The first line in an email is vital! We'll show you how to introduce the subject and say why we are writing the email. First impressions are important, so we need to have an effective first line to ensure the recipient is paying attention!
Welcome (back) to this course on writing professional emails in English. In this class we look at how to start an email.
It's often a good idea to use the first line in your email to introduce the subject, to say WHY we are writing.
Here are two simple ways to start the first line:
For example:
With verbs we use the second form:
When we refer to a previous email, we use "I'm writing in reference to...". For example:
In general this form is considered formal.
We can use a shorter form of the previous example without changing the meaning:
So, for example:
In BE23 we always recommend that you use shorter, simpler sentences wherever possible!
In a less formal email we can start with 'regarding':
This form is short but effective.
Notice how the sentence is divided into two clauses by the comma. We do not start a separate sentence.
Let's take a look at a model email which uses this opening line:
Hello Jane
Regarding your meeting with Sarah last week, I'm very disappointed to hear that you have raised your prices again this year. Unfortunately, we just can not accept these continual price increases. Could you please call me urgently to discuss the matter?Best regards,
Stan Gibbs
In general we start emails with 'Regarding...' when we want to get to the point quickly.
This is something which we will do very often. We've already seen an example:
We can also shorten these forms with
For example:
This short form has an abbreviation which you will probably have seen before:
It's often used in the title line of an email, but it can be used as the first line in the body of the email as well.
In fact, this abbreviated form can be used with almost any noun:
Alternatively, you may want to start the email by introducing yourself:
We usually add information about our position and/or company:
This is a great way to start an email if we don't know the recipient, and particularly, if the recipient doesn't know who we are. These first lines are great for both formal and informal emails.
When we introduce ourselves in an email we don't use "I am + NAME" or "I'm + NAME". Instead we use "My name is + NAME" or "My name's + NAME":
Incorrect: I'm John Gibbs and I'm a doctor...
Correct: My name is John Gibbs and I'm a doctor...
If you are an architect you might present yourself like this:
Notice how we use the ING form?
*PR = Public Relations
Examples from other sectors:
*We use 'the' if our position is unique, if we are the only one in our company. Otherwise, we use the indefinite article 'a':
If we are a student applying for an internship or for our first job we might start the email like this:
Let's take a look at emails which use the phrases that we have learnt in this class:
Dear Arthur,
My name is John Gibbs and I'm a doctor at London City Hospital. I'm writing regarding your current advertising campaign.
...
Best regards,
Dr. John Gibbs
Introducing ourselves by email is a huge area, so we have written a special class on the subject, here. As always, the class has lots of example emails which you are welcome to copy and use.