Rules for Emails - PT3 Module

A Comparison Informal and formal emails Informal Emails Find the correct email address Use the first name of a friend

Keep it short and brief and as if you are talking You can talk to the reader personally You can use very short or incomplete sentences Use informal language as you use in informal speech You can use passionate language and show your feelings eg. Sending you love and kisses xxxxx You can use spelling as if you were speaking to a friend .eg. ‘gonna’ Use contractions as you do in informal speech. e.g. ‘I’ve’ You can use exclamation marks and question marks and lot of them if you like!!!!!????? You can leave out the subject of the sentence Don’t use CAPITAL LETTERS. It’s like shouting. Use abbreviations e.g. ASAP Show the examiner the idioms and set phrases you know. You can use a kind of text language. E.g. C U You can use acronyms. BTW = By the way You can use emoticons e.g a smiley face.

Formal Emails Find the correct email address Use the name of the person and their job if you know it. Remember: You must use the title (Mr. Mrs. Ms. Miss. Dr.) and the surname or family name only. You cannot use first names with a title as you can in Malaysia. If you don’t know the name, use ‘Dear Sir or Madam’. Note the capital letters. Use enough information and give reasons. Organise your information into one idea for each paragraph. You must keep it business-like Use as many complex sentences as you can to show your knowledge of these. e.g 3rd conditional; clauses of reason, time, polite requests, Use formal language as you would in business and a formal letter. Sometimes an email can be a little more informal. Keep the language neutral e.g. Kind regards. Always check your spelling Never use contractions. Use full forms of all words. e.g. ‘I have’ Only use commas and full stops. Use full grammatical sentences Don’t use CAPITAL LETTERS. It’s like shouting. Do not use abbreviations Use formal language especially the longer words from Latin etc. but do not become too formal. Never use text language Never use acronyms Never use these emoticons.

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Guidelines for a Formal Email 1.

To: Check out who the best person to address your complaint to is.

2.

Subject Line: Be clear about what the email is about/short and accurate subject header.

3.

Proper salutation - Dear Mr Scott, Dear Sir/Madam

4.

1st paragraph – (Introduce yourself if you need to.) State the purpose of your complaint.

5.

Explain and support your complaint.

6.

Outline a solution or request an action.

7.

Request a reply if you want one.

8.

Use the correct form of leaving. – Yours faithfully, Respectfully, Regards etc

9.

Sign with your full name.

10. Proofread your email to ensure it is concise and accurate. 11. Proofread your email again to check spelling and grammar. Tips: Be polite Be clear and firm Be concise The 5 rule-of-thumb - no more than 5 sentences per paragraph - no more than 5 paragraphs per email No indenting is needed but insert a line between each paragraph

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