Writing an email for business purposes requires an intermediate understanding of formal and informal phrases common in written communication. The use of words such as may, can, would, might, and would like, can be used to request information or to offer assistance or ideas. Other elements of email-writing include openers, closers, and the use of connecting words to express crucial information.*
*see lesson 3 (More Common Terms) for material on using formal and informal phrases to request information.
Email-Related Verbs
to attach
to upload and send a file or image as an addition to the body of an email
to reply
to respond to an email; you can respond to the original author, or to everyone (reply all), when there is more than one recipient
to forward
to pass along a received email to additional people, sometimes by including your own message
Email Greetings
When beginning or ending an email, we use certain words to "open" or "close" the body of the email.
Opening Words
→Greetings
→Salutations
→Good morning/afternoon/evening
→Dear Mr./Ms./Mrs./Miss
→To whom it may concern
(used when we do not know who we are addressing)
Closing Words
→Sincerely
→Regards
→Best/all the best
We also use some phrases to begin the "conversation" before discussing the point of the email - similar to making small talk in a face-to-face conversation.
Opening Phrases
→I hope this finds you well.
→Thank you for your email.
→How are you today?
Closing Phrases
→I look forward to...
→Please do not hesitate to contact me with questions or concerns.
→Thank you for your time and/or attention to this matter.
Connectors
Certain words or phrases are used to connect ideas or related parts of a compound sentence. In emails, they are often used to expand on an idea or point so as to provide detail or to give examples. Although many of these connectors can be used interchangeably, it is important to remember that the context of the sentence determines which connector is best to use.
Connecting Words
Connecting Phrases
→As well as
→In addition
→Of course
→In fact
Reflection
Imagine your software company has recently launched a new application and you are in charge of contacting clients to get their feedback and provide additional information such as help or troubleshooting files.