Author: Tomasz Nowacki

Formal vs. informal email – quiz

1. You should use a formal language when you write an email to (select all that
apply):
A. your parents
B. when you apply for a job
C. your friends
D. your boss
E. your coworkers
F. your client
G. It depends largely on the personal relationship between the sender and
the reader.
H. It depends on the culture we are in.

2. Please match the salutations/greetings (1-7) with their usage (A-G):

1. Dear Sir or Madam, A. Informal email

2. Dear Ms. Johnson, B. We don’t know if the woman is
3. Dear Mr. Johnson, married or not.
4. Dear Mrs. Johnson, C. General salutation not addressed to
5. Dear Miss Johnson, any specific person
6. Hi Mark, D. Married woman
7. To whom it may concern: E. Unmarried woman
F. We don’t know the name of the
person.
G. Male

Answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
3. When do we put a dot after “Ms” and when don’t we do it?
In other words: what’s the difference between “Ms” and “Ms.”?
A. There is no difference.
B. We put a dot in order to be more formal.
C. We put a dot when we don’t know the reader.
D. In the US they write “Ms”, while in the UK they write “Ms.”.
E. In the UK they write “Ms”, while in the US they write “Ms.”.

4. In a formal email it is proper to use (select all that apply):

A. contractions
B. Idioms
C. phrasal verbs
D. slang
E. abbreviations
F. a polite language
G. imperatives
H. emojis
I. words such as “very”, “really”, “totally”
J. words such as “Moreover,”, “Furthermore,”, “However,”, “could”,
“would”, “may”
K. words written in all capitals

5. Please match the sign-offs (1-4) with their usage (A-D):

1. Regards, A. Formal email: we know the

2. Yours faithfully, reader
3. Thanks, B. Formal email: we don’t know the
4. Yours sincerely, reader
C. Universal sign-off that can be
used in formal, semi-formal and
informal emails
D. Sign-off suitable only for informal
emails

Answers:
1. 2. 3. 4.