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E-MAIL WRITING

The document provides comprehensive guidelines for effective email writing, emphasizing clarity, conciseness, and professionalism. Key recommendations include using clear subject lines, breaking messages into manageable paragraphs, and maintaining a respectful tone, especially in international communications. It also outlines the structure of emails and offers grammar tips for various contexts.

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dieguito.cardozo
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5 views

E-MAIL WRITING

The document provides comprehensive guidelines for effective email writing, emphasizing clarity, conciseness, and professionalism. Key recommendations include using clear subject lines, breaking messages into manageable paragraphs, and maintaining a respectful tone, especially in international communications. It also outlines the structure of emails and offers grammar tips for various contexts.

Uploaded by

dieguito.cardozo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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SMALL TALK

Guidelines for email writing


Make them easy to read:
Provide a clear, precise subject line. Avoid one-
word subjects: “Report,” “Meeting.” Instead, write
“Meeting to boost declining April sales.” A subject
line like “Bill” leaves readers wondering if your e-
mail is about a person or an unpaid account.
Guidelines for email writing
Make them easy to read:
Try to limit your e-mails to one screen. Longer
messages are better sent in an attachment rather
than in the body of an e-mail.
Guidelines for email writing
Make them easy to read:
Do not send e-mails written in all capital or all
lowercase letters. All capital letters look as if you
are screaming. Conversely, e-mails in all lowercase
imply you do not know how to punctuate.
Guidelines for email writing
Make them easy to read:
Break your message into paragraphs. A screen
filled with one dense block of text is intimidating.
Make each paragraph no more than three to four
lines long, always double-space between
paragraphs, and use no more than 60 characters
per line.
Guidelines for email writing
Make them easy to read:
Use plain text. Because different e-mail programs
can distort the form of your message, avoid
overusing typefaces like italic script, or bold
complex formatting (such as long numbered and
bulleted lists) and symbols (monetary, accents,
etc.) within the text of an e-mail.
Guidelines for email writing
Adopt a professional style:
Get to the point right away. Because readers
receive a lot of e-mail, they may look only at the
first few lines you write.
Guidelines for email writing
Adopt a professional style:
Keep your messages concise. Cut wordy phrases
and send only the information your reader needs.
Exclude unnecessary details and chatter.
Guidelines for email writing
Adopt a professional style:
Don’t turn your email into a telegram. “Send report
immediately; need for meeting” is rude as is a
reply only with “Yes,” “No,” or “Sure.” Save words
like “Nope,” “Yeah,” and “Huh” for your personal
e-mails.
Guidelines for email writing
Adopt a professional style:
Respect the cultural traditions of international
readers. Avoid using abbreviations, symbols, or
measurements that your reader may not know,
and do not use first names unless the reader
approves.
Guidelines for email writing
Adopt a professional style:
End politely. Let readers know in your last
sentence that you appreciate their
help/cooperation and look forward to their reply.
How to structure your emails
•Greeting
•Social opening
•Reason for writing
•Action point
•Close
•Signature
Different vocabulary
Different styles
Useful grammar
• Simple Present: for social openings and to describe some facts/statements.
• How are you?
• I hope everything is OK.

• Present Continuous: for reasons for writing and events taking place at the
moment/around now.
• I am writing to tell you that…
• We are experiencing some problems…

• Simple Past: to ask/tell about the past or to make reference to last contact.
• How was the meeting?
• It was a pleasure to…
Useful grammar
• Present Perfect: to talk about a recent past action or about a past action
with present effect.
• I have attached…
• I have just contacted…
• Modals: to make a polite request or a promise and to refer to the future.
• Could you please…?
• I would be grateful if you…
• You should send the report as soon as posible to the manager

WARNING! Be careful when using imperatives since they may sound more
like an order.
Frequent mistakes
Frequent mistakes

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