This lesson introduces students to the structure of business emails (greetings, closings) and practice scenarios for writing business-related emails.
10.1a. Greetings
A greeting depends on how well you know the person you are writing to. If the message is formal and the person is someone you are not familiar with, use a title (Mr./Mrs./Miss/Dr.) with the last name.
Dear Mr. Smith, Dear Dr. Long, Dear Miss Johnson
If the message is less formal and the person is someone you have known for a few months, use a first name.
Dear Bob, Dear Sally, Dear Charlie
If the message is casual and the person is someone you have known for a long period of time, you can alter the greeting.
Hi Ruby, Hi Everyone, Brian
10.1b. Closings
The closing you choose also depends on how well you know the person you are writing to.
Formal messages to people you don’t know very well:
Respectfully yours, Yours truly, Kind regards
Slightly less formal messages to people you have known for a couple months:
Sincerely, Sincerely yours, Cordially yours, Cordially
More casual messages to people you know very well.
Regards, Cheers, Best regards, Best,
10.2. Writing Activity
Read the following scenarios and write an e-mail using what you have learned.
Scenario 1: You met James Frank at a sales convention last month in Japan. Your company is sending you to Germany to give a presentation on your latest product at Mr. Frank’s company. You have never been to Germany and don’t know the area very well. You need information on hotels and transportation.
To: HFrank@GMBH.net
From:
Subject:
Greeting:
Message:
Closing:
Scenario 2: You have known your colleague, Jane, for 1 year. She is going to give a presentation at the sales meeting on Friday. You want to offer the following suggestions: include last month’s sales figures, focus on the recent increase in sales, and emphasize the need for more staff.
From:
Subject:
Greeting:
Message:
Closing:
Scenario 3-You just started working at your company last month. You have been trying to set up an urgent meeting with your colleague, Martin, but every time you stop by his office, he isn’t there. Write him an e-mail to say that you need to meet him as soon as possible.
From:
Subject:
Greeting:
Message:
Closing:
Scenario 4-You have been doing business with the same customer for the past 5 years. You recently found out that your customer, Tom Jones, was fired from his company. Write him a message to express your regret and offer assistance in helping him find future employment.
From:
Subject:
Greeting:
Message:
Closing:
