Writing emails
Write clear formal and informal emails: choose the right tone, organise paragraphs and use useful phrases.
In this lesson you will
- Choose formal or informal style
- Organise an email into clear paragraphs
- Use useful phrases for requests, complaints and apologies
Learn
Informal (friends): Hi Sam, / Hey! — Thanks for your message. — Guess what? — Anyway, … — Can’t wait to see you! — Love / Best / See you soon. Contractions and phrasal verbs are fine.
Formal (companies, officials): Dear Sir or Madam, / Dear Mr Lopez, — I am writing to enquire about / complain about… — I would be grateful if you could… — I look forward to hearing from you. — Yours faithfully (name unknown) / Yours sincerely (name known). Avoid contractions and slang.
Organisation: 1) reason for writing, 2) details (one paragraph per point), 3) what you want to happen, 4) closing line.
Useful phrases: request — Could you possibly…? I would appreciate it if…; apology — I apologise for…; complaint — I was disappointed to find that….
| Informal | Formal |
|---|---|
| Hi Tom, | Dear Mr Evans, |
| I want to ask about… | I am writing to enquire about… |
| Can you…? | I would be grateful if you could… |
| Write soon! | I look forward to hearing from you. |
| Best, | Yours sincerely, |
Examples
- I am writing to complain about the delay to my order.
- I would be grateful if you could send me a refund.
- Thanks so much for inviting me — I’d love to come!
- I look forward to hearing from you.
Vocabulary
enquire
ask for information (formal)
grateful
thankful
Yours faithfully
formal ending when you don’t know the name
Yours sincerely
formal ending when you know the name
tone
the level of formality
Practice
Formal opening when you don’t know the name:
Speaking
Read your email aloud, then explain the same information informally, as if leaving a voice message for a friend.
Writing
Write a formal email (120–150 words) to a language school asking about a summer course: dates, prices, accommodation and certificates.
- ☐ Formal greeting and reason for writing
- ☐ One paragraph per question
- ☐ Polite request phrases
- ☐ Formal closing
Lesson quiz
“Yours sincerely” is used when you…
Review
Key points
- Match tone to reader.
- Reason → details → request → closing.
- Formal phrases: I am writing to…, I would be grateful if…, I look forward to…
- Yours faithfully / Yours sincerely.
What you learned
- ✓ I can write formal emails.
- ✓ I can write informal emails.
- ✓ I can organise emails clearly.