Writing formal emails - phrases and structure

'Dear' is suitable in a formal salutation

• True

• False

'Mr' is used for:

• Men

• Married women

• Unmarried women

• Women in general

'Mrs' is used for:

• Men (more than one)

• Married women

• Unmarried women

• Women in general

'Ms' is used for:

• Men

• Married women

• Unmarried women

• A woman/Women in general

If you know the recipient is John Smith, the most conventional formal salutation is:

• Hey John!

• Dear Sir or Madam,

• Dear Mr Smith,

• Dear Mr John Smith,

Which is NOT a good option if you don't know the (sur)name of the recipient, who works at Tololo?

• Try to find their name, eg. on a website

• Dear Sir or Madam,

• Dear Tololo,

• To whom it may concern:

Which option is NOT suitable for the opening sentence?

• Thank the other person

• Introduce yourself (if the person doesn't know you)

• Explain the purpose of your message

• Explain the details of the topic

If you represent Inacap, you could say:

• I am writing to Inacap to confirm the information which you sent us.

• I am writing on behalf of Inacap to confirm the information which you sent us.

• I am writing as Inacap to confirm the information which you sent us.

• Inacap wanted me to write to you to confirm the information which you sent us.

If I want to ask questions about a job, I could say:

• I am writing to inform you about the position of Junior Translator advertised on your website.

• I am writing to enquire about the position of Junior Translator advertised on your website.

• I want to know about the position of Junior Translator advertised on your website.

• Tell me about the position of Junior Translator advertised on your website.

The first paragraph should generally be:

• Quite short

• Long - it needs to contain all the information.

• The most detailed paragraph of your email