreciating his work on the
project just completed. Sign the email as Anna.
Outline:
Thank you-efforts-Accounts Receivable project-hard work-extended working
appreciating the work-not have been possible-beyond the call of duty-keep it up

hours-night-week-end-client-

8. As a resident, write an email to the Municipal commissioner of your city, Mr.Ashok, reporting nuisance of
a building under construction beside your place. Sign the email as Kumar.
Outline:
Building - Construction - long time - three years - water usage - mosquitoes - unhygienic - construction workers - bad
behaviour - attention -request - action immediately

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9. As a student representative of your department, write an email to your batch mates, suggesting a party
for Head of Department Prof.Sunil who is retiring next month. Sign the email as Sam.
Outline:
Inform - retire - plan - surprise - party - host - family - exceptional teacher - guide - mentor - groom - students - helpful
- together memorable
10. As a student representative of your college, write an email to the Principal of Professional Engineering
College, Prof.Deb Chatterjee, inviting his institute to participate in the Technical symposium being organized
in your college. Sign the email as Sandeep
Online:
Invite - technical Symposium - previous - success - expecting - huge participation - latest technology - stalls - demos
- interaction - topics - complete - exchange ideas - exciting prizes.
11. As a member of your residential society, write an email to inspector of local Police station, Mr.Shantanu,
informing him about miscreants who ride their bikes rashly every evening outside your society. Sign the
email as Vatsalya.
Outline:
Residential area - ride - rashly - children - play - elderly - walk - grocery shop - across the road - dangerous - accidents
- nuisance - action - immediately.
12. As a recent buyer of their car, write an email to the Manager of Smart Automative company, Mr.Ansari,
regarding the poor quality of service facility available in the city. Sign the email as Chopra.
Outline:
Very few - service centers - complaints - pending problems - maintenance - cost - time - delivery - increase - customer
satisfaction
13. As a former student, write an email to your teacher, Ms.Maria, thanking her for teaching and guidance
that contributed to your overall development. Sign the email.
Outline:
Successful - Placed - grateful - help - advice - grooming - values - shaping my future - sincere professional
14. As an intern at ABC consulting Pvt. Ltd, write an email to your internship Project Manager, Mr.Ramesh,
informing about the progress that you are making and some difficulties that your are encountering. Sign the
email as Anil.
Outline:
Thank - challenging - progress - tight schedule - support - report - analytics - guidance - access - doubt - requirements
- design.
15. As a supplier, write an email to the manager of M/S Big wheel Manufacturing Company, Mr.Chopra,
intimating of their payment that is due for the products delivered to them three months ago. Sign the email as
Ramesh.
Outline:
On time - delivery of goods - three months - credit period - overdue - payment - of the earliest - longstanding
- relationship

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16. Using the following phrases, write an email with minimum of 70 words to the customer Mr. Gill Roy
explaining delay to the project.
Outline:
Payment processing system Schedule 10th May (Friday) Unexpected power outage 3 days Overall delay 7
days includes recovery of lost work will not recur
17. You are a part of corporate communication team in your company. The working time period is revised as
8:30 am to 5:00 pm. Using the following phrases, write an email with a minimum of 70 words and a maximum
of 100 words to the employees in your company informing the same.
Outline:
By 30 minutes to avoid traffic - effect from next week - lunch duration-revised working time - reduced by 10 minutesfree breakfast-office will start earlier-till the end of rainy season-will be in effect.
18. As your company is doing good business and expanding, your company is relocating it's office to a new
address. Using the following phrases, write an email with a minimum of 70 words and a maximum 10owords
to your customer informing the change in address.
Outline:
Near outer ring road-shifting to-bigger office space-November 10-change in telephone number-new address is
provided below-fourth floor-Cesina Business Park.
19. You are the project leader for a team of 20 members. As the team members are not submitting the
weekly time sheets regularly, you need to email them stressing the need to submit without fail. Using the
following phrases, write an email with a minimum of 70 words and a maximum of 100 words to your team
members informing the same.
Outline:
Can be accessed online-lead to loss of pay-every week-do not default-used to bill client-actual working hours-by
Friday-failure to adhere-time sheet filling application.
20. Write an email to your training manager requesting a training session for your team.

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