Writing.

Formal

• Dear Sir/ Madam,
• Dear Sir or Madam,
• To whom it may concern: (especially AmE)
• Dear Mr/ Ms Jones,
• Dear Dr Smith,

Informal

• Hi Dennis,
• Hello Claire,
• Dear Mum,

(note: salutations are followed by a (,) comma, exception: ’To whom it may concern:’)

Informal vs. Formal

Informal:

•Written to friends and family

•You can make up your own rules

Example:

Hi Anne,

I miss you so much! Can’t wait to see you on Friday!! We haven’t hung out in so long! I miss my bestie! Maybe we can go to the movies or dinner or just chill and watch TV and catch up..., whichever you want.

Love ya,

Jules

Formal:

•Written to a professor, colleague, boss, etc.

•Must always be professional

•Accurate grammar, punctuation, and spelling necessary

Example:

Dear Professor Johnson,

I was unable to attend class today due to a doctor’s appointment. When you have a moment,

could please let me know what I missed and what homework I need to have completed for

Friday?

Thank you,

Julia Smith

Email Format

Salutation:

-Is similar to the salutation of a letter.

-When writing to someone you do not know by name, you put “To Whom it May Concern.”

-When applying for a job, you would address the person by, “Dear Hiring Manager.” If you do know the recipient’s name, you put “Dear Mr./Ms. Smith.”

-For a formal salutation, you should not use the recipient’s first name or the informal greetings “Hello” or “Hey.”

Body Paragraphs:

-An email needs to be concise.

-The first sentence, known as the opening sentence, can be a greeting if the situation allows it.

•I hope all is well with you.

•Thank you for your prompt response.

-For most formal emails it is best to get straight to the point. Depending on the subject, you should have a maximum of four paragraphs and each paragraph should contain a single point.

-It is important to provide questions in order to prompt a response.

-At the end of your last paragraph you should include a “thank you” or “call to action” (depending on the subject of your email)

•Thank you for your assistance with…

•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.

Closing:

-Similar to the closing of a letter.

Examples:

•Thank you, best regards, sincerely, yours

-The closing is then followed by your full name.

-You can  add your job position and phone number under your name in the 4th paragraph.

Example:

Sincerely,

Julia Smith

Student Body President

Menlo College

(555) 555-5555

Remember

•Do NOT use contractions.

For example: don’t, haven’t, I’m, isn’t

•Do NOT write in all capital letters.

•Use formal vocabulary and sentence structure. Do NOT use slang
( Slang consists of words, expressions, and meanings that are informal and are used by people who know each other very well or who have the same interests.)

•Proofread the email at least twice and get a second opinion if possible.