AN EMAIL

PLAN
GREETING – Hi Kevin,
BODY
CLOSING – 1st part – a) why communication is ended or
b) send greetings and/ or make reference for future contact
+
2nd part – a closing phrase to say goodbye
SIGNING OFF- the sender´s name - Marga

GREETINGS – Greet the person you´re writing to

- Hi Bill! - Hello Mary, - Hey Phil!
Not – Dear brother/ friend/ cousin
OPENING PARAGRAPH – Begin your email and say why you are writing.
ASKING ABOUT YOUR READER
How´s it going? I hope everything´s OK How are things with you?

How are you ( keeping )? It was good / nice / great to hear from you again.

RESPONDING TO A MESSAGE/ CATCHING UP AFTER A BREAK

Thanks for your last email. Sorry it´s taken me so long to reply but…
It was nice to hear from you again. It´s taken me ages to reply, but….
We must catch up/ get together soon I´ve been meaning to get back to you, but…
THE REASON THAT YOU ARE WRITING
I´m writing to tell you/ let you know….
TALKING ABOUT YOU
All good here I´ve been really busy Guess what? It´s been a bit hectic here
I´ve got some great/ amazing/ sad news I´m having an amazing/ great/ incredible time/ the time of my life!

GIVING NEWS - Listen, did I tell you about …? You’ll never believe what …

Oh, and another thing … This is just to let you know that …

By the way, have you heard about / did you know that …?
 MAIN PART – Mention everything you want to include in your email
EXPRESSING ENTHUSIASM
What a great idea! Go for it Sounds great/ perfect. I hope you have a good time
I can´t believe it! Well done!
ASKING FOR SOMETHING
Is it too much if I ask you to .? I hope you can give/ send me….
Would it be possible for you to….?
MAKING A SUGGESTION
- How/ what about + verb + ing: what about having a meal in a restaurant
afterwards?
- It might also be a good idea to…- it might also be a good idea to visit the
museum
- I suggest + verb + ing: I suggest holding the meeting on 4th November
I´d recommend + verb.ing Why don´t you….? If I were you, I would ……
Maybe we could……
GIVING REASONS
I´d………..If I were you, since I think it will be interesting/ great fun/ enjoyable
The best thing to do is ……… because….
INVITING
How about – how about coming windsurfing with me next weekend?
Would you like to….? Would you like to travel together?
I would like to invite you to ….+ noun/ infinitive
I would like to invite you to visit our town next summer
I would like to invite you to my house next weekend
EXPRESSIONS TO OPEN PARAGRAPHS
▪ Oh, by the way, - Hey, did you hear about…?
▪ One more thing, - As for
▪ By the way, tell me about

▪ To introduce a topic: Well, you'll never guess who I bumped into yesterday. / I know how much you love
tennis, so I've got us some tickets to Wimbledon. / By the way, did you know that John's got a new job?
▪ To go back to a previous topic: Anyway, as I was saying earlier, I really wasn't very happy
there. / Now where was I? Oh yes, I nearly forgot, Mary asked me tell you about the cinema.
▪ To introduce surprising or bad news: Actually, he came to the party after all. / I'm really sorry but I
can't make it. / To tell you the truth, I don't really like sports much.
▪ To summarise what you've already said: Anyway, we had a really nice time in the end. / Well, to cut a
long story short, we didn't get there on time.
 CLOSING PARAGRAPH – State anything you want to emphasize and end your email.
1st PART
a) Why communication is ended
- I´ve to leave you now, my parents are waiting for me
- Anyway, I must go and get on with my work!
- I guess it's time I got on with that studying I've been avoiding.
- Anyway, I must go and get on with my work! Looking forward to hearing from you soon.
OR

b) Send greetings and/ or make reference for future contact

- Well, I´d better finish off here. Email me when you get the chance/ Get back to
me soon
- Well, I’ d better finish off here. Drop me a line and let me know how you´re doing
- Send my regards to your family. Get back to me soon
- Must dash now. I've got to go to school. Hope to hear from you

2nd PART – A closing phrase to ‘say goodbye’

- Take care, - Bye for now, - Love, - Hugs and kisses - All the best, - Best
wishes, - See you soon,
SIGNING OFF – Use a signature ending and your first name below that. – Maria
MODEL- ‘ I’m excited about visiting Spain for my holidays. Thank so much for offering
to put me up during my stay. Any ideas as to what we can do while I´m here? I was
hoping we could visit an island. What do you think?’
Take care and write soon,
Sophie
Opening formula
Hi Sophie,
Introductory paragraph
I´m also excited you´re coming and I´m really glad you´re going to be staying with me. I´m
looking forward to us catching up each other´s news, like the good old days.
SUBTASK 1 – What they can do
As for what we can do when you get here. I´ve got so much in mind that I doubt we´ll be able to
fit everything in. Besides going to the beach, I suggest we do some sightseeing. There are lots of sights
and monuments worth visiting. Maybe we could also visit the historical museum. I really think it will be
worth our while.
SUBTASK 2: Invite
By the way, my cousin is getting married the day after you arrive and I´m a bridesmaid. You are
more than welcome to come with us. That way you will have the unique opportunity to attend a
traditional wedding ceremony. I´m sure we will have lots of fun.
SUBTASK 3: Going to an island
About going to an island, I think it´s a great idea. You´re not staying for long, but I think we
should try and fit it in. Both Ibiza and Tenerife are very popular. Ibiza is known for its dancing scene and
Tenerife for its beautiful landscape. I´ll let you decide.
Closing paragraph
Anyway, I´ve to leave you now, I have to study very hard since I´ve got many exams in the
coming weeks.
Closing formula
See you soon,
Signature
María
In an email, you may need to perform more than one function.
SUGGESTING EXPRESSING OPINION EXPLAINING
I suggest you go… I really think/ believe that… That´s because..
Why don´t you go..? The way I see it.. The reason is..
How/ What about going..? It seems to me that.. Apart from that..
One thing you could do is go…
MAKE REFERENCE TO SOME SUBJECTS already mentioned
As for, About + vb.ing, Regarding – en lo que respecta a, sobre

TIP!!!! – When writing an informal email:

- Use the appropriate layout ( Greetings and endings )
- Make sure you include all the information you are asked for ( only give details
that might interest your reader – don´t write an academic essay!)
- Use appropriate phrases to express enthusiasm/ concern, accept/ refuse
invitations, ask for something, give advice, etc.
- Use informal language and expressions
- Use phrasal verbs and idioms
- Use short forms (I´m), exclamations ( Wow!) and questions (Did you…?)
- Use standard grammar and spelling conventions( not CU, lol, etc,)
- Ask your reader questions or express an interest in what they´re doing

You have received an email from an English friend, Rosie. Read this part of the
email.
I´m doing a college project on jobs students do. Can you help me by describing the
sort of jobs students do in your country, any problems they have and the best way to
find a good student job?
 Thanks
Rosie

Write you email

Hi Rosie

How are you keeping? I hope everything is OK. It's interesting to hear about your college
project.

In Spain, many students find part-time or casual work as waiters or kitchen workers in
cafés or restaurants quite easily. Students usually do these sorts of jobs in the evenings,
at weekends or in the summer.
Students who work have two main problems. First, it can be quite difficult for students
to combine employment with the large amount of homework and studying for exams
which they have to do. Second, although they have to work extremely hard, the jobs are
often not well paid. On the other hand, the money is useful because it helps them to
continue with their courses and have some pocket money.
Finding a job is usually straightforward, especially if you live in a big city, or in an area
which is visited by tourists. Many places put an advertisement in the window saying
that they are looking for staff, so you just walk in and ask to speak to the manager. For
many people, this is the most effective way of finding a job because they´ll take you on
immediately!
I hope this helps and good luck with your project.
See you soon,
Pablo
You have received an email from an American friend, Bob. Read this part of his
email.
I´m doing a project in college on people´s first jobs. Can you help me by describing
your first job ( or the first job of someone you know well), when you did it, what you
learned from it and any problems you had with it?
Thanks
Bob