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Develop Your Professional English Writing
Our Business English courses cover professional emails, reports, proposals and written communication — tailored to your industry and role.
Book a Free ConsultationA well-written professional email in English makes a strong impression and achieves its purpose. A poorly written one creates confusion, damages your professional image and often requires a follow-up email to clarify. Here is exactly how to get it right.
Specific and informative. "Q3 Budget Review — Request for Input by Friday 18 July" not "Meeting".
Match formality to your relationship. "Dear Mr Smith," (formal, first contact) / "Dear James," (established relationship) / "Hi James," (informal, familiar).
State your purpose immediately. Do not write "I hope this email finds you well" — go directly to your reason for writing.
One idea per paragraph. Short paragraphs. Clear and direct language. If you need the recipient to do something, make it explicit.
Be specific: "Could you please confirm your availability by Thursday 17 July?" not "Let me know what you think."
"Kind regards," (standard professional) / "Best regards," (slightly warmer) / "Yours sincerely," (formal, named recipient) / "Yours faithfully," (formal, unnamed recipient).
Most professional emails should be 100–200 words. If it is longer, ask yourself if it should be a meeting instead.
Mixing formal and informal language is jarring. Decide on your register and maintain it throughout.
The recipient should know within two sentences why you are writing and what you need from them.
Phrases like "As per my previous email..." or "Please see my earlier message..." come across as passive aggressive in English. Rephrase positively.
Here are some reliable, natural-sounding phrases for professional English emails:
I am writing to enquire about... / Following our conversation on Tuesday... / Thank you for your email of 14 July...
Could you please... / I would be grateful if you could... / Would it be possible to...
Thank you for bringing this to my attention. / I am happy to confirm that... / I apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. / I look forward to hearing from you. / Thank you for your time and consideration.
A well-written professional email in English makes a strong impression and achieves its purpose. A poorly written one creates confusion, damages your professional image and often requires a follow-up email to clarify. Here is exactly how to get it right.
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Book a Free Consultation
Our Business English courses cover professional emails, reports, proposals and written communication — tailored to your industry and role.
Book a Free Consultation