Effective Emails

Saima Munawar
► Email structure
► Level of formality
► Enquiring information
► Responding to an email
► Giving bad news
► Complaining
► Useful expression for emails
Parts of a letter/email

►Activity
►Label the parts
►Correct the mistakes
 Salutation

Compleme-
ntary close

Signature

Date

Subject

Name
& Post

Letter body
Letter Body

There are four basic parts of letter body:

1. Opening paragraph
2. Focus
3. Action
4. Closing paragraph
 Introduction of the company or the person
Reference to previous contact
Opening Purpose of writing letter

• Provide details about the relevant matter

Focus

• What you plan to do

Action • What you want to know

• Thank the reader

Closing • Mention future communication / Ask reader to contact back
Subject line

►The subject line is the part of the email that the reader
what the email is about.
►Be specific!
►Don’t add FW and RE
►Subject line length: keep it short!
►Activity
►Match the subject lines with the emails
Level of formality
►Activity
►Use an appropriate informal word from the box to match
with the formal words/phrases given below.
►Activity
►Separate the formal email abstracts from informal abstracts.
1 = Formal 2 = Informal
1 = Formal 2 = Informal
Levels of Formality

•For the most part, levels of formality can be understood

through different levels:
– informal,
– semi-formal, and
– formal.
Informal Language

• Informal writing is meant for a broad audience; the

purpose is usually to express a personal idea; most online
blogging and personal essays use informal writing.
• Contractions are acceptable.
Semi-Formal Language

• Semi-formal language is used collages and close business

contacts
• Complete sentences are used.
• Contractions are written out (“can not” “did not,” etc.”
Formal Language

• Formal language is used for upward communication,

unfamiliar business contacts.
• It makes careful use of a specialized vocabulary. (This
can make formal writing challenging to write and to
read.)
• Contractions are written out.
Level of
formality
Formal Email

Informal Email