In general, both an email and a letter in English follow a similar structure in terms of writing. The fundamental difference is that email is an immediate mode of communication that also allows you to incorporate attachments or multimedia elements in the body of the email (images, links, etc.) unlike the letter or postal mail. An email must have an adequate structure to be properly understood. You can follow these six simple steps to make sure your English emails are perfectly made.
- Begin with a greeting.
- Thank the recipient.
- State your purpose.
- Add your closing remarks.
- End with a closing.
- Sign with your full name.
1. Begin with a greeting
Use a proper salutation. Addressing the recipient by name is preferred. Use the person's title (Mr. Mrs. Ms. or Dr.) with their last name, followed by a comma or a colon. Optionally, you can precede the salutation with "Dear..." (but "Hello..." is acceptable as well, but a little more informal).
So, always open your email with a greeting, such as “Dear Eva Garcia”. If your relationship with the reader is formal, use their family name (eg. “Dear Mrs. Johnson”). If the relationship is more informal or casual, you can simply say, “Hi Monica”. If you don’t know the name of the person you are writing to, use: “To whom it may concern” or “Dear Sir/Madam”.
Introduce yourself in the first paragraph. Also include why you're writing, and how you found that person's email address, or the opportunity you're writing about.
E.g. "My name is Colin Farris". "I'm contacting you to apply for the administrative assistant position listed on CareerXYZ.com."
2. Thank the recipient
If you are replying to a client’s inquiry, you should begin with a line of thanks. For example, if someone has a question about your company, you can say, “Thank you for contacting Acatur Company”. If someone has replied to one of your emails, be sure to say, “Thank you for your prompt reply” or “Thanks for getting back to me”. It will make you appear more polite.
3. State your purpose
If you are starting the email communication, it may be impossible to include a line of thanks. Instead, begin by stating your purpose. For example, “I am writing to enquire about …” or “I am writing in reference to …”.
Make your purpose clear early on in the email, and then move into the main text of your email. Remember, people want to read emails quickly, so keep your sentences short and clear. You’ll also need to pay careful attention to grammar, spelling and punctuation so that you present a professional image of yourself and your company.
Be sure to get your point across and do not ramble on! Be direct and to the point, otherwise the reader may glance over the important details.
The email should be no more than 5 paragraphs long, and each paragraph should be no more than 5 sentences long. Insert a line break between each paragraph (indenting isn't necessary).
4. Add your closing remarks
Before you end your email, it’s polite to thank your reader one more time and add some polite closing remarks. You might start with “Thank you for your patience and cooperation” or “Thank you for your consideration” and then follow up with, “If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to let me know” and “I look forward to hearing from you”.
5. End with a closing
The last step is to include an appropriate closing with your name. Use the correct form of leave-taking. "Yours sincerely", "Yours cordially", "Respectfully", "Best", “Best regards”, “Sincerely”, and “Thank you” are all professional. Avoid closings such as “Best wishes” or “Cheers” unless you are good friends with the reader. Finally, before you hit the send button, review and spell check your email one more time to make sure it’s truly perfect!
6. Sign with your full name. If you have a job title, include that in the line after your name, and write the company name or website in the line after that. If you do not have a job title but you have your own blog or website related to the content of the email, include a link to that below your name.
En cambio, comience declarando su propósito
¡Asegúrese de expresar su punto de vista y no divague!
Sea directo y al grano, de lo contrario el lector puede echar un vistazo a los detalles importantes.
Use la forma correcta de despedirse.