Writing Formal Emails

PHRASES FOR GAP FILL


  • bullet points
  • I’m writing
  • I regret to inform you
  • You’ll be pleased to hear
  • I’d be grateful
  • I look forward to
  • Kind regards
  • do not hesitate to contact me
  • You’ll see
  • Please accept my apologies
  • Please find below

Dear students,   My name’s Charlie Allen and I teach Business English here at SGI in London. (1) because many of my students have problems writing formal emails, so I am using this as an opportunity to help. (2) if you could fill in the gaps with one of the words/phrases above, so that the email makes sense. Hopefully after doing this exercise you’ll have learnt some useful phrases and will feel more confident when writing formal emails at work. (3) that for this sentence I’ve started a new paragraph. Just like in your language, we do this in English when changing the subject. It’s a good way of breaking up the text to make it more manageable for the reader, and looks much more professional. As you may have noticed, I started the email making it clear who I was and why I was writing. That is also very common. We can also use (4), such as for the following tips:

  • Keep a word document of useful phrases for emails so you don’t have to remember them every time
  • Copy the style and formality of the email you are responding to
  • Bullet points don’t require commas at the end

(5) for the delay in writing this blog entry. I’ve been very busy at work, and so haven’t had much time. (6) that there’ll be more Business English entries in the future, so make sure you check the blog regularly. (7) space to write your comments. This is a fantastic opportunity to practise your English, by asking questions about writing formal emails, or telling me if you’ve used any of the phrases you’ve learnt from this blog entry. (8) that there aren’t any attachments with this letter, but hope that it has been useful nonetheless. Please (9) with your queries and comments. (10) meeting you here at SGI soon. (11), Charlie Allen

Answer Key:

Dear students, My name’s Charlie Allen and I teach Business English here at SGI in London. I’m writing because many of my students have problems writing formal emails, so I am using this as an opportunity to help. I’d be grateful if you could fill in the gaps with one of the words/phrases above, so that the email makes sense. Hopefully after doing this exercise you’ll have learnt some useful phrases and will feel more confident when writing formal emails at work. You’ll see that for this sentence I’ve started a new paragraph. Just like in your language, we do this in English when changing the subject. It’s a good way of breaking up the text to make it more manageable for the reader, and looks much more professional. As you may have noticed, I started the email making it clear who I was and why I was writing. That is also very common. We can also use bullet points, such as for the following tips:

  • Keep a word document of useful phrases for emails so you don’t have to remember them every time
  • Copy the style and formality of the email you are responding to
  • Bullet points don’t require commas at the end

Please accept my apologies for the delay in writing this blog entry. I’ve been very busy at work, and so haven’t had much time. You’ll be pleased to hear that there’ll be more Business English entries in the future, so make sure you check the blog regularly. Please find below space to write your comments. This is a fantastic opportunity to practise your English, by asking questions about writing formal emails, or telling me if you’ve used any of the phrases you’ve learnt from this blog entry. I regret to inform you that there aren’t any attachments with this letter, but hope that it has been useful nonetheless. Please do not hesitate to contact me with your queries and comments. I look forward to meeting you here at SGI soon. Kind regards, Charlie Allen

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