THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO READING AND WRITING EMAILS IN ENGLISH
How to understand “difficult to read eails! t"at "a#e $een written in En%lis" as a &nd Lan%ua%e' and
A publication of
How to write eails in En%lis" w"en En%lis" is (our &nd lan%ua%e)
How to read difficult emails written by someone who writes English as a 2nd language and How to write emails in English language like a pro
Is this the right eBook for you? English for Emails comes in two levels of knowledge capacity. Review the two descriptions below to see if this eBook is the one the best matches your level of English language use.
Introduction "his eBook is designed give you some basic tools and tips to reading emails that have been written in English as a
This eBook!
2nd language. #earn the secrets to writing emails in English that are easy to write$ easy to read and easy to understand.
Interediate Intermediate is for students and professionals that have more e%perience using English language in written and spoken communications. "his eBook will show you more advanced language use and communication techni&ues that will have you sounding like an English language pro'
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"HE E((E)"I*# +,I-E " RE*-I)+ *)- /RI"I)+ E0*I#( I) E)+#I(H By Brian 0c1arthy
Brian 0c1arthy is a leading e%pert in English language communications coaching.
Brian uses three uni&ue specialties language teaching$ coaching and communications3 in his training modules that make them easy to learn$ simple to use and e%tremely 4,)' 5ou might be thinking6 how much fun can an eBook be? "his is true but when you7ve finished with this eBook you can take a free on8line live3 mini8 course with Brian. "his is where the rubber meets the road and you will soon discover ust how much fun and effective training with 1oach Brian can be' ne of the things Brian has seen time and time with 1ompanies he has worked for are issues with email messages that have been written in English when the writer of the message is using English as a 2nd language. "his problem is compounded when both the writer of the email and the reader of the email message are both using English as a 2nd language. (o Brian has developed the 9English 4or Emails: training course that will have you and your staff communicating email messages both inbound and outbound3$ with understanding and efficiency. *s they say time is money and confusion is lost profits.
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Ta$le of *ontents Introduction................................................................................................2 Intermediate...............................................................................................2 The Purpose and Benefit of this eBook................................................................5 Getting Started............................................................................................5 Email Structure............................................................................................6 Sample of a well written email message.............................................................! "egister.....................................................................................................# $sing Polite %anguage..................................................................................&& Talking '(out )eadlines and Taking 'ction .............................................................................................................&2 *ollo+uial Phrases and *ontractions.................................................................&, Being )iplomatic.........................................................................................&Prepositions of Time /estern Time *ulture0 .............................................................................................................&5 "eading 1)ifficult Email 3essages..................................................................&6 4ocus on the 3essage not the /ords.................................................................&6 /hen %ess is 3ore ......................................................................................&! *onclusion................................................................................................&#
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T"e +ur,ose and -enefit of t"is e-oo. "he purpose of this eBook is to help you to read emails that are 9hard to understand: and to write emails in English that are 9easy to understand:. "he problem most people who speak and write English as a 2nd language is writing an email that the other person receiver3 can understand. "his problem is worse when the writer and the receiver of the email messages are both using English as a 2nd language.
“The main problem is when both the writer and receiver of a message are using English as a 2 nd language.”
This eBook will teach you the secrets to reading and understanding email messages that are written in English as a 2 nd language and show you how to write a clear response back to the person.
Gettin% Started 4irst$ I would like you to take our short survey on our website. It7s free and you don7t need to leave an email address. *fter you complete the survey you will be taken to a page with a lot of 9free: detailed information about the survey &uestions and writing emails in English. Here7s the link to the survey; English for Emails (urvey 5ou have our permission to share this eBook but you cannot edit or alter it in anyway. <
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Eail Structure ne of the advantages of emails over normal mail snail8mail3 letters is that they are &uick and direct. /e send an email for a particular purpose and we e%pect a fast
This is how we build an email…
response or immediate action. 4or emails$ whether foral or inforal$ to be most effective$ it is a good idea to give them a clear$ logical structure. Su$/ect Line0 "his should be short and give some specific information about the contents of your message. Salutations0 *s in letter writing$ the salutations can be formal or informal$ depending on how well you know the person you are writing to. Dear Mr, Mrs, Ms - * formal form of address$ also used when first contacting a person. Dear John 8 #ess formal$ either you have had contact with this person before$ or they have already addressed you by your first name. Hi or Hello Mary (or just the name) 8 Informal$ usually used with colleagues you often work with. In the ,.(.*. and the ,.=. also sometimes used at first contact. With no salutation 8 >ery informal$ usually used in messages which are part of a longer email e%change or thread. www.kaoaienglishschool.com info!kaoaienglishschool.com
O,enin% Sentence0 "his is used to e%plain why you are writing. Remember the opening sentence should always start with a capital letter. I’m writing to…
0ore formal introduction to say why you are writing.
Just a ui!" note to… 4riendly$ informal way to say why you are writing. More Inforation0 "his is where the body of your message goes6 remember that less is more$ which means6 keep the body of the message short and to the point. #eave out emotion and unnecessary language. *onclusion0 "his is where you tell the reader what kind of response$ if any$ you e%pect. #oo"ing $orward to your re%ly&&& 0ore formal way to re&uest a response. Ho%e to hear $rom you soon… 4riendly$ informal way to re&uest a response.
Ho,e to "ear fro (ou soon1)
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*lose0 #ike the salutation$ this can vary from formal to informal.
'ours in!erely 8 >ery formal$ rarely used in email correspondence. egards*+est regards*+est wishes 8 0ost commonly used close$ can be used in formal and informal emails. +ye*ll the +est*+est 8 4riendly$ informal close. James*Mary (blm) 8 )ame only or initials3 is also common when writing to close colleagues.
Sa,le of a well written eail essa%e0 Su$/ect Line0
English for Emails ourse
Salutations0
!ear "ir#
O,enin% Sentence0
$ am writing to you about your English for Emails course.
Messa%e -od(0
$ heard about you new course and would like to receive more information. an you please email the information package to me%
*onclusion0
$ am looking forward to your reply and the information about the course.
*lose0
&egards# Brian 'carthy www.kaoaienglishschool.com info!kaoaienglishschool.com
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Re%ister "he register of an email how formal or informal it is3 depends on the type of message you are writing and who you are writing to. (o an email about rescheduling a meeting might be less formal than an -ormal .mail (/ery $ormal)
en&uiry or an apology.
(imilarly$ an email to a new customer or the 1E of your company would probably be more formal than an email to an old customer or a colleague. 5ou can tell how formal an email is by its 6 Salutation and *lose0 see the previous section regarding email structure for more information. 1ollo&uial hrases; "hese are phrases normally used in conversation which make an email less formal. E%amples are; In$ormal .mail
(ow)s it going% or (ow are you% or "ee you later. 2oca$ular(0 "he words and e%pressions used in an email can make it formal or informal. (ome e%amples are; $ormal 3 to receive C to inform C to assist C to contact in$ormal 3
to get C to tell C to help C
to get in touch
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A$$re#iations0 "he use of abbreviations and symbols for e%ample$ info for information and * for and 3 are more common in informal emails$ although some standard abbreviations used in letter writing like asap as soon as possible3 are also found in formal emails. Eoticons0 "hese image forms of e%pression language are often used in informal emails to help the recipient understand e%actly what you mean.
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Usin% +olite Lan%ua%e Even in informal emails$ it is important to use polite language.
0lease can be used in every type of re&uest$ and phrases with !ould and would are more polite than phrases with !an or want . 1ould you please send me+ $ would like to order+
1an you please send me+ $ want to order+
In en&uiries it is best to avoid imperatives like end me6 or In$orm me6 By adding %lease the sentence becomes more polite$ but is still rather direct. 0lease send me your current price list+ 0lease give us your rates+ "he following phrases can be used in formal en&uiries to first8time contacts. However$ they can sound too formal in emails to colleagues. ,e would be grate$ul if you could send us+ ,e would also a%%re!iate some information on+
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Tal.in% A$out Deadlines and Ta.in% Action
"he present perfect is used to talk about deadlines and whether or not they have been met. It is also used to describe the status of tasks in progress. Ha/e you !oordinated your team * their results yet% I’/e already !onta!ted my team and they ha/e ust $inished their sales figures. *dverbs like yet $ already $ or just are often used with the present perfect in this type of sentence. (ave you sent in your registration for the conference yet % "orry# $ haven’t written the report yet . $)ve already sent in the registration form. ,e)ve just received the order. In *merican English the simple past is used instead of the present perfect with the signal words above. "here is no difference in meaning. !id you send in your registration yet % "he 9will: future tense is used in replies to emails re&uesting action to say what the writer will do and when. )ote that the contracted form 2ll instead of will 3 is used. ou’ll ha/e it on your desk by / 'ay. "orry# but $ haven)t sent it yet. $ ’ll do it straight away. www.kaoaienglishschool.com info!kaoaienglishschool.com
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*ollo4uial +"rases and *ontractions
*ollo4uial ,"rases /hen English native speakers write to each other as close business ac&uaintances they often use collo&uial phrases like the low3down$ to !hase something u% or down3$ or !heers for than"s3. Be careful when using collo&uial phrases as they can make your English sound too fake$ when used in the wrong conte%t. *ontractions Emails often reflect spoken English and tend to use contractions instead of the full form. 4or e%ample; here’s here is3$ ha/en’t ha/e not 3$ or I’ll I will 3 ,atch out0 8 don7t leave out the apostrophe when using contractions as the meaning of the word or sentence could be changed. It7s it is$ its %ossessi/e$ I7ll I will $ ill si!"
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-ein% Di,loatic /hen things aren7t going to plan$ an email e%change can become heated. "he use of di%lomati! language lets you point out mistakes gently$ without offending the person you7re writing to. ,e have a slight 1 minor 1 little problem. 4n$ortunately # the mistake is rather serious. I’m a$raid we)re not happy with + 4urthermore$ be careful when showing emotion in an email. ,sing e%clamation marks and writing words or phrases in captial letters can make your message too strong it can look like you7re shouting at the other person. oanne# $)m still waiting for a reply 555 !idn)t we agree to meet on T4.D' % * more moderate way to emphasiJe a word is to enclose it in asterisks. ust writing to see what happened to your report. $ needed it 6 'onday 6 and it)s now 3riday. an we discuss%
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+re,ositions of Tie 5Western Time *ulture6 (ome cultures tend to emphasiJe the value of time more than other cultures. "his can be seen in the prevalence of clocks and watches$ for e%ample.:What time is it : is a &uestion taught early on in foreign language and E(# classes. #ateness of more than ten minutes to an appointment generally re&uires some sort of e%planation and apology. /e even speak of time in terms of money$ 9to s%end time: 9to waste time: 9to sa/e time: and even Ltime is money :. +re,ositions of Tie On da(s of t"e wee. on (unday C 4riday on the weekend *merican3 At definite ties' "olida(s ,eriods at o7clock$ at 2;KG p.m. at midnight at the end of the week C month at the /eekend *ustralia$ ,=3 at Easter C 1hristmas at the moment not; in the moment3
In tie ,eriods in the morning C afternoon in Mune C *ugust in five minutes in the first C third &uarter -( deadlines by 4riday C < p.m. C ne%t month at the latest3 ,e must finish the report by 3riday . )ot; until 4riday3
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Readin% “Difficult! Eail Messa%es Reading email messages that have been written in English by someone who writes and speaks English as a 2nd language can be very challenging at the best of times. /hat makes this worse is when you the receiver$ who reads and speaks English as a 2nd language$ has to read an email message that has been written by someone else who also reads and speaks English as a 2nd language.
7ocus on t"e Messa%e not t"e Words (ometimes trying to understand the words in an email may not actually provide you with the true meaning of the message.
(ow do you “unlock” the secrets to understanding confusing email messages%
8e(words0 #earning how to filter out the keywords in an email message that is written in any language can save you a lot of time$ prevent misunderstanding and even prevent arguments with customers$ suppliers and colleagues.
Eotion0 4iltering out the emotion of an email that is from an unhappy customer or an unhappy colleague can help you to not get emotionally involved and help you to protect the relationship you have with the other person.
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9uestions and Answers0 /hen you ust don7t understand a message$ it7s best to write an email back to the writer to check for understanding. )ever say 9I don7t understand your message: rather take a couple of the keywords and write back confirming what you believe the message is about. (ometimes asking for more information can provide you with the information you need to fully understand the customer or colleagues email message.
4sk 5uestions and give answers that keep the conversation in a positive mood. This is most important for client relationships and future business. 4nd of course there)s ways to “ not ” to ask 5uestions and give answers too0
+olite Lan%ua%e0 *gain filtering language that may not seem polite to you is the best way to understanding the email message. *lso remember that sometimes these words have different meanings in different cultures.
/henever you7re reading a confusing email message first step is to pause and think about what the writer is really trying to say. +ive yourself time to get a clear picture of the message.
“The number one rule is to always use positive language+ even when you have to say something negative.” F@ www.kaoaienglishschool.com info!kaoaienglishschool.com
*ultural Lan%ua%e0 (ome language is ust not acceptable to particular cultures. (o what7s the answer? (imply keep you messages simple. -on7t try to use 9big: words. )ative English speakers rarely use big words in an email message.
/hen asking for clarity in a message or when asking for more information the number one rule is 9polite language: and sometimes using big words or strong language will not get you what you want or need.
&emember you get what you give0 hoose the “easy way” to communicate with polite language.
W"en Less is More (kimming and scanning an email message instead of reading every word can help you to find the keywords and understand the message much &uicker. Read less and understand more' S.iin%0 this techni&ue is used to &uickly find the key points of any written te%t. Scannin%0 this techni&ue is used to &uickly find the detailed information that supports the key points found in skimming.
FA
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*onclusion /riting and reading email messages in English language is very difficult for people who speak English as a 2nd language. "his problem becomes larger when both the writer sender3 and reader receiver3 of an email message are both using English as a 2nd language. lways as" yoursel$ these uestions7 ....-id I take note of the keywords or key phrases? ......Have I answered or asked the right &uestions? ...........Have I left my emotion out of the message? .....................-id I follow the email structure rules? ....................................*m I using polite language?
*fter reading this eBook$ you should have a better understanding of how to read email messages that have been written by someone who writes in English as a 2nd language.
5ou should also be able to respond to an email message or write a new email message using correct structure$ easy to understand language and keep you message in a positive mood.
4or additional information regarding our courses use these links below; ....................................................English for Emails ................................................English for 0eetings ........................................English for resentations
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