EarniculumMost workplace English is written, and most of it is email. Getting this right matters more than any other single skill here.
The shape
- Subject line. Specific. Question tells the reader nothing; Question about the March invoice tells them whether to open it now.
- Greeting.
- Why you are writing. First sentence, not the fourth.
- The detail.
- What you want to happen. Explicit.
- Closing.
The most common failure is burying the request. If someone has to read three paragraphs to find out what you need, they will put it aside.
Greetings
| Situation | Greeting |
|---|---|
| Name unknown, formal | Dear Sir or Madam, |
| Name known, formal | Dear Ms Chen, |
| Standard professional | Dear Sarah, / Hi Sarah, |
| A colleague you know | Hi Sarah, / Hello Sarah, |
| A group | Hi all, / Dear colleagues, |
Dear Mr Smith uses the surname. Dear Mr John is wrong. If you do not know whether someone uses Ms or Mr, use their full name: Dear Alex Morgan.
Openings
```
I am writing to ask about ...
I am writing regarding ...
Thank you for your email of 3 March.
Further to our conversation yesterday, ...
I hope you are well. (standard, slightly empty, harmless)
```
Making a request
Directness rises down this list, and so does the pressure it puts on the reader.
```
I would be grateful if you could send ... (most formal)
Could you possibly send ...
Would you be able to send ...
Could you send ...
Please send ... (direct; fine internally)
```
Giving bad news
English softens this, and going straight in reads as blunt to a native ear.
```
Unfortunately, we are unable to ...
I am afraid that ...
Regrettably, ...
After careful consideration, we have decided ...
```
Chasing without annoying
```
I wanted to follow up on my email of 2 March.
Just checking in on this.
I appreciate you are busy, but I wondered whether you had had a chance to look at this.
Apologies if this has crossed with your reply.
```
Closings
| Greeting used | Closing |
|---|---|
| Dear Sir or Madam | Yours faithfully, (UK) |
| Dear Ms Chen | Yours sincerely, (UK) |
| Anything | Kind regards, / Best regards, |
| Informal | Best, / Thanks, |
Kind regards is safe almost everywhere and is what most professional email actually uses. American English tends to use Sincerely where British English distinguishes faithfully and sincerely.
Two errors that stand out
Attach and attached.
```
✓ Please find the report attached. ✓ I have attached the report.
✗ Please find attached herewith the report as per your request.
```
The second is old-fashioned business English and reads as stiff now.
Dates. 03/04/2026 is 3 April in the UK and 4 March in the US. Write the month: 3 April 2026. This is not pedantry; it causes real scheduling errors.
Tone in one comparison
```
Too blunt: Send me the figures.
Too padded: I would be extremely grateful if you might possibly find
the time to consider sending me the figures at some point.
Right: Could you send me the figures by Thursday? Thanks.
```
A deadline and a thank you. Most professional email is that simple.
Make the lesson usable
A useful workplace email makes purpose, action, and timing visible. Correct grammar matters, but readers experience structure first: why you are writing, what you need, the information required to act, and a courteous close.
Edit an email in four passes
- Underline the sentence stating the purpose; add one near the beginning if it is missing.
- Circle the requested action and owner, replacing vague language with a direct but polite verb.
- Check names, attachments, links, numbers, dates, and time zones separately from grammar.
- Remove repeated background and give each paragraph one function.
- Read the subject and first two sentences together; they should predict the required response.
Check your understanding
01Is direct language always impolite?
No. A clear request can be courteous when context and tone respect the reader.
02What should a subject line do?
Identify the topic and, when useful, the action or timing.
03Why check facts separately?
Perfect grammar cannot rescue the wrong date, attachment, or recipient.