How to write an email in English

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This is a series of my lecture notes about English writing. The English writing lessons are on Bilibili. This blog is the second lecture note about how to write an email in English.

A email starts with a greeting such as Dear Lina. Then you should explain why you are writing. Usually, a single sentence is OK. Next you need add details to your topic in a short paragraph. Finally, adding a call to action to your email and an appropriate sign-off is necessary.

Email greetings

  • Formal: Dear + name
  • Neutral: Hello/Hi + name
  • Informal: Hi/Hey, or no greeting

Explaining why you're writing

  • Opening sentences:
    • I'm writing regarding...
    • I wanted to follow up on...
    • I would like to ask about...
    • I'm concerned about...
    • I need to bring something to your attention...
  • Informal opening sentences
    • Do you know when the database issues will be fixed?
    • Let's confirm our plans for this month.
    • How will the new budget affect our department?

Adding detail

  • What problems you want to ask

I'm writing regarding the issues we've been having with our database.

Both clients and staff have been experiencing severe problems for several days now. We are unable to update records or access information on customer interactions. This is costing us large amounts of money, both in time spent trying to fix the problem, and in lost sales.

Changing topic

  • There's one more thing I'd like to discuss with you.
  • Regarding...
  • I'd also like to ask you about...

Adding a call

  • Adding a call to action to your email
    • Please ... by tomorrow at the latest.
    • As a matter of urgency, you need to...
    • Could you please...?
    • I would like you to...
    • I suggest that you...
    • Can I ask you...
    • This is just to keep you updated.
    • This doesn't require any immediate response, but please keep an eye on the situation.

Adding a sign-off

  • Informal sign-offs
    • Regards,
    • Best Wishes,
    • Kind Regards,
  • Informal sign-offs
    • Cheers,
    • Take care,

Writing an email in English

  • Using an appropriate greeting.
  • Introduce your topic in a single sentence.
  • Add details to your topic in a short paragraph.
  • Add a call-to-action to explain what you need the other person to do.
  • Use an appropriate sign-off.

Dear Lina,

I need to bring something to your attention: many staff are using very weak passwords on their laptops and for database access.

Our work depends on keeping our client's personal financial information safe. If we lose our clients' trust on this issue, it will not be easy to recover. I trust that you can see that it is better to take cation now, rather than after something goes wrong.

I suggest we make a rule that passwords must be a specific length, and that staff must change their passwords at least once a month. Please let me know what you think about this.

Regards,

Vijay