If you work in any type of business environment, there is a good chance that you have to write emails on a regular basis. On average, an office worker receives over 80 emails in one day. That is a lot!

However, many aren’t familiar or comfortable with the formality of business emails. In this article, we will look at useful vocabulary and expressions for writing business emails. We’ve included more informal phrases that you can use with colleagues, aswell as more formal phrases. By integrating these into your emails, you will sound more like a native English speaker.

A typical business email has 4 parts: the subject, the greeting, the email body, and the ending. Let’s go over these parts along with useful vocabulary for each.

The email subject line and cc’ing

First off is the header. The email’s header contains information concerning the sender and the recipients. Generally, headers contain the following information:

 

1. Subject.

This is a very brief description of the topic of the message and displays in most email systems that list email messages individually. A subject line could be something like: “March financial report” or, if your spam filtering is too lenient, “Doctors don’t want you to know this secret to lose weight!!”. Remember that the Subject line in emails is usually the first content that recipients see so it is best to write strong subject lines.

2. CC (courtesy copy/ carbon copy)

This is for the email addresses of other people who need to see the information in your email. We could also use CC as a verb. For example:

  • “Please CC me on update emails.”
  • “Sorry, I forgot to CC you an the last email.”

We use the preposition “on” when we use CC as a verb.

3. BCC (blind courtesy copy/ blind carbon copy) 

Email addresses that you put in this field are hidden from other people who receive the message. For example, if you wrote an email to your insurance company but wanted a solicitor to read it without the insurers knowing, you would use this field for the solicitor’s email address. BCC could also be used as a verb:

“I BCCed the whole department on that email.”

Greetings 

Your greeting should be professional and concise. It is always best to address the recipient using their name, but it may not always be possible. So, what’s the best way to greet someone in an email? In a formal business email, the best way to greet is by using “Dear” + title (Mr, Mrs, Ms, Dr) + surname. For example: “Dear Ms. Jones,”. 

  • Mr = for a man
  • Mrs = for a married woman
  • Ms = this can be used for a woman when you are unsure of their marital status. Nowadays lots of women use this whether they are married or not to promote gender equality.
  • Miss = Can be used for young women.

If you don’t know their name, the most common phrase you could use is “To whom it may concern at X company,” or by simply saying “Good afternoon,”or “Good morning”.

Your form of greeting depends on your own personal comfort with formality and with whom you are sending the email to. “Hi/ Hello (name)” are more casual or forms of greeting. If you don’t know their name, you can just say “Hi there.” and then follow up with “How’s it going?” or “I hope you are well” and “I hope this email finds you well”. 

  • ‘Hi/ Hello (name).’ (casual)
  • ‘Hi there.’  (casual when you don’t know the name)
  • ‘I hope you’re doing well’. 
  • “I hope you are well”. (More formal)
  • “I hope this email finds you well”. (Most formal)

How to start a professional email 

Your opening sentence is the key to writing a clear and email. A good opening sentence tells the reader what the email is about.  

For example, if you are writing to follow up on something, you could start off with:

  • “I’m just writing to…”
  • “Just a (quick) note on…”
  • “Just a short note to follow up on…”

If you’re emailing someone for the first time, your opening line could be a short pleasantry connecting you and the recipient. You can omit a pleasant greeting if you’ve recently or frequently communicated with each other. For example,

  • “It was great to meet you at last night’s event.”
  • “It was great to speak with you just now.” (If you have just got off the phone with them).

 If you have received an email from the recipient, offer your thanks by saying:

  • “I appreciate you taking the time to help me with this project.”
  • “Thank you for sharing your work. The findings are very valuable.”

Here are other expressions you can use to write a good opening sentence:

  • “Thanks for your email/ response.”
  • “Thanks for getting in touch.”
  • “Thanks for your interest (in our work).”

 

How to explain what the email is about

Here are certain phrases and expressions you can use to help you get your message across clearly:

  • “I’d like to inform you of…”
  • “I’m writing to tell you that…”
  • “I’m writing in response to…”
  • “I’m writing with regards to…”

Here’s an example of how you might inform someone that you will have to excuse yourself for a scheduled meeting:

“I’m writing in regards to our meeting on Friday, May 15th. Unfortunately, I am flying to Milan next week to help my colleagues with a trade show. I’m very sorry to cancel at the last minute. Do you think we could meet the following week?”

How to ask a question in your email

How can you ask someone for information? Start by using polite language to request or ask for something.

  • “Would you be interested in…”
  • “Could/ Can you please send me…”
  • “I’m just writing to…”
  • “Just a quick note to say…”

Adding “just” is more polite and it implies that what you have to say is brief and will not take up too much time.

How to attach links, references and documents in an email

Some business emails may require additional information for the reader. It could be a link to resources or an attachment. This information should be included thoughtfully and do not forget to inform your recipient about the attachments. 

  • “Please see the following links…”
  • “Please refer to the attached documents…”
  • “Please see the attached documents/ files…”

You can also start your sentence with:

  • “I’ve attached…”
  • “Please find attached files…”
  • “I’m attaching files/ documents…

How to end an email in English 

When ending an email, include a specific call to action. The email is being sent to accomplish one task. For example:

  • “Jeff, can you forward the survey to all staff by Friday at noon? Thank you.”
  • “I’d appreciate your feedback on the agenda. If you have any, please let me know by tomorrow.”

If you want the recipient to reply to you, you can write:

  • “I look forward to hearing from you.”
  • “I look forward to your reply.”

If you want them to contact you if they have any questions or need any assistance:

  • “Do not hesitate to contact me if you need any assistance.”
  • “Let me know if you need anything.”

Closing

Just like your greetings, the end of your email should include a salutation. It will also depend on how well you know the recipient but it should always match the formality of the whole email. 

  • “Sincerely”/ “Yours sincerely” (used for formal emails when you don’t know the recipient).
  • “Kind/warm regards” 
  • “Best/warm wishes”
  • Many thanks (this is more casual.)

The end of your email also includes a sign-off or a signature. The phrasing should match the formality of the email as well. The most formal way is using your “title+name” of your complete name: “Dr. John Smith” or “John Smith”. You could also add details about you such as your organization or company. The least formal and the most common way of signing-off is simply using your first name: “Jhon”.

There you go! These are vocabulary and expressions that could help you sound more professional and make your business emails more clear and concise. Don’t forget, once your email in composed, do not click ‘Send’ yet. Take a moment to review your email. Check for any grammatical and spelling errors. These errors suggest carelessness and may convey wrong and inaccurate information.