7 Useful Tips on How to Write a Perfect Professional Email in English

It’s an exciting day—your first at a new job. And it’s the kind of gig you could get used to: Sitting in a comfortable chair and handling emails isn’t exactly backbreaking labor, right? But parts of it may not come naturally to you, at least not right away.

Maybe you want the emails you draft to project confidence and control, but are nervous about arranging each part in the right order. Maybe you’re uncertain as to the best way to say hello. Maybe you didn’t grow up speaking English at home; maybe it’s still not the language you dream in.

Whatever the case, you needn’t worry, because with some practice, writing the perfect professional email will start to feel easy, even automatic. Here are some tips to help you get started.

1Greet the person you’re writing to.

It may seem odd to address a stranger on the Internet as Dear, but it’s standard in formal correspondence. Other respectable but less commonplace options include Greetings and Salutations.

When possible, it’s best to put the recipient’s name. Follow it with a comma or colon, as in these examples:

• Dear Chad,
• Dear Mr. Oswald:
• Dear Ms. Picard-Mimms:

If you’re not sure whether a woman you’re writing to is Ms. or Mrs., then Ms. is usually the safer option. Another solid, gender-neutral approach is to simply put the recipient’s full name:

• Dear Alex Lee:

By contrast, the generic Dear Sir or Madam seems impersonal and should be avoided.

2Are you thanking the recipient, or are you responding to a recent message from them? If so, start there.

(If you’re reaching out to a stranger you’ve never corresponded with before, begin the body of your email with Step 3.)

What you choose to write about first tells the reader what you think is important.

If you have something to express gratitude for, you want to do so at the beginning, so it doesn’t feel like an afterthought. Similarly, if you’re already in the midst of a back-and-forth conversation, you want to stay on track and not change the subject. Some examples:

• Thank you for your kind contribution to Red Panda Conservation International.
• Thanks for your interest; my client would be more than happy to chat at the time you suggested.
• The replacement parts you requested for your DeLorean are scheduled for delivery this week.

The key here is to get to the point quickly; you don’t want to keep a busy reader wondering.

3Explain what you’re writing about.

There are two questions you need to answer plainly. What are you hoping to make happen, and how can the person you’re writing help? For instance:

• I’m writing to inquire about your research on how cats groom their coats.
• I’m a local radio producer looking to schedule a live interview ahead of your performance in Oakland next week.
• My architectural firm is in need of expertise on treehouses, and several colleagues tell me your insight is unrivaled.

In stating your purpose, you want to be direct, but not to the point of seeming brusque or rude. If this feels like an awkward balancing act, err on the side of formality. Just as it’s better to be slightly overdressed at work than too casual, it’s usually better for your first email to a new contact to be exceptionally polite.

4Remember to keep it short.

Professional emails shouldn’t be epic in length. Be respectful of your readers’ time, because if they feel your message is unduly long, they’ll likely start to skim.

If a weighty subject requires lengthy discussion, look for better ways to communicate about it than email. Use your message as a way to set up a meeting or discussion, rather than a venue for a dense treatise on the subject.

5Wrap up with a closing line.

Your email should conclude with one sentence that makes your meaning clear and sets up whatever’s next. It might nudge the reader to take action, or be a way of gently winding down the conversation.

• I’ll look forward to discussing this with you further at 11 a.m. Thursday.
• Please look over the draft manuscript I’m attaching, and let me know what revisions or questions come to mind.
• Your guidance has been extremely helpful, and I look forward to being in touch.

Just as your message might’ve begun where a previous email left off, you want this one to end by setting up future correspondence.

6Sign off with an appropriate closing

There are lots of ways to end an email before putting your name, but in the interest of professional decorum, it’s probably best not to get too creative. Many people gripe about distracting email sign-offs like “cheers” and “VR” (very respectfully), so choose one that won’t feel out of place. Some of the most reliable options are:

• Sincerely,
• Yours truly,
• Thanks again,
• Appreciatively,
• Best regards,
• Respectfully,

At this point, you’re nearly done—there’s just one last important step.

7Take a moment to proofread.

Looking back over what you wrote before hitting send shouldn’t be a time-consuming chore: Remember, the ideal email is concise.

Make sure your greeting looks right (nothing feels worse than realizing the name of the person you just emailed was misspelled) and that you say thanks when it’s appropriate. Double-check that any request you’re making is straightforward and easy to understand, but not abrupt or presumptuous.

Also, this is your last chance to catch any subtle typos; we’ve watched more than one email thread jump completely off the rails when someone meant to type “now” but accidentally put “not” instead—as in, “We’re not trying to have the presentation ready by Thursday.” Be vigilant.

Grammarly is here to help.

The Top Cities in Pro Sports . . . Grammatically Speaking

In 2015, Grammarly put pro sports fans to the test. We wanted to see who had the best writing chops when they were cheering on their favorite teams online. Our first study— ranking NFL fans by their spelling, grammar, and punctuation—proved so popular that we went on to rank MLB and NBA enthusiasts, as well.

To wrap up the year in sports (Grammarly style), we decided to see which pro sports cities had game. Sports lovers in the great state of Tennessee surprised us by coming in both first and last. Memphis ranked number 1, lead by grammatically adept Grizzlies (NBA) fans. Nashville lumbered in at the back of the pack, hindered by typo-prone Titans (NFL) fans. NBA fans made the fewest mistakes overall, and NFL fans the most.

To share this infographic with your blog readers, embed this in your blog post by pasting the following HTML snippet into your web editor:

Please attribute this infographic to https://www.grammarly.com/grammar-check

Methodology

We began by collecting the first five comments posted under articles on each official MLB, NBA, and NFL team blog from official sports team and sports fan websites, like NFL.com and  SB Nation, until we had gathered a total of 100 comments for each team. Each comment contained at least 50 words and was posted within an average timespan of two months ending October 20, 2015.

Using Grammarly, we identified the errors in the comments, which were then verified and tallied by a team of live proofreaders. For the purposes of this study, we counted only black-and-white mistakes such as misspellings, wrong and missing punctuation, misused or missing words, and subject-verb disagreement. We ignored stylistic variations such as the use of common slang words, team and player nicknames, serial comma usage, and the use of numerals instead of spelled-out numbers.

Finally, we calculated the average number of mistakes per one hundred words by dividing the total word count of the comments by the total number of mistakes for each team.

Why You Should Take a Vacation, Even If You’re Busy

“I hate vacation,” said no one ever. So why are we so bad at taking time off? North Americans in particular are notorious for rarely taking time off work. A study by Expedia found that each year workers in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico take twelve, fifteen, and twelve days off respectively, while Europeans take between twenty and thirty days off.

Granted, employers in North America tend to offer significantly less vacation time than European ones, but workers often don’t even take all the time they’re entitled to, and that’s bad. Reasons vary—we’re too busy, we feel guilty, our bosses make it hard—but the truth is that you’re not doing yourself (or your employer) any favors by skipping vacations. Read on to find out why you need to step away from the office and relax for a little while.

Skipping Vacation Is Bad for Your Health

Research suggests that men who don’t take vacations are 30 percent more likely to have a heart attack than those who do. Women who don’t take vacations are 50 percent more likely to have a heart attack than women who do.

Taking a vacation, on the other hand, can reduce stress and associated symptoms like sleeplessness, fatigue, and headaches. But—and this is an important but—a poorly planned vacation can leave you more stressed than you started. Plan thoroughly. Make sure you request the time off well in advance of your trip. And don’t forget to warn your colleagues that you’ll be out! They’ll appreciate the heads up, as long as you don’t brag too much.

Vacations Make You More Productive

Four in ten American workers say that even though their employer supports time off, they’re just too busy to take it. The irony, of course, is that taking a vacation actually makes you more productive. As much as we like to pretend otherwise, mental resources are finite. Once in a while, you have to step away and replenish those resources if you want to continue doing great work. According to the New York Times, an internal study by the accounting firm Ernst & Young found that “for each additional 10 hours of vacation employees took, their year-end performance ratings from supervisors (on a scale of one to five) improved by 8 percent.”

So don’t feel guilty about taking your hard-earned vacation days. Your performance will be better, not worse.

Vacations Are Good for Your Personal Life

Traveling opens you up to new cultures and perspectives. Even if you’re staying local, relaxing with a good book can be its own kind of new experience.

But time off is also important for keeping your relationships healthy. According to one survey, 43 percent of American workers dedicate less than twenty hours a week to family time. But the majority of the households surveyed who plan out their time off are happier than those who don’t. Even if you can’t take everybody on an extravagant adventure in a faraway land, there’s probably plenty to do close to home. What about a family bike ride? Why not explore that odd little museum downtown that’s only open on Wednesdays at 10 a.m.? In the end, it’s the together time that counts.

Do you take as much time off as you’d like to? Tell us about your favorite ways to relax and recharge in the comment section below.

Nine Novellas Dancing Onto Your Reading List

On the ninth day of LitMas . . .

. . . you get nine wonderful novellas!

Novellas tend to fly under the radar. Readers know what to expect from short stories, and they know what they’re getting into with novels, but novellas fall into an ill-defined space somewhere between short story and novel. Some people think of them simply as very short novels—others have more specific criteria. Either way, here are nine novellas, novelettes, or long short stories for you to sink into when the weather won’t let you go outside.

1 A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

’Tis the season, after all! A Christmas Carol became an instant classic when it was first published in 1843. You probably know the outline of the story even if you’ve never read it, but it’s still worth reading. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find yourself feeling sorry for old Ebenezer Scrooge.

2 Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote

Truman Capote, perhaps best known as the author of the true crime story In Cold Blood, also wrote Breakfast at Tiffany’s. If you’ve only seen the movie, (or even if you’ve never seen it!) check out the original story of Holly Golightly and her mysterious, captivating, and sometimes melancholy life.

3 Three Blind Mice by Agatha Christie

Snowed in? Settle in with Three Blind Mice, a classic mystery by Agatha Christie. The guests at Monkswell Manor have been trapped by a ferocious blizzard, and unfortunately for everyone it seems that one of them is a murderer. If you can solve the mystery before the end, give yourself a pat on the back.

4 The Call of the Wild by Jack London

As Buck, the canine protagonist of The Call of the Wild discovers, life in the wild is cold, hard, and brutal. Read this one for dazzling descriptions of frozen wilderness and for the classic hero-adventure tale of Buck ultimately answering the call of the wild.

5 The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is the story of six teenage girls and their teacher, Miss Brodie, who is a person overflowing with passion. Miss Brodie teaches her girls much about life and love, but as one of the novella’s many flash-forwards reveals, she will be betrayed by one of her beloved students.

6 Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

Don’t miss Binti, winner of the 2015 Nebula and Hugo awards for best novella. Binti is the first of her people to be offered the chance to study at the galaxy’s most elite university, but the journey will be long and dangerous. Spoiling too much of this beautiful and thoughtful story would be a shame, so give it a chance, even if you don’t normally gravitate toward science fiction.

7 The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa

If you’re in the mood for a sweet story about living in the present, The Housekeeper and the Professor might be the gem you’re looking for. Set in Japan, this is the story of a unique friendship that blossoms between the brilliant Professor (whose long-term memory has been obliterated by an injury) and his Housekeeper, who has been hired to care for him and must reintroduce herself every morning.

8 True Grit by Charles Portis

True Grit is the right title for this story. Set in the American West of the 1870s, the story’s central character, fourteen-year-old Mattie Ross sets out to avenge her father’s death. Mattie, however, is no ordinary fourteen-year-old. Through grit and sheer force of will, she allies herself with the one-eyed U.S. Marshall Rooster Cogburn to see the mission through. Though the story is at times dark and frightening, it’s also full of unexpected humor as well as an oddly affecting friendship.

9 The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

This coming-of-age novella is the story of Esperanza Cordero, a young Latina girl growing up in Chicago. Esperanza is determined to escape the poverty of her childhood, but is equally determined to return and help the people she has left behind. Beautifully lyrical yet widely accessible, The House on Mango Street is a must-read.

10 Wonderful Words to Learn for Dictionary Day

Happy Dictionary Day!

October 16, 1758, was the birthdate of the American lexicographer Noah Webster. If you’ve ever wondered who decided that Americans should write color while the British write colour, Noah Webster is your guy.

To celebrate our love of lexicography, here are ten wonderful words to add to your vocabulary today:

Antipode n. A direct or extreme opposite. Angelica often gets into heated conversations with Duane, her ideological antipode.

Desiccated adj. Dried out or totally drained of moisture. The kitchen was bare, save for a desiccated old orange peel lying in the sink.

Mellifluous adj. Pleasing to the ear; sweetly melodic. Karl’s mellifluous voice enraptured the entire audience until the end of his aria.

Opprobrium n. Harsh disapproval or criticism, especially by a large group of people. Smith decided not to run for office after an ill-advised tweet earned him the opprobrium of half his followers.

Pelagic adj. Of or related to the open sea. As much as I’ve enjoyed our pelagic adventure, I’m ready to get back to dry land.

Pulchritude n. Physical beauty. Sandra twirled at the end of the red carpet so the crowd could take in the pulchritude of her sequined gown from every angle.

Rhadamanthine adj. Severely or inflexibly strict. (Often capitalized) Our Rhadamanthine camp director sounded the wake-up call promptly at 5 o’clock every morning.

Skulduggery n. Dishonest behavior; trickery. After investigators discovered several secret offshore accounts, the president of the bank finally admitted to being involved in the financial skulduggery.

Susurrus n. The sound of whispering or rustling. Claude heard his own name somewhere in the susurrus coming from the antsy crowd.

Unctuous adj. Greasy or oily feeling; also, excessively flattering or obsequious in a sycophantic way. Sophie was suspicious of the promises made by the unctuous vacuum cleaner saleswoman.

What words do you think people should use more often? Let us know in the comment section or via our Facebook and Twitter feeds!

Thru vs. Through—Which Is Right?

• Through can be a preposition, an adjective, and an adverb.
• Through is the only formally accepted spelling of the word.
• Thru is an alternate spelling that should be used only in informal writing or when referring to drive-throughs.

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As if all the confusion over the words through and threw wasn’t enough, modern English has piled on yet another homophone: thru.

Through vs. Thru

Through can be used as a preposition, an adverb, and an adjective. It has several meanings, including “from one side to the other,” “from beginning to end,” and “during an entire period”:

He rode his bicycle through the door and onto the street.

You have to read the book through if you want to be prepared for class.

We were dancing all through the concert.

Through is the only acceptable way to spell the word in a formal situation. In informal situations, and especially when texting or instant messaging, the form thru is becoming increasingly popular:

Did you come thru with the tickets?

Come to my place, we’ll go thru all the episodes of Firefly.

There is one occasion when thru might be an acceptable choice even in formal writing. The word drive-through is commonly spelled with the shortened form of through:

The bank opened its first drive-thru on Monday.

Through vs. Thru: Examples

The management of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has canceled orchestra concerts through Dec. 5.

Pittsburg Post Gazette

The traffic pattern will be similar to last year and motorists should allow extra time to get through the area during shift changes.

WRIC

Over 100 people got married or renewed their vows in “run-thru” weddings on Sunday during the Rock ’n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon.

New York Daily News

On Tuesday afternoon, she is the second person to pull into Drive-Thru Prayer at Tyner, an event that has taken place on the first Tuesday of each month since September.

Times Free Press