Abdelmalek Essaadi University

ENSA College – Al Hoceima

English 1

Stream: GEER1/S1 2021/2022

Prof. E. BOUAZZA
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Professional Email Writing

Introduction
An email (e-mail) is a form of written communication that can be used both in and out
of the workplace. It is short for 'electronic mail'. Similar to a letter, it is a digital message sent
via the Internet to a recipient. It allows the users to send and receive messages to and from
anyone with an email address, anywhere in the world. It is thus important to get it right and
professional to present a good image of you and your organization.
The purpose of email writing:
In a work environment, the purposes of emails can be:
➢ A thank you letter;
➢ Applying for a job;
➢ Confirmation of appointments or meetings;
➢ Providing information;
➢ A request for a recommendation letter (or reference letter)...
Structure of professional emails:
Subject line (Subject)
The subject line is the single line of a text that readers see in their inbox when they
receive an email. It refers to the space at the top of an email in which a line of text is written
that tells you the subject of the message.
The subject line should:
➢ Be related to the topic at hand.
➢ Give the reader an indication of what to expect in the body.
➢ Be concise, direct and to the point.
Greeting (salutation)
There are different ways of greeting, depending on the type of relationship you have with the
recipient. If the relationship with the recipient is formal, use:
➢ Dear Mr. / Mrs. / Ms. / Miss. (+ surname of the recipient, e.g. Mr. Black)
If you don’t know the name of the recipient, use:
➢ Dear Sir/Madam.
➢ or more generally ‘To whom it may concern’.
If the relationship with the recipient is casual, you say:
➢ “Hi Kelly”, “Dear Kelley”. “Dear students”…
Body text
The body of a professional email typically elaborates on the purpose of the email. The
body contains detailed information in a clear and concise way.
In the first sentence, known as the opening sentence, you can start by thanking the recipient:
➢ If you are replying to a client’s inquiry, you should begin with a line of thanks.

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 ➢ If someone has a question about your company, you can say, “Thank you for
contacting our Company”.
➢ If someone has replied to your email, you say, “Thank you for your prompt reply”
➢ Or, “Thank you for getting back to me”.
Thanking the reader puts him or her at ease, and it will make you appear more polite.
.

State your purpose:

To state your purpose, you can start with these expressions:
➢ “I am writing to enquire about …”
➢ “I am writing in reference to …”
➢ “I am writing with regard to…”
Make your purpose clear from the start in the email then, move on the next paragraph.
If you’re writing an email to send information, you can start with:
➢ I am writing to let you know…
➢ I am delighted to tell you… (if you’re communicating good news)
➢ I regret to inform you that… (if you’re communicating bad news)
If instead you’re replying to an email you received, you can say:
➢ I am writing in response to…
➢ I am writing in reply to…
➢ I am writing to thank you for… (if you need to thank the recipient)
Closing Remarks
Before you end your email, give the reader some recognition, appreciation, or thanks for the
work they will do to answer you. For example:
➢ Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing back from you.
➢ Please feel free to call or email me if you have any questions.
➢ I would appreciate it if this could be taken care of promptly.
➢ For further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
End with a closing
The last step is to include a closing with your name. Always end with one of the following:
➢ Yours sincerely, Sincerely yours,
➢ Respectfully,
➢ Yours truly,
➢ Best regards,
➢ Best wishes…
Sender’s name / Signature
The signature is where you identify yourself by name, title and any other information relevant
to your position. For example:
Jillian Jones
Senior Software Engineer
ABC Company, Inc.”
Guidelines for writing professional emails
Be brief and kind:
➢ Make your subject line brief and informative.
➢ Get straight to the point with your reason for writing.
➢ Edit carefully so that your email contains only the most important information.
Be clear
➢ Use a descriptive subject line that tells your reader what your email is about;
➢ Don’t write your email in dense paragraphs.
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 ➢ Shorter paragraphs help your reader easily scan for information.
Be accurate: spelling and grammar
➢ Your email should be free from grammatical mistakes.
➢ Edit your email carefully.
➢ Impress your recipient with an error-free email message.
Abbreviations
Some email writers abbreviate as much as possible, making their emails difficult to
understand. You should avoid using:
➢ ‘wld’ for “would”,
➢ ‘cld’ for “could”, ‘
➢ plse’ for “please”,
➢ ‘thks’ for “thanks”,
➢ ‘rgds’ for “regards” …
If you abbreviate words down to consonants, your reader may not understand your email.
Do NOT use contractions
For example: Doesn’t, don’t, haven’t, I’m, isn’t…. Instead, use: Does not, do not, have not, I
am, is not…
Professionalism
➢ Be concise and clear on your objectives.
➢ When dealing with superiors, be sure to accord them the proper titles. (CEO..) (for
Chief Executive Officer), Managing Director, General Manager, HR Manager…
➢ Remember that a good email will impress your recipient and will almost always
grant your objectives.
Edit, proofread, and spell-check BEFORE you send an email
➢ Avoid typos and run-on sentences to make a good impression.
➢ Typos, or typographical errors, refer to the errors (as of spelling) in a typed text.
➢ Run-on sentences are sentences that contain many ideas without proper punctuation
or conjunctions.
Promptly reply to serious messages
➢ Always abide by the 24-hour rule.
➢ Try to answer all emails within that time-frame, as that is typically what is expected
in the workplace.
➢ If you can’t, send a brief explanation as to why you need more time to write a full
response.
Example of applying for a job email
Subject line: applying for a job
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am interested in applying for the job as a Management Trainee in your company. I
have passed my CS executive in June 2018 and appeared for CS Professional exam last group
in June 2019 and hereby would like to start my training. This training would provide me with
the ideal opportunity to assist at your organization and to expand my skills. My CV, which is
attached, provides information on my qualification and academic details.
As your company is registered for imparting training to us, so please let me know if I
can provide you with any further information on my background and qualifications.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanking you in anticipation,
Sincerely,
Your name
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