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ENGLISH PHRASES FOR BUSINESS TELEPHONE CALLS

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SPOKEN : FACE TO FACE COMMUNICATION

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67 Expressions for Quicker & Better English Emails

Do you take too long writing English emails at work?

Do you wish you could write emails in English quicker so that you can dedicate more time to other tasks?

Email has become an inevitable part of everyday life.

And for non-natives, writing English emails quickly and correctly can be challenging, due to time constraints and little margin for error.

English emails for work don't always have to be formal, but they do have to be professional. Which means being objective, polite and accurate with spelling and grammar.

In this article, we will explore the main challenges non-native speakers face with English emails, and how to overcome these challenges by taking advantage of stock expressions.

There are 3 common challenges non-native speakers face when writing English emails:

1. The introduction - taking too long to start the email and express the reason why you are writing.

2. Sentence structure - choosing the right expression for certain functions, (opening phrases, clarification, updates, closing phrase, etc), and structuring these phrases correctly.

3. Writing with the correct degree of formality - formal, semi-formal or informal.

While there is no magic formula writing quick and correct English emails, having a collection of stock expressions or templates speeds up the process and reduces mistakes.

I recommend saving a list of email expressions divided into topics and functions on your computer or in the Cloud, such as Google Drive.

When you have to write an English email, simply copy and paste the expressions aligned with what you want to say. Then adapt them to personalize your message.
Here's an example:
Email with stock expressions:

Dear... (opening phrase)

I am writing in reference to.... (Expressing "reason for writing")

As agreed, we will schedule the XYZ delivery between... (expression for "confirming")

If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to let me know. (Expression for "closing")

Best regards, (Expression for "ending")

Edited email:
Dear Andrew, I am writing in reference to the delivery in Shanghai next month. As agreed, we will schedule the iron ore delivery between 8 and 12 pm, on 5th June. If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to let me know. Best regards,
To help you start building your stock expressions, I'm giving you 67 expressions which you can copy, paste and adapt to your emails.

For better organization, you will find the 67 expressions categorized by topics. Topics are divided by the beginning, middle and end sections of an email. Within each topic, the expressions are in order of formality (1st - more formal. Last - more informal).

All expressions are suitable to use in a work/business context.

Beginning Section
Opening the email
1. To whom it may concern: (Use a colon after this phrase. Not a comma.)
2. Dear Sir/Madam,
3. Dear John,
4. Hi John,
Thanking the recipient
5. Thank you for your prompt reply.
6. Thanks for your email.
7. Thanks for the update.
8. Thanks for getting back to me.
Reasons for writing
9. I am writing with regard... to my purchase of... / to the complaint you made yesterday.
10. I am writing to... apply for the position of... / to ask for further information about...
11. I am writing to inquire about... (note: "inquire" is more common in American English)
12. I am writing in reference to...
13. Just a quick note to tell you that...
14. I wanted to... let you know that... / tell you about... / ask you if...
Check out these other posts about improving your English: 5 Recommended Apps for English Learners with Intermediate to Advanced Levels 5 Phrases to Avoid for Confident Spoken English 6 ways to Use the Present Perfect Tense in Business Situations
Middle Section
Requesting information
15. I would greatly appreciate it if you could provide me with ABC as it will help me in the report I am writing for XYZ.
16. Could you kindly let me know whether you can send...?
17. This is just a friendly reminder to ask you to send...
18. Could you please send me...?
19. Could you send me...?
20. Is there any chance you could send me...?
Status updates
21. The purpose of this email is to update you on the status of the packaging for your product...
22. I am pleased to inform you that your order is ready.
23. I'm contacting you regarding the analyst position...
24. I'm writing to let you know about sales results for this quarter...
25. I wanted to update you on...
26. I have some information for you about...
Apologizing
27. We would like to apologize for any inconvenience caused.
28. Please accept our apologies for...
29. We are extremely sorry for...
30. I'm afraid I will not be able to attend the opening day due to...
31. Apologies for taking a long time to get back to you.
32. I'm sorry for the delay.
33. I'm sorry, but I can't make it to the meeting.
Asking for clarification
34. I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean by XYZ. Could you please provide more details?
35. Regarding the new proposal, are you saying that we should omit the free add-ons?
36. Thanks for the email, David. I understand ABC, but could you please clarify what you mean concerning XYZ?
37. Everything's clear on ABC, but you've lost me on XYZ. Any additional information would be greatly appreciated.
Confirming
38. As agreed, we will schedule the XYZ delivery between 9 and 11 am.
39. I'm just writing to confirm the time of our meeting...
Praising Performance
40. Thank you very much for taking the initiative to find a solution to the problem.
41. You can take pride in the work you have put into this project.
42. You have made a great contribution to the project.
43. The design work you did for the site was outstanding.
Congratulating somebody on a new job or position
44. I hear congratulations are in order.
45. I just heard you got the Manager's job. Congratulations on the new position.
46. Congratulations on getting the new Manager position.
47. Well done for getting promoted.
Good luck wishes
48. I'd like to wish you all the best for...
49. I hope everything goes well with...
50. Good luck with...

End Section
Closing remarks
51. I would appreciate your immediate attention to this matter.
52. If you require any further information, feel free to contact me.
53. If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to let me know.
54. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
55. I look forward to meeting you again next week.
56. Please let me know if you have any questions.
57. Let me know if you need anything else.
Ending the email
58. Sincerely,
59. Regards,
60. Best regards,
61. Kind regards,
62. Warm regards,
63. Best wishes,
64. All the best,
65. Best,
66. Thank you,
67. Cheers, (Very informal)
Tip #1 Use Grammarly Tip #2 Store old emails
If you feel insecure about writing English emails, I recommend Grammarly. This is the world's most accurate grammar checker. It's an automated grammar editing tool that checks for 250+ types of common and advanced English grammar rules. Widely used by students of all levels, business professionals, writers/editors, teachers/educators, job seekers, and English language learners. Click here for a free account.
Tip #3 Keep on building your stock expressions
You probably write a large chunk of emails with a similar purpose. Therefore, it makes sense to store your emails in an organized way for future use. When you need to write a related email, just copy, paste and adapt, which will save you time.
And if you're saying to yourself...
You will frequently come across new expressions, particularly when receiving emails from other people. If you see a phrase which you think you could use in the future, copy it to your stock list.

"I want to actually know these common email expressions. I don't want to just copy and paste them."

Well, this is a fair point because you should be constantly improving your email writing.

Another advantage of using stock expressions is the more you see and use them, the more likely you will remember them.

Using stock expressions also helps you to avoid getting into bad writing habits. Often non-native speakers write similar kinds of emails, using the same incorrect phrases, without realizing they are writing in a wrong way. This is how bad writing habits are formed.

If you are looking to write more professional and faster emails, having a list of stock expressions will help you achieve this.

Take action now and start building your stock expressions today.

Do you have friends or colleagues who might find this article useful? Please share it.
Do you want to participate better in English meetings? Get immediate access to your free ebook "200 Native Speaker Expressions for English Meetings."

Tags business English English emails Vocabulary

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67 Expressions for Quicker & Better English Emails - Impactfulenglish.com

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Do you take too long writing English emails at work? Do you wish you could write emails in English quicker so that you can dedicate more time to other tasks? Email has become an inevitable part of everyday life. And for non-natives, writing English emails quickly and correctly can be challenging, due to time constraints and little margin for error.

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There are some things you already know not to mention via email; political opinions, anything that could be considered sexual harassment, and office gossip are among the no-brainers. But there are also some less obvious topics and phrases you'd do well to stay away from, particularly if you want to come off as professional, competent, and on top of your workload. After all, emails can stick around for a long time, and you never know what might get dug up down the road.

Here's what HR pros say you should avoid at all costs.

1. "Just A Heads Up, I'm Calling In Sick Tomorrow"

Look, everyone has called in sick for a pre-planned mental health or personal day at some point in their career, but that doesn't mean you should talk about it over work email. "Emailing your plans to play hooky the next day isn't the smartest of moves," notes Patrick Colvin, strategic HR business partner for USA Today. "This simply puts your dishonesty on display for everyone to see if your message lands in the wrong hands." While your boss might understand if you explained your need for a day off in person, having it in written form feels decidedly sneaky. "Unless you are genuinely sick and have a feeling you won't be in the next day, this is not a message you want out there," Colvin adds.

Related: 5 Credibility-Busting Responses You Need To Stop Using

2. "John Really Dropped The Ball On This One"

"Never discuss a coworker's performance unless you are their boss and are discussing it with HR or your boss," advises Cam Bishop, president and CEO of SkillPath. "Not only is it rude, but it's not your place to discuss someone else's performance over email."

3. "I'm Feeling . . . "

It's best to keep anything emotional out of work emails, says Ginger Robitaille, PHR, HR Generalist at Turning The Corner. "It is important for email communications to be based on facts, sharing information that is required, but not emotional. Our emotions can be construed many different ways when there is no tone or voice inflection to go along with the words," she says. And if you can't keep your emotions out of the content of an email? Then that's a conversation you should probably be having in person or over the phone.

4. "Does Tuesday Still Work For You To Return Those Documents To Me, Maybe Around 3 P.M.? No Worries If Not"

Tentative language has no place in email, according to Amanda B. Gulino, HR expert and founder of A Better Monday. Instead, go for something like: "Have you had a chance to review the documents I sent over last week? Please review and return them to me by Tuesday at 3 p.m. so we can stay on track with our project plan." By communicating assertively and clearly in work emails, you'll project confidence and competence.

Related: This Three-Word Phrase Is Subtly Undermining Your Authority

5. "Here's A Copy Of The Project I'm Working On With My Team. I'd Love To Get Your Feedback"

"Unless your boss says it is okay to share a project, keep it to yourself or specific team members working on your assignment," says Jill Tipograph, cofounder of Early Stage Careers. Inadvertently sharing confidential or proprietary information from your company might seem like an innocent mistake, but it can be grounds for dismissal from your job. "Millennials in particular like to crowdsource topics, even decisions," Tipograph points out. "But asking your friend who is also in consulting how to solve a client problem, for example, is not permissible."

6. "This Place Really Gets Me Down Sometimes"

Even if you're writing to your best friend in the office after a really difficult day, you should never say anything negative about your workplace via work email. "A message to your coworkers about how much you despise the work you do can easily make its way to your manager," notes Tiffany Kuehl, senior human resources recruiter for Versique. "In a best-case scenario, your manager schedules a meeting to talk to you about your concerns. In a worst-case scenario, you've just emailed yourself right out of a job."

7. "Apologies For The Delay"

"It's important to take responsibility and apologize from time to time, but some of us do it way too often," says Alayna Frankenberry, manager of inbound marketing for BlueSky ETO. "Women especially have been socialized to apologize, defer, and buffer their statements with phrases like, 'Let me know if you disagree,' and 'This is just my opinion, but . . . ' Constantly apologizing and qualifying your statements like this waters down your voice and can lead to a lack of respect from colleagues. No matter your gender, if you find yourself overusing these phrases, challenge yourself to take a more direct and concise approach."

8. "Nice Work. Next time, Please Consider . . . "

It may seem easier to give constructive criticism via email, but it often backfires. "Pick up the phone, find time to meet in person, or speak via video conference," Gulino says. "The intent of the message is almost always different than the impact of the message, meaning that what you intend to say is going to reach your audience differently, and likely negatively. I've never seen constructive feedback given over email taken well. On the contrary, it has created a whole host of new problems, including lack of trust." And if you have to give some feedback over email, keep it to the positive, she says.

9. "I'm Open To Other Opportunities"

This is truly one of the worst things you can say over work email, and yet people do it all the time. "Don't tell people you are looking for a job or that you may know of someone looking to leave," Tipograph recommends. Talking to recruiters, checking in with clients and competitors about open roles, and chatting with coworkers about what's next for you job-wise are all no-nos. "Even if you are thinking about it, it's not news to announce." she says.

10. "As Per My Last Email . . . "

This sentiment comes in many forms including "as already noted below . . . " and "as previously discussed . . . " All iterations should be avoided. "The not-so-gentle nudge is becoming more common over professional email, and looks anything but," says Jon Brodsky, country manager for Finder.com. "It's passive aggressive and a very thinly veiled attempt at passing blame for a project that has stalled." Instead, just repeat whatever needs to be repeated and move forward.
This article originally appeared on Glassdoor and is reprinted with permission.

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10 Email Phrases That Make You Sound Unprofessional

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There are some things you already know not to mention via email; political opinions, anything that could be considered sexual harassment, and office gossip are among the no-brainers. But there are also some less obvious topics and phrases you'd do well to stay away from, particularly if you want to come off as professional, competent, and on top of your workload.

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Follow these email etiquette tips in order to write more effective email.

While Millennials typically prefer texting, the improvised, back-and-forth pattern we expect of texting conversations differs greatly from the pre-planned, more self-contained messages most professionals expect in the workplace.

If you are planning an outing with friends, you expect multiple rapid exchanges asking for clarification and providing corrections on the fly. Since you are usually texting somebody you already know well, about a shared interest, you don't need to provide much context.

But most professionals do not want to engage in a leisurely back-and-forth in order to get their work done. They want to clear this item from their inbox, perhaps by passing it to an assistant or kicking it upstream, without having to ask the sender "I dunno, what do you think?" or "What did you mean by that emoji?"
Originally written by Jessica Bauer in 2000; expanded and maintained by Dennis G. Jerz
1. Write a meaningful subject line.

Before you hit "send," take a moment to write a subject line that accurately describes the content, giving your reader a concrete reason to open your message. A vague or blank subject line is a missed opportunity to inform or persuade your reader.

Remember - your message is not the only one in your recipient's mailbox. A clear subject line will help a busy professional to decide that your email is worthwhile.

Subject: [Blank]

A blank subject line suggests that your name in the "From" line is all your recipient should need in order to make you message a top priority. That could come across as arrogant, or at the very least, thoughtless. A well-chosen subject line is an important opportunity to inform and persuade your reader.

Rather than brashly announcing that the secret contents of your mystery message are inexplicably important...

...write a functional subject line that actually conveys the important idea.

If the question is quick, why not just ask it in the subject line? This subject line is hardly useful.

Fractionally better - provided that the recipient remembers why a follow-up was necessary.

Many email users get scads of virus-laden spam with vague titles like this. The more specific you are, the more likely your recipient's spam-blocker will let your message through.

Upon reading this revised, informative subject line, the recipient immediately starts thinking about the size of the room, not about whether it will be worth it to open the email.

2. Keep the message focused.

Purpose: Any textbook on business and professional writing will include examples of complaint and adjustment letters, proposal letters, progress reports, application letters, and so forth.

Directness: You probably don't need to open with "Dear Ms. Jones," engage in personal chit-chat, and close with "Yours Truly." (If you really want to be that formal, send a letter on paper instead.)

Organization: Readers will often get partway through a complex message, hit "reply" as soon as they have something to contribute, and forget to read the rest. That's human nature.

Number your points in more complex message. (Start with a clear statement of how many parts there are to your message.)

Split unrelated points into separate, purposeful emails.

If you send all your employees a message that only relates to some of them, a lot of people will waste time reading the whole thing, in order to determine whether any part of it applies to them.

Other people will give up as soon as they find any detail that does not apply to them. (Again, this is human nature.)

Politeness: Please and thank-you are still important, but wordiness wastes your reader's time (which is rude).

Indirect and wasteful: "Dearest Arnold: I would be very much obliged if, at your earliest convenience, you could send me the current password for the website. I look forward to your response. Have a nice day! Yours Truly, Philomena."

Blunt to the point of rudeness: "Need the password for the website."

If you get a message like this, you might assume the sender trusts you and really needs your help; however, if you send a message like this, you might appear needy and panicky. Is that how you want to come across? Think about it.

Urgent, yet polite: "Site is down, but I can't troubleshoot without the new password. Do you know it?"

Why are you writing? Are you responding to a request? Apologizing for an error on your part? Asking for the recipient to take some action for you?

Proofread, especially when your message asks your recipient to do work for you. All-caps comes across as shouting, and no-caps makes you look like a lazy teenager. Regardless of your intention, people will respond accordingly.

If you are in middle school, a gushing statement "thx 4 ur help 2day ur gr8!″ may make a busy professional smile - or shudder.

Often, the sweetness of the gesture won't be enough. u want ur prof r ur boss 2 think u cant spl? LOL ;-)

Write short paragraphs, separated by blank lines. Most people find unbroken blocks of text boring, or even intimidating. Take the time to format your message for the ease of your reader.

Avoid fancy typefaces. Don't depend upon bold font or large size to add nuances. Your recipient's email reader may not have all the features that yours does. In a pinch, use asterisks to show *emphasis*.

To help your reader focus on your message: keep your text readable.

3. Avoid attachments.

Rather than forcing you reader to download an attachment and open it in a separate program, you will probably get faster results if you just copy-paste the most important part of the document into the body of your message.

To: All 1000 Employees
From: Eager Edgar
Subject: A helpful book everyone should read
---
Hello, everyone. I've attached a PDF that I think you'll all find very useful. This is the third time I sent it the file - the version I sent yesterday had a typo on page 207, so I've sent the whole thing again. Since some of you noted that the large file size makes it a bit awkward, I've also attached each chapter as a separate document. Let me know what you think!Attachments:

Big Honking File.pdf (356MB)

BHF Cover.pdf (25MB)

BHF Chapter 1.pdf (35MB)

[... ]

Okay, raise your hands... how many of us would delete the above message immediately, without looking at *any* of those attachments?

To: Bessie Professional
From: Morris Ponsybil
Subject: Email tips - a subject for an office workshop?
--
Bessie, I came across some tips on streamlining professional communications. Has anyone volunteered to present at the office workshop next month? Let me know if you'd like me to run a little seminar (20 minutes?) on using email effectively. Below, I'll paste the table of contents. I'll send you the whole thing as a PDF if you want it.Table of Contents

1. Write a meaningful subject line.

2. Keep the message focused and readable.

3. Avoid attachments.

4. [...]

consume bandwidth (do you want your recipient to ignore your request so as to avoid paying for a mobile download?)

can carry viruses

don't always translate correctly for people who read their email on portable devices.

may require your recipient to have certain software installed (such as Microsoft Publisher or Apple's Pages)

Recognize that attachments

4. Identify yourself clearly.

If you telephoned someone outside your closest circle, someone who probably wouldn't recognize your voice, you would probably say something like "Hello, Ms. Wordsworth, this is Sally Griffin." A formal "Dear Ms. Wordsworth" salutation is not necessary for routine workplace communication.

When we send text messages to our friends, we expect a lot of back-and-forth. But professionals who use email don't enjoy getting a cryptic message from an email address they don't recognize.

While a routine email does not require a formal salutation such as "Dear Ms. Wordsworth," ask yourself whether the person you are writing knows you well enough to recognize your email address.

To: Professor Blinderson
From: FuZzYkItTy2000@hotmail.com
Subject: [Blank]Yo goin 2 miss class whats the homework

Professor Blinderson will probably reply, "Please let me know your name and which class you're in, so that I can respond meaningfully. I don't recognize the address FuZzYkItTy2000@hotmail.com."

To: Professor Blinderson
From: m.ponsybil@gmail.com
Subject: EL227 Absence, Oct 10Hello, Prof. Blinderson. This is Morris Ponsybil, from EL227 section 2.This morning, I just found out that the curling team has advanced to the playoffs, so I'm going to be out of town on the 10th.According to the syllabus, it looks like I will miss a paper workshop and the discussion of Chapter 10. May I email you my Chapter 10 discussion questions before I leave town? And could I come to your office hour at 2pm on the 12th, in order to discuss the paper? I've asked Cheryl Jones to take notes for me.Thank you very much. I'll see you in class tomorrow.

If you are asking the other person to do you a favor, providing the right information will give him or her a good reason to decide in your favor. In this case, Morris Ponsybil shows his professor he cares enough about the class to propose a solution to the problem his absence will cause.

When contacting someone cold, be polite and brief. If you are asking for a stranger to do something for you for free, be prepared to hear nothing in response.

Even if you already have a connection with the person you are contacting, a little context is helpful. Every fall, I get emails from "bad_boy2315@yahoo.com" or "FuZzYkItTy2000@hotmail.com" who ask a question about "class" and don't sign their real names.

If you are following up on a face-to-face contact, you might appear too timid if you assume your recipient doesn't remember you; but you can drop casual hints to jog their memory: "I enjoyed talking with you about usability testing in the elevator the other day."

While formal phrases such as "Dear Professor Sneedlewood" and "Sincerely Yours," are unnecessary in email, when contacting someone outside your own organization, you should write a signature line that includes your full name and at least a link to a blog or online profile page (something that does not require your recipient to log in first).

5. Be kind. Don't flame.

Think before you click "Send."

If you find yourself writing in anger, save a draft, go get a cup of coffee, and imagine that tomorrow morning someone has taped your email outside your door. Would your associates and friends be shocked by your language or attitude?

Or would they be impressed by how you kept your cool, how you ignored the bait when your correspondent stooped to personal attacks, and how you carefully explained your position (or admitted your error, or asked for a reconsideration, etc.)>

Will you have to work with this person for several months? Do you want a copy of your bitter screed to surface years from now, when you want a letter of recommendation?

@!$% &*@!! &(*!

Go ahead... write it, revise it, liven it up with traditional Lebanese curses, print it out, throw darts on it, and scribble on it with crayon. Do whatever you need in order to get it out of your system. Just don't hit "Send" while you're still angry.

From: Clair Haddad
To: Ann O. Ying
Subject: Re: Ongoing Problems with ProjectI'm not sure how to respond, since last week you told Sue that you didn't need any extra training, so I cancelled Wednesday's workshop. I can CC Sue in on this thread if you like, since she's the one who will have to approve the budget if we reschedule it. Meanwhile, I can loan you my copies of the manual, or we can look into shifting the work to someone else. Let me know what you'd like me to do next.-Original Message -
From: Ann O. Ying
I tried all morning to get in touch with you. Couldn't you find a few minutes in between meetings to check your messages? I'm having a rough time on this project, and I'm sorry if this is last-minute, but I've never done this before and I think the least you could do is take some time to explain it again.

If your recipient has just lambasted you with an angry message, rather than reply with a point-by-point rebuttal, you can always respond with a brief note like this, which

1. casually invokes the name of someone the angry correspondent is likely to respect (in order to diffuse any personal antagonism that may otherwise have developed) and

2. refocuses the conversation on solutions (in this conversation, Ann has already dug herself into a hole, and Clair has nothing to gain by joining her there)

6. Proofread.

If you are asking someone else to do work for you, take the time to make your message look professional.

While your spell checker won't catch every mistake, at the very least it will catch a few typos. If you are sending a message that will be read by someone higher up on the chain of command (a superior or professor, for instance), or if you're about to mass-mail dozens or thousands of people, take an extra minute or two before you hit "send". Show a draft to a close associate, in order to see whether it actually makes sense.

7. Don't assume privacy.

A good motto: praise in public, and criticize in private. Don't send anything over email that you wouldn't want posted - with your name attached - in the break room.

Email is not secure. Just as random pedestrians could reach into a physical mailbox and intercept envelopes, a curious hacker, a malicious criminal, and your IT department can probably read any and all email messages in your work account.

you are uninformed about the truth

you are informed but deliberately misrepresenting the truth

your confused and conflicting emails mean you aren't a reliable source for determining the truth

If you stretch the truth in an email (downplaying a problem, leaving out an important detail, etc.), you're creating a written record that your recipient can (and will) use to determine whether

8. Distinguish between formal and informal situations.

When you are writing to a friend or a close colleague, it is OK to use "smilies" :-) , abbreviations (IIRC for "if I recall correctly", LOL for "laughing out loud," etc.) and nonstandard punctuation and spelling (like that found in instant messaging or chat rooms).

These linguistic shortcuts are generally signs of friendly intimacy, like sharing cold pizza with a family friend. If you tried to share that same cold pizza with a first date, or a visiting dignitary, you would give off the impression that you did not really care about the meeting. By the same token, don't use informal language when your reader expects a more formal approach.

Always know the situation, and write accordingly.

9. Respond Promptly.

If you want to appear professional and courteous, make yourself available to your online correspondents. Even if your reply is, "Sorry, I'm too busy to help you now," at least your correspondent won't be waiting in vain for your reply.

10. Show Respect and Restraint

Many a flame war has been started by someone who hit "reply all" instead of "reply."

While most people know that email is not private, it is good form to ask the sender before forwarding a personal message. If someone emails you a request, it is perfectly acceptable to forward the request to a person who can help - but forwarding a message in order to ridicule the sender is tacky.

Use BCC instead of CC when sending sensitive information to large groups. (For example, a professor sending a bulk message to students who are in danger of failing, or an employer telling unsuccessful applicants that a position is no longer open.) The name of everyone in the CC list goes out with the message, but the names of people on the BCC list ("blind carbon copy") are hidden. Put your own name in the "To" box if your mail editor doesn't like the blank space.
Sometimes Email is Too Fast!
Be tolerant of other people's etiquette blunders. If you think you've been insulted, quote the line back to your sender and add a neutral comment such as, "I'm not sure how to interpret this... could you elaborate?"

A colleague once asked me for help, and then almost immediately sent a follow-up informing me she had solved the problem on her own.

But before reading her second message, I replied at length to the first. Once I learned that there was no need for any reply, I worried that my response would seem pompous, so I followed up with a quick apology:

"Should have paid closer attention to my email."

What I meant to say was "[I] should have looked more carefully at my[list of incoming] email [before replying]," but I could tell from my colleague's terse reply that she had interpreted it as if I was criticizing her.

If I hadn't responded so quickly to the first message, I would have saved myself the time I spent writing a long answer to an obsolete question. If I hadn't responded so quickly to the second message, I might not have alienated the person I had been so eager to help. -DGJ

Alsop, Stewart. "My Rules of Polite Digital Communication." Fortune. 142.2 (10 July 2000): p 76. Online. Academic Search Elite. 9 October 2000.

Cronin, Jennifer. "Netiquette, schmetiquette." Des Moines Business Record 16.24 (12 June 2000): p 11. Online. MasterFILE Premier. 9 October 2000.

"Email Etiquette." I Will Follow Services. 1997. <http://www.iwillfollow.com/emailetiquette.html>. 9 October 2000.

Nucifora, Alf. "Use etiquette when messaging via email." Memphis Business Journal 21.51 (14 April 2000): p23. Online. MasterFILE Premier. 9 October 2000.

Thorton, Sam. "Rules and Regulations: Email Etiquette." 29 April 1998. <http://www.lse.ac.uk/Depts/ITS/rules/email.htm>. 9 October
2000.

References & Further Reading

See Also

Surviving Group Projects in College: Helpful Tips.
What can you do to increase your chances of having a successful group project?

12 Dec 2000 - first submitted by Bauer
23 Jan 2001 - posted by Jerz
16 Feb 2001 - updated by Jerz
25 Oct 2001 - minor updates by Jerz
16 Apr 2003 - further updates & changes by Jerz
10 Jun 2004 - strengthened advice against attachments
28 Aug 2004 - trimmed a few minor redundancies
19 May 2008 - updated items 1-3
20 May 2008 - updated items 2-4
23 Jun 2008 - corrected typos identified by Bob Folline
04 Mar 2010 - adding considerations for mobile email users
08 Mar 2011 - formatting changes
20 Dec 2011 - changed "e-mail" to "email" throughout
03 May 2012- very minor tweaks
22 May 2013- updated info on attachments; minor tweaks to layout and phrasing
02 Jun 2015 - updated items 2&3; minor tweaks throughout
18 Jun 2017 - modest tweaks; added references to emojis; removed a dated reference to " PDAs "

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