Guidelines - to help you identify and use formal email writing style
Some guidelines to help you identify and use formal email writing style
Openings and closings
There are a number of common openings and closings to an email which will show you whether the author is being formal, informal, or semi-formal.
Contractions
When writing formal emails, do not use contractions, such as I’m, he’d, you’ll, etc.
Formal: I am writing to ask if you have seen the news from Jana.
Semi-formal / Informal: I’m writing to ask if you’ve seen the news from Jana.
Modal verbs
To make requests and give instructions, formal English frequently uses modal verbs: would, could etc. However, note that modal verbs are also used in this way in informal and semi-formal English.
Formal: Would you be able to deliver the report by tomorrow?
Semi-formal: Can you deliver the report by tomorrow?
Formal: Could you ask Pierre to come to the meeting?
Semi-formal: Can you ask Pierre to come to the meeting?
Questions
Formal emails frequently use indirect questions.
Formal: I wonder if you would like to join us for lunch on Wednesday.
Informal: Do you want to join us for lunch on Wednesday?
Formal: Could you see if the components have been ordered yet?
Informal: Have the components been ordered yet?
In addition to this, offers are often made using would.
Formal: Would you like to see the new prototype?
Informal: Do you want to see the new prototype?
Opening sentences
After the greeting, English emails normally begin with an opening sentence.
Common opening sentences for a formal email are as follows.
• I hope that all is well with you.
• I was just emailing to request some assistance. (The past tense is frequently used to make a sentence more polite.)
• Thank you for your email of 20 September.
Emails that omit this opening sentence are usually official correspondence between governments and individuals, or formal demands for payment, etc.
Formal and informal vocabulary
Formal emails tend to use slightly different vocabulary to informal emails.
Informal emails often use phrasal verbs and sound more like standard spoken English.
Formal: I would like to request some assistance.
Informal: I’d like to ask for some help.
Formal: Once I have received the specifications from our customers, I will reply to Mr Johnson’s email.
Informal: After I hear back from the suppliers, I’ll get back to Mr Braun.
Certain terms have a formal or informal equivalent. Try not to mix informal and formal styles in the same email.
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Adapted from:
Grant, D., Hughes, J. & Turner, R. (2008) Business Result Upper –intermediate. Oxford University Press