Email Writing
Learn how the grammar of a greeting, request and closing shifts across an email, depending on the relationship between the writer and the reader.
Structure, shaped by relationship
An email’s grammar follows its structure and its audience.
Almost every email follows the same basic shape: a greeting, a body and a closing. What changes between emails is the register used within that shape, shaped by who is being addressed and why.
In the sentences Hi, quick one – can you send the file over? and Dear Ms. Chen, I would be grateful if you could send the file at your earliest convenience., both make the same request, but the choice of greeting, phrasing and closing reflects two very different relationships.
Recognising the grammatical patterns tied to each part of an email helps match the tone of the message to the situation it is written for.
Before you begin
Email writing builds on the general distinction between formal and informal English.
This lesson assumes familiarity with the features of formal and informal English in general. If that distinction needs review, begin there before working through the email-specific structure below.
The central idea
The same request can be shaped by two different registers.
Compare the same request written for a colleague and for someone unfamiliar.
01
Informal
A short greeting, a direct request, a casual sign-off.
Hi, quick one – can you send the file over?
02
Formal
A full greeting, an indirect request, a formal sign-off.
Dear Ms. Chen, I would be grateful if you could send the file at your earliest convenience.
Every part of the email shifts together.
Register generally stays consistent from greeting to closing. A formal greeting paired with a casual sign-off, or the reverse, tends to read as inconsistent.
Greetings
The greeting sets the register for the rest of the email.
Formal, with a title and surname
Dear Ms. Chen,
Formal, when the name is unknown
Dear Sir or Madam,
Informal, with a first name
Hi Sarah,
First names, and greetings like Hi and Hello, generally suit colleagues or people already known to the writer.
Making requests
Formal requests generally use modal verbs to add distance and politeness.
A direct request
Can you send me the file?
A more indirect request
Could you please send me the file?
The most indirect request
I would be grateful if you could send me the file.
Each version makes the same request; the choice depends on how much distance and formality the relationship calls for.
Sign-offs
The closing should match the register set by the greeting.
Formal sign-offs
Yours sincerely, (when the name of the reader is known)
Yours faithfully, (when addressed to “Sir or Madam”)
Neutral, everyday sign-offs
Best regards,
Suitable for most professional emails, regardless of how well the reader is known.
Informal sign-offs
Thanks, / Speak soon,
Subject lines
Subject lines are usually phrases, not full sentences.
A noun phrase, without a verb
Full sentence: I wanted to ask you about the meeting time.
Subject line: Meeting time this week
Subject lines generally summarise the topic as a short phrase, rather than forming a complete grammatical sentence.
A useful decision guide
Ask who the reader is, and keep the register consistent throughout.
01
Is the reader unfamiliar, or in a position of authority?
Use a full greeting, an indirect request and a formal sign-off.
02
Is the reader a familiar colleague?
A first-name greeting, a direct request and a neutral sign-off generally fit.
03
Does the register shift partway through the email?
Adjust the greeting, body or sign-off so the whole email reads consistently.
Common mistakes
Do not mix a formal greeting with an informal sign-off, or the reverse.
Mismatched greeting and sign-off.
Not: Dear Ms. Chen, … Thanks!
Correct: Dear Ms. Chen, … Best regards,
A formal greeting generally calls for a matching, more formal sign-off.
Using “Yours sincerely” without a name.
Not: Dear Sir or Madam, … Yours sincerely,
Correct: Dear Sir or Madam, … Yours faithfully,
“Yours sincerely” pairs with a named greeting; “Yours faithfully” pairs with “Dear Sir or Madam.”
Writing the subject line as a full sentence.
Not: I wanted to ask you about the meeting time.
Correct: Meeting time this week
A subject line generally summarises the topic briefly, rather than repeating the email’s opening sentence.
Check your understanding
Is the email written consistently?
Choose the correct answer for each example.
Which sign-off matches the greeting “Dear Sir or Madam,”?
✅ Exactly! “Yours faithfully” pairs with “Dear Sir or Madam.”
❎ Not quite. Check which sign-off pairs with a greeting that has no name.
“Yours sincerely” needs a named greeting.
Which subject line is more appropriate for an email?
✅ Exactly! Subject lines are usually short phrases, not full sentences.
❎ Not quite. Check whether each option forms a complete sentence.
Which request is more appropriate in a formal email to someone unfamiliar?
✅ Exactly! The more indirect phrasing suits a formal, unfamiliar relationship.
❎ Not quite. Both are correct requests; think about which fits an unfamiliar reader.
“Dear Ms. Chen, … Thanks!” Is the register consistent throughout this email?
✅ Exactly! Register generally stays consistent from greeting to closing.
❎ Not quite. Compare the formality of “Dear Ms. Chen” with “Thanks!”
Choose the best explanation
Select the sentence that explains the email convention correctly.
Why does “I would be grateful if you could send me the file” sound more formal than “Can you send me the file?”
✅ Exactly! Indirectness is one of the clearest markers of a formal request.
❎ Not quite. Both requests are grammatically correct; think about the tone each creates.
Why does “Yours sincerely” pair specifically with a named greeting, while “Yours faithfully” pairs with “Dear Sir or Madam”?
✅ Exactly! This pairing is a set convention, similar to fixed prepositions elsewhere in English.
❎ Not quite. Think about what changes between the two greetings each sign-off pairs with.
Why is “Meeting time this week” preferred over a full sentence as a subject line?
✅ Exactly! A subject line’s job is to summarise, not to state a complete thought.
❎ Not quite. Think about what a subject line is meant to do, compared with the body of the email.
Try it another way
Complete each part of the email with the correct word or phrase.
Type the missing word or words shown in brackets.
✅ Exactly! “Yours faithfully” pairs with “Dear Sir or Madam.”
❎ Not quite. Think of the sign-off used when the reader’s name is unknown.
✅ Exactly! “Could” completes this formal, indirect request.
❎ Not quite. Use the more formal modal verb here.
✅ Exactly! “Hi Sarah” fits a familiar, informal relationship.
❎ Not quite. Use an informal greeting with a first name.
Edit the sentence
Rewrite each part of the email to match the register requested.
Use the note in brackets to decide what needs to change.
I wanted to ask you about the meeting time. (rewrite as a subject line)
✅ Exactly! A short phrase replaces the full sentence.
❎ Not quite. Shorten the sentence to a brief phrase summarising the topic.
Can you send me the file? (rewrite as a more indirect request)
✅ Exactly! “Could you please” adds distance and politeness to the request.
❎ Not quite. Replace “Can you” with a more indirect modal phrase.
Dear Ms. Chen, … Thanks! (correct the mismatched sign-off)
✅ Exactly! “Best regards” matches the formality of “Dear Ms. Chen.”
❎ Not quite. Replace “Thanks!” with a more formal sign-off.
Quick review
Every part of an email follows the register set by the greeting.
Greetings range from a title and surname to a first name, depending on familiarity.
Requests become more indirect, using modal verbs, as formality increases.
Sign-offs should match the greeting: “Yours sincerely” with a name, “Yours faithfully” with “Sir or Madam.”
Subject lines are usually short phrases, not full sentences.
Register should stay consistent across the greeting, body and sign-off of the same email.
Remember
Let the reader decide the register, and keep it consistent throughout.
Once the relationship with the reader is clear, the greeting, the phrasing of any requests, and the sign-off should all follow that same level of formality, from the first line to the last.