Email Beginnings
Email Endings
Good News/Bad News and Can/Cannot
Formal/Informal Vocabulary
Making Requests and Offering Help/ Asking for or Giving Information
100
If you were writing me, your instructor an informal email, you could start with just "Teacher Dominic,". If you hadn't met me before but wanted to email me, what would be the best opening?
Dear Mr. Benavente
100
If you are closing an email by thanking someone, "Thanks for your help" would be appropriate in an informal email. What would be suitable in a formal email?
-Thank you for your help. -Thank you for your assistance in this matter. -We appreciate your help in this matter.
100
In the body of an email, sometimes you want to give good news. In an informal/neutral email, you might say something like, "Good News!. . ." How would you say this in a formal email?
-We are pleased to inform you that. . . -We are happy to tell you that. . . -We are delighted to advise you that. . .
100
What is a more formal expression for, "because of"? Clue: two words
due to
100
Informally, you can offer help by saying, "Do you want me to. . .". How would you make this more formal? Would ________ ________ ________ ________ ...?
-Would you like us to. . .?
200
If you are starting a new email "conversation", you usually start by explaining the purpose of the email. Informally, you could start by saying: -I'm writing about. . . - I just wanted to talk to you about. . . - I just wanted to ask you about. . . -I just wanted to tell you about. . . How would you do this in a more formal email?
-I am writing in connection with. . . -I am writing with regard to. . .
200
If you were writing your final comments, and wanted to say that the person could contact you again if they needed help, "Let me know if you need anything" would be good for an informal email What could you say in a formal email?
-Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions -Please feel free to contact me if you need any assistance -Do not hesitate to contact me if you require any more information -Do not hesitate to contact me if you need any assitance
200
What are the more formal expressions used instead of "We can" and "We cannot"?
"We are able to. . ." "We are not able to. . ." "We are unable to. . ."
200
What is a more formal word for, "get"? Clue: o_ _ _ _ _ (6 letters)
obtain
200
If you are asking for something, you can say "Can you. . .please?" or, more formally, "Could you. . . .please? However, formal business emails can be even more polite than that, especially if the request is larger or more complicated. For example: You need information re. a writer's share by this Friday. You say, "Unfortunately, we really need this information by this Friday, because we have to correct the registration. So, we would appreciate if . . ." Finish the above sentence.
...you could send us this information by Friday.
300
If this is not the first email, phone call, or message of the "conversation", it is a good idea to refer to the previous contact. Informally, you might say: -Re: your last email. . . -Thanks for your (last) email. How would you do this in a more formal email?
-With regard to your email of (date),. . . -Further to your email of (date),. . . -In reply to your email of (date),. . .
300
If you were adding final comments/closing an email, and wanted to say "I hope to hear back from you soon" in a more formal way, what could you say?
-I am looking forward to your reply
300
After giving bad news, it is usually appropriate to give a reason. For example, if your system is down and you can't access any information. In this situation, finish the following sentence: "We regret to inform you we are unable to reply to your request immediately. This. . ."
... is due to the fact that our system is temporarily unavailable.
300
What is a more formal word for "ask"?
enquire /inquire
300
After you make a request, it is good to thank the person even before they answer. So you're sending an email that says, "If you could send us the information by this Friday, we would really appreciate it." Thank them by saying ...
-Thank you for your help / assistance.
400
If you were writing me to ask an upcoming lesson, why would "Hello" or "Hello Dominic" be a bad subject line (title)?
It doesn't explain the reason you are writing me or who you are. Also, a more specific subject line makes sure that the message isn't mistaken for spam, or simply ignored.
400
Sometimes when you are writing an email, you want to send a greeting to someone else that you know (ex. a coworker of the person that you are writing to). In an informal email, you might say, "Say hello to (Mary) for me" or "Tell (Mary) that I said 'hi'". How would you say this in a formal email?
"Give my regards to (Mary)"
400
After giving bad news and the reason for the bad news in an email, it is good to provide an alternative solution if one is possible. For example, you explained that because of a labor strike at the post office, a customer's/client's delivery may be delayed. Now you want to tell them that if they need their statements quickly, it can be sent by courier. Formally, which might you say A. "If you need it sooner, we can send it by courier." B. "If you prefer a faster option, we could send it by courier." C. "If you want, we'll get it right there by courier."
B
400
What is a more formal word for "tell"?
inform
400
Where in the email page do you upload or download an additional file?
Attachment / Attached file
500
If you don't know the name of the person that you are writing to, you can't start with, "Dear Mr./Mrs./Miss/Ms. *****". How would you begin instead?
-To whom it may concern -Dear Sir or Madam
500
When you give your signature in a formal business email, what information is usually included, and in what order?
-First and last name -Job Title -Company Ex: James Patterson Corporate Training Manager HM Electronics
500
When giving bad news, it is always appropriate to apologize again at the close of the email. So you are writing an email. At first you say, "We regret to inform you that there was a mistake in the last accounting statements." To apologize again, you may say: "We regret any ___________ this may have caused you." Yours sincerely,
inconvenience
500
What is a more formal word for "help"? (noun or verb)
assistance (n) assist (v)
500
When giving information that was previously requested, it is a good idea to repeat the request or the question, so that the receiver knows what you are talking about. For example, a client has asked for some information about taxes. You have a form to send them. How would you formally answer their request? "You requested some information regarding importation tax law. Please ______ _______ _______ _______."
-You requested some information regarding importation tax law. Please find the form attached.
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