THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO
READING AND WRITING EMAILS IN ENGLISH
How to read difficult emails
written by someone who
writes English as a 2
nd
language and
How to write emails in English
language like a pro
A publication of
How to understand
“difficult to read emails”
that have been written in
English as a 2
nd
Language, and
How to write emails in English
when English is your 2
nd
language.
Is this the right eBook for you? English for Emails comes in two levels of
knowledge capacity. Review the two descriptions below to see if this eBook is
the one the best matches your level of English language use.
www.kaojaienglishschool.com
[email protected]
Introduction
This eBook is designed give you some
basic tools and tips to reading emails
that have been written in English as a
2
nd

nd
language.
This problem is compounded when both the writer of the email and the reader
of the email message are both using English as a 2
nd
language.
So Brian has developed the “English For Emails” training course that will have
you and your staff communicating email messages (both inbound and
outbound), with understanding and efficiency. As they say time is money and
confusion is lost profits.
www.kaojaienglishschool.com
[email protected]

Table of Contents
Introduction 2
Intermediate 2
The Purpose and Benefit of this eBook 5
Getting Started 5
Email Structure 6
Sample of a well written email message: 8
Register 9
Using Polite Language 11
Talking About Deadlines and Taking Action
12
Colloquial Phrases and Contractions 13
Being Diplomatic 14
Prepositions of Time
(Western Time Culture)
15
Reading “Difficult” Email Messages 16

4
www.kaojaienglishschool.com
[email protected]
“The main problem is
when both the writer
and receiver of a
message are using
English as a 2
nd
language.”
Email Structure
One of the advantages of emails over
normal mail (snail-mail) letters is that they
are quick and direct. We send an email for
a particular purpose and we expect a fast
response or immediate action.
For emails, whether formal or informal, to be most effective, it is a good idea
to give them a clear, logical structure.
Subject Line: This should be short and give some specific information about
the contents of your message.
Salutations: As in letter writing, the salutations can be formal or informal,
depending on how well you know the person you are writing to.
Dear Mr, Mrs, Ms - A formal form of address, also used when first contacting
a person.
Dear John - Less formal, either you have had contact with this person before,
or they have already addressed you by your first name.
Hi or Hello Mary (or just the name) - Informal, usually used with colleagues
you often work with. In the U.S.A. and the U.K. also sometimes used at first
contact.
With no salutation - Very informal, usually used in messages which are part

Salutations: Dear Sir,
Opening Sentence: I am writing to you about your English for Emails
course.
Message Body: I heard about you new course and would like to receive
more information. Can you please email the
information package to me?
Conclusion: I am looking forward to your reply and the information
about the course.
Close: Regards, Brian McCarthy 7
www.kaojaienglishschool.com
[email protected]
Register
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 and Close: see the previous section regarding
email structure for more information.
Colloquial Phrases: These are phrases normally used in
conversation which make an email less formal.
Examples are:
How’s it going? or How are you? or See you later.
Vocabulary: The words and expressions used in an email can make it formal
or informal.
Some examples are:

10
www.kaojaienglishschool.com
[email protected]
Talking About Deadlines and Taking
Action
The present perfect is used to talk about deadlines and whether or not they
have been met. It is also used to describe the status of tasks in progress.
Have you coordinated your team & their results yet?
I’ve already contacted my team and they have just finished their sales
figures.
Adverbs like yet, already, or just are often used with the present perfect in
this type of sentence.
Have you sent in your registration for the conference yet?
Sorry, I haven’t written the report yet.
I’ve already sent in the registration form.
We’ve just received the order.
In American English the simple past is used instead of the present perfect with
the signal words above. There is no difference in meaning.
Did you send in your registration yet?
The “will” future tense is used in replies to emails requesting action to say
what the writer will do and when. Note that the contracted form (‘ll instead of
will) is used.
You’ll have it on your desk by 4 May.
Sorry, but I haven’t sent it yet. I’ll do it straight away. 11
www.kaojaienglishschool.com
[email protected]
Colloquial Phrases and Contractions
Colloquial phrases
When English native speakers write to each other as close business
acquaintances they often use colloquial phrases like the low-down, to chase

13
www.kaojaienglishschool.com
[email protected]
Prepositions of Time
(Western Time Culture)
Some cultures tend to emphasize the value of time more
than other cultures. This can be seen in the prevalence of
clocks and watches, for example.”What time is it” is a
question taught early on in foreign language and ESL
classes.
Lateness of more than ten minutes to an appointment generally requires some
sort of explanation and apology. We even speak of time in terms of money,
“to spend time” “to waste time” “to save time” and even ‘time is money”.
Prepositions of Time
On days of the week
on Sunday / Friday
on the weekend (American)
At definite times, holidays
periods
at 5 o’clock, at 2:30 p.m.
at midnight
at the end of the week / month
at the Weekend (Australia, UK)
at Easter / Christmas
at the moment
(not: in the moment)
In time periods
in the morning / afternoon
in June / August
in five minutes

misunderstanding and even prevent arguments with customers, suppliers and
colleagues.
Emotion: Filtering out the emotion of an email that is from an unhappy
customer or an unhappy colleague can help you to not get emotionally
involved and help you to protect the relationship you have with the other
person. 15
www.kaojaienglishschool.com
[email protected]
Questions and Answers: When you just don’t understand a message, it’s
best to write an email back to the writer to check for understanding. Never say
“I don’t understand your message” rather take a couple of the keywords and
write back confirming what you believe the message is about. Sometimes
asking for more information can provide you with the information you need to
fully understand the customer or colleagues email message.
Ask questions and give answers that keep the
conversation in a positive mood. This is most important
for client relationships and future business. And of
course there’s ways to “not” to ask questions and give
answers too!
Polite Language: Again filtering language that may not seem polite to you is
the best way to understanding the email message. Also remember that
sometimes these words have different meanings in different cultures.
Whenever you’re reading a confusing email message first step is
to pause and think about what the writer is really trying to say.
Give yourself time to get a clear picture of the message.
“The number one rule is to always use positive language… even when you
have to say something negative.”
16
www.kaojaienglishschool.com
[email protected]

Always ask yourself these questions:
Did I take note of the keywords or key phrases?
Have I answered or asked the right questions?
Have I left my emotion out of the message?
Did I follow the email structure rules?
Am I using polite language?
After reading this eBook, you should have a better understanding of how to
read email messages that have been written by someone who writes in
English as a 2
nd
language.
You should also be able to respond to an email message or write a new email
message using correct structure, easy to understand language and keep you
message in a positive mood.
For additional information regarding our courses use these links below:
English for Emails
English for Meetings
English for Presentations

18
www.kaojaienglishschool.com
[email protected]