Versión de HTML Básico
Find examples in the emails on pages 12 and 13 to complete the table.
More formal
Less formal (or informal)
salutations
Dear Mr Braithwaite
Hey Gary !
& closes
phrases &
inform
Just a note to tell you …
vocabulary
abbreviations,
:-)
etc.
14
UNIT
2
Formal & informal emails
3
Register
T I P
The register of an email (how formal or informal it is) depends on the type of message you are
writing and who you are writing to. So an email about rescheduling a meeting might be less
formal than an enquiry or an apology. Similarly, an email to a new customer or the CEO of your
company would probably be more formal than an email to an old customer or a colleague.
You can tell how formal an email is by its …
Salutation & close:
See
TIP
on page 7.
Colloquial phrases:
These are phrases normally used in conversation which make an email less
formal. Examples are
How’s it going?
for
How are you?
or
See ya
for
See you later.
See page 34
for more examples.
Vocabulary:
The words and expressions used in an email can make it formal or informal.
Some examples are:
formal
to receive to inform to assist
to contact
less formal
to get
to tell
to help
to get in touch
Abbreviations:
The use of abbreviations and symbols (
eg
for
for example
,
info
for
information
and
&
for
and)
are more common in informal emails, although some standard abbreviations used
in letter-writing – like
asap
– are also found in formal emails.
Emoticons:
These written forms of body language or gesture are often used in less formal emails
to help the recipient understand exactly what you mean.