Formal emails are usually written to organizations and institutions, or people we do not really know well. While writing a formal email may not seem a big deal.
A proper formal email will definitely raise your professional credit in general, and more precisely among your superiors if your email is addressing one of them.
While writing a formal email, it is recommended to:
- Not use colloquial expressions in the text.
- Not miss out words from the sentences.
- Always use the full version of the verbs.
- Do not add a P.S. or any extra note after the end of the letter.
- Construct the sentences carefully.
- Use short and clear expressions.
- Use polite expressions.
1- Opening With Greeting (Header part):
Case 1: We do not know the person we are addressing: in this case we greet them with:
Dear Sir, | While addressing males. |
Dear Madam, | To address females. |
Dear Sir Or Madam, | addressing both. |
When the email does not demonstrate the name clearly whether the person we are addressing is a male or a female. In this case we usually use Dear Sir or Madam, For instance: help@nappot.com, or english@nappot.com. These two emails do not clearly demonstrate the gender.
Case 2: We do know the person we are addressing: in this case we greet them with:
Dear Mr. Bradley, | to address any kind of Male xoxo.. |
Dear Miss Smith, | address unmarried woman. |
Dear Mrs. Smith, | addressing married woman. |
Dear Ms. Smith, | Unclear marital situation. |
Please note that we use Ms. in two situations: First when we do not know the marital situation of the women we are addressing. OR to avoid indicating whether the one we are addressing is married or not. Usually, we use Ms. with females’ gender.
2- Short and clear expressions (Body part):
Purpose | Examples |
---|---|
Giving information: | I am a teacher at Boston high school. I am a mobile developer. I am interested in the English course. Our company has been working on the Information technology sector since…etc. |
Asking for information: | I would be very grateful if you would send me the list of available courses you have for this summer. Please send us your full name and… Please kindly inform us about the possibility to attend… |
Referring to pervious email: | Thank you for your email… Related to your email requesting… Referring to your email about… Regarding your email… In regards to your email. |
3- Closing your email (Footer part):
Thank you for.. | .. the/your kind consideration. .. your kind help. .. your kindness. .. considering my email. .. your arrangements. |
I look forward to.. | .. hearing from you. .. meeting you. .. receiving your feedback/guidance. .. for your call. .. for your reply Etc.. |
Closing With Greeting (Footer part):
Case 1: | Unknown person | Yours faithfully, plus your name. |
Case 2: | Known person | Yours sincerely, plus your name. |
15 Formal Vs Informal expressions you must know.
These 15 formal and informal expressions will help you distinguish your verbal and writing language, however, the usage of the formal expressions may vary depending on the situation.
Thank you for reading the article. you may also like to read: formal-vs-informal-greeting-and-small-talks
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