§ English for Academic Purposes – Bacherman.D, Boddicker, A., Boylan, S, Graham, T & Hart J.

§ IAE for IT – Writing Professional E-mails

Writing Professional E-mails

Introduction to Academic English

for IT Students

Week 1

http://www.adweek.com

Name: ............................................................................................................... Section

1 § English for Academic Purposes – Bacherman.D, Boddicker, A., Boylan, S, Graham, T & Hart J.

§ IAE for IT – Writing Professional E-mails

Task 1 Read the e-mail below from a student to a teacher. Is it more informal or formal? What are the problems? Work with a partner and make a list below.

To: JaneSeymour@uaeu.ac.ae Cc: Subject: IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!!!!!

HI TEACHER I DON’T UNDERSTAND THE HOMEWORK WHERE YOUR OFFICE.

I AM COMING FOR HELP.

Mariam

1. 5.

2. 6.

3. 7.

4. 8.

Name: ............................................................................................................... Section

2 § English for Academic Purposes – Bacherman.D, Boddicker, A., Boylan, S, Graham, T & Hart J.

§ IAE for IT – Writing Professional E-mails

Task 2 Now, read a different version of the same e-mail. Is it more informal or formal? How is it different from the first example? Work with a partner and make notes below.

To: JaneSeymour@uaeu.ac.ae Cc: Subject: Request for help on homework Dear Dr. Seymour, I am writing because I am having difficulty completing the homework that you assigned on Monday. Would you be able to meet me to answer some questions that I have about the assignment? Thank you very much. I hope to hear from you soon. Sincerely, Mariam Al Shehhi Student Number: 201699999 Faculty: IT

Notes: ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

Name: ............................................................................................................... Section

3 § English for Academic Purposes – Bacherman.D, Boddicker, A., Boylan, S, Graham, T & Hart J.

§ IAE for IT – Writing Professional E-mails

Components of a Professional E-mail

When sending e-mails in an academic or business setting, certain information should be included: 1. E-mail Subject (short / to the point)

• Request for help on homework • Meeting this week • Request for a reservation

2. Greeting

• Dear Dr. Hamad, • Dear Mr. or Ms. Salah, • Dear Sir or Madam, • To Whom It May Concern,

3. State your purpose for writing (be specific with dates / times)

• I am writing because I am having difficulty with the homework. • I am writing to confirm my availability this Thursday at 10:00 am. • I would like to make a reservation at your hotel for this coming Friday, July 21st.

4. Request / Main Message (be specific with dates / times)

• Would you be able to meet with me this Tuesday, October 19th to go over the assignment?

• Could you please let me know if April 16th at 9:00 am is still a suitable time for you to meet with our group?

• Do you have rooms available on that day? 5. Closing Remarks

• Thank you very much. I look forward to hearing from you. • Thank you, and I hope to see you this Thursday. • Thank you very much and have a pleasant week.

6. Sign-off

• Sincerely, • Yours sincerely, • Yours faithfully, • Regards, • Yours truly,

7. Signature Block

• When e-mailing your professor, include: o full name o student number o class section number

Name: ............................................................................................................... Section

4 § English for Academic Purposes – Bacherman.D, Boddicker, A., Boylan, S, Graham, T & Hart J.

§ IAE for IT – Writing Professional E-mails

Other Helpful Phrases Attaching Files

• I am attaching my proposal for your consideration. • Please find my homework attached. • I am sending you my details as an attachment.

Apologizing

• I am sorry for being late to class this morning. • Please accept my apology for any inconvenience this may have caused. • I am afraid that I will not be able to attend the meeting this week. • I would like to apologize for submitting my report two days late this week.

Complaining

• I am writing to complain about…. • I am interested to hear how your company can compensate us for…. • I would like to receive a refund for….

Additional Tips

• Do not use contractions or slang. These should be saved for informal writing.

• Be careful of your tone. Different cultures approach language differently; some cultures are very direct, but this can cause offense to a person from a culture that prefers more indirect language.

o Examples:

§ Direct: I need to see you in my office in one hour. § Indirect: Would it be possible for you to come to my office in an hour?

§ Direct: This is a bad idea. § Indirect: I have some concerns about this idea.

Other Tips for Writing Effective E-mails

1. Keep information short, clear, and to the point. 2. Organize your ideas. 3. Keep e-mails polite and structured. 4. Use correct spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.

Name: ............................................................................................................... Section

5 § English for Academic Purposes – Bacherman.D, Boddicker, A., Boylan, S, Graham, T & Hart J.

§ IAE for IT – Writing Professional E-mails

Task 3: Labeling an E-mail

Read the e-mail you looked at in Task 2 and label the 7 components of a professional e-mail. Label the e-mail with numbers 1 – 7 (use page 3 as a guide).

.

Notes: ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

To: JaneSeymour@uaeu.ac.ae Cc: Subject: Request for help on homework Dear Dr. Seymour, I am writing because I am having difficulty completing the homework that you assigned on Monday (Section 555). Would you be able to meet me to answer some questions that I have about the assignment? Thank you very much. I hope to hear from you soon. Sincerely, Mariam Al Shehhi Student Number: 201699999 Faculty: IT

Numbers 1 - 7:

Name: ............................................................................................................... Section

6 § English for Academic Purposes – Bacherman.D, Boddicker, A., Boylan, S, Graham, T & Hart J.

§ IAE for IT – Writing Professional E-mails

Task 4: Writing an E-mail Write an e-mail to your instructor explaining why you will need to miss a class. Indicate that you are attaching a document (related to your reason for missing class). From: __________________________________________________________ To: __________________________________________________________ Subject: __________________________________________________________ ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………

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Name: ............................................................................................................... Section

7 § English for Academic Purposes – Bacherman.D, Boddicker, A., Boylan, S, Graham, T & Hart J.

§ IAE for IT – Writing Professional E-mails

Task 5: Replying to an E-mail

Imagine that you are the instructor. Write an e-mail response to your e-mail in Task 4. Explain how instructors cannot remove absences, and give instructions on how to submit documentation to Student Services.

From: __________________________________________________________ To: __________________________________________________________ Subject: __________________________________________________________ ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………

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Name: ............................................................................................................... Section

8 § English for Academic Purposes – Bacherman.D, Boddicker, A., Boylan, S, Graham, T & Hart J.

§ IAE for IT – Writing Professional E-mails

Task 6: Writing a Complaint E-mail

Imagine that you have purchased a product (i.e. cell phone, laptop, camera) and it is not working properly. Write to the company or store where you purchased the item.

• Use specific language to express a complaint (see page 4). • Remember to explain what the problem with the product is. Be specific! • Explain what action you would like the company to take. From: __________________________________________________________ To: __________________________________________________________ Subject: __________________________________________________________ ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………

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Name: ............................................................................................................... Section

9 § English for Academic Purposes – Bacherman.D, Boddicker, A., Boylan, S, Graham, T & Hart J.

§ IAE for IT – Writing Professional E-mails

Task 7: Responding to a Complaint

Exchange your complaint e-mails with a partner.

1. Imagine that you are the company who is replying to the complaint. 2. Write a response to the complaint email. 3. Remember to state what action your company will take.

From: __________________________________________________________ To: __________________________________________________________ Subject: __________________________________________________________ ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………

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Name: ............................................................................................................... Section

10 § English for Academic Purposes – Bacherman.D, Boddicker, A., Boylan, S, Graham, T & Hart J.

§ IAE for IT – Writing Professional E-mails

Task 8: Peer Editing

Look at your partner’s response to your email. Did your partner remember the following?

Component √ or X Notes

1 Subject

2 Greeting

3 Purpose

4 Request / Main Message

5 Closing

6 Sign-off

7 Signature Block

Is the message: √ or X Notes clear?

organized?

polite?

correct?

Name: ............................................................................................................... Section

11 § English for Academic Purposes – Bacherman.D, Boddicker, A., Boylan, S, Graham, T & Hart J.

§ IAE for IT – Writing Professional E-mails

Task 9: Creating an E-mail Signature

Keep your e-mail signature:

• short (4 to 5 lines) • informative (all contact information) • professional (no pictures / quotes / animations)

Task 9: Creating an E-mail Signature

1. Click on the ‘Settings’ tab

2.  Click on ‘Mail’

IAEB:&Bacherman,&Boddicker,&Boylan,&Graham,&Hart&

17&

Task 9: Creating an E-mail Signature

3. Click on ‘Email Signature’

IAEB:&Bacherman,&Boddicker,&Boylan,&Graham,&Hart&

18&

Name: ............................................................................................................... Section

12 § English for Academic Purposes – Bacherman.D, Boddicker, A., Boylan, S, Graham, T & Hart J.

§ IAE for IT – Writing Professional E-mails

MariamAlShehhiStudentNumber:201699999Faculty:IT