EMC English

Spring 2022
How to Write Emails
● Emails have become a standard mode of
communication since the late 1990s.

● Email is often the preferred method of

communication in professional settings.
So how do we write emails?

● It depends on who is receiving your email.

● We will be practicing:
○ Informal, semi-formal and formal email writing.
Let’s look at the following factors:

● Tone
● Language
● Purpose
● Structure
Parts of an email
To: “Sarah Awadh” sawadh@uwo.ca
Subject From: “Ron Weasley” rweasley2992@uwo.ca
Line Subject: Absent tomorrow, September 13th

Dear Ms. Awadh,

Salutation Unfortunately, I have come down with a fever. I apologize but I’ll have to miss
class tomorrow to visit the doctor and rest.
I’ll check with my classmates for updates and catch up on my assignments.
Main
Sincerely,
Paragraph
Ron Weasley

Closing
Steps to writing a formal email:

1. Subject line: have a clear subject

2. Salutation: begin with “Dear _______”
3. Body paragraph: Start with a polite greeting and then
provide the information that the person needs to know.
4. Closing: most formal emails end with “Sincerely” or “Thank
you”
Formal Emails (what to avoid)

● Subject: Having it too long

● Salutations: “Hey”, “Hi”, “Hello”, “Yo!” (at least in the
beginning).
● Introduction and Body: Not too long. People are usually
busy and would appreciate shorter emails.
● Closing: “See ya!”, “Miss you!”
● Language: emojis, overusing exclamation points, swear
words (even as a joke).
Informal Emails

● Usually sent to close friends and family.

● Replaced by text messaging
● However, it’s important to learn the tone and
structure of informal emails so we can compare them
to formal emails
Informal Emails

● Informal emails contain casual language and topics.

● It may contain emojis, gifs and photos.
Informal Email example
Semi-formal Emails

● These emails are a little formal and are sent to new

friends and classmates.
● You can also send semi-formal emails to your
teachers once you have gotten to know them better.
Semi-formal Email example
Formal Emails

● This type of email should be sent to people in

professional positions, teachers, potential employers,
bosses etc.
● The information should be polite and clear.
● Only formal language

***Important: Your first email to a teacher should always be

formal. After a few emails, you can switch to semi-formal.
Formal Email example
Read the email and answer the question on the next
slide.
Which sentence describes the email?

a) The email is formal, but the use of emojis makes it

informal.
b) The subject is unclear and the entire email is written
in capital letters.
c) Some phrases are inappropriate, and everything is in
one paragraph.
d) All of the above.
Answer

a) The tone is formal, but the use of emojis makes it

informal.
b) The subject is unclear and the entire email is written in
capital letters.
c) Some phrases are inappropriate, and everything is in one
paragraph.
d) All of the above.

How can it be improved?

Read the following email and answer the question on
the next slide.
Which statement best describes the email?

a) This email is semi-formal and does not require any

changes.
b) This email is formal and requires some changes.
c) This email is informal and does not require some
changes.
d) This email is semi formal and requires some changes.
Answer

a) This email is semi-formal and does not require any

changes.
b) This email is formal and requires some changes.
c) This email is informal and does not require some
changes.
d) This email is semi formal and requires some changes.
Read the following email and answer the question on
the next slide.
Which statement best describes the email?

a) This email should be written semi-formally.

b) This email should be written informally.
c) This email is well-written and follows most of the
rules, but the reason provided is not acceptable.
d) This email is well-written and follows most of the
rules, but the student did not need to send an email
in the first place.
Answer

a) This email should be written semi-formally.

b) This email should be written informally.
c) This email is well-written and follows most of the
rules, but the reason provided is not acceptable.
d) This email is well-written and follows most of the
rules, but the student did not need to send an email
in the first place.
When to email?

● Time: A good rule to follow is 7-7.

● Nothing earlier than 7am
● Nothing later than 7pm
● Email if you have a question and you can’t find the
answer.
● Email if you have an urgent problem.
Assignment
Instructions:
• Send Sarah a formal email
(sawadh@torontoemc.ca). Be creative with your
email – you can make it up! This is just practice.
• Please include: your full name, your English name
and your class.
• Due Sunday, 12:00pm Toronto time (11:00pm in
Vietnam).