VOA慢速英语2020--How to Write a Good Email

Email is one of the most important ways through which we communicate. It has become part of most everyone's day-to-day life.

Writing a good email can mean the difference between someone reading it and writing back, and someone ignoring it all together. Do you have questions on how to make your message more effective?

Today on Education Tips, we will answer the question, "How can I make my emails better?"

Emails are made up of four different parts:

the subject line,

the opening,

the body, and

the closing.

Let us explore how to make each of these parts better.

Subject line

The subject line is what the other person, or receiver, will read first. The subject line is usually the most important part of an email. It should be short but contain enough details that the receiver recognizes the subject of the email. A good subject line sets the expectations for the email. A bad subject line can mean the receiver will not read the email.

Some people will add the word "important" to the subject line, but this does not provide enough information. Instead of writing "important," two better choices for subject lines are:

Meeting Tomorrow at 10am to Discuss New Changes

Question About Future Classes

Opening an email

As in any form of writing, you should know your audience. The opening of an email depends on things like how formal the relationship is.

If you are sending an email to a friend or someone you work with, two good openings or greetings are:

Good Morning/Afternoon,

Hello, or Hello [name],

If you are sending the email to someone you do not know and it is a formal situation, some possible openings are:

Dear [name of department],

To Whom it May Concern,

In a formal situation, when you know the name of the person, a good opening is simply:

Dear [title] [family name],

As in, Dear Mister¹ Brown,

Body

The body of the email is where you ask for what you need or make clear your reason for writing the email. This could be asking them a question or keeping them informed. The body of the email should prioritize the most important information. It should be direct², and it is wise to keep it short.

If the person you are emailing does not know you, you should introduce yourself in the first few lines. You might write:

My name is Patricia Jones. I am sending this email to get some more information about the job you advertised³.

After you have introduced yourself and given your reason for writing, you can follow this with the body of your email. The most important information should come first. This makes your email clear to your receiver and saves them time. Here is an example.

I wanted to know if you are currently⁴ accepting applications. If so, where can I send my information? Additionally, will you be meeting people in-person or online?

It is important to clearly explain yourself in as few words as possible. Try to keep your email short, but polite. This is important because you want to make yourself clear to your receiver.

Closings

The last part to a good email is the closing. It is usually one or two words that let the receiver know that this is the end of the email. The ending should include your name and tell the receiver where you work and what you do. A few different closings are:

Kind regards,

Best,

Thank you,

Some applications create an automatic⁵ signature⁶ for the sender. This is useful because it saves time when you are writing.

Example email

So, what does a completed email look like? Here is an example email:

If you follow these suggestions, you will find that you receive more responses to your emails. Effective email writing is important especially now when so much of what we do is online.

Words in This Story

audience – n. the people who watch, read, or listen to something

formal – adj. of language: suitable⁷ for serious or official speech and writing

prioritize – v. to make (something) the most important thing in a group

introduce – v. to make (someone) known⁸ to someone else by name

application – n. formal and usually written request for something (such as a job, admission⁹ to a school, a loan¹⁰, or such

polite – adj. having or showing good manners¹¹ or respect for other people

automatic – adj. of a machine or device¹²: having controls that allow something to work or happen without being directly¹³ controlled by a person

signature – n. a person's name written in that person's handwriting or, on an electronic¹⁴ message, the person's name and other contact information

response – n. something that is said or written as a reply to something

1 mister   

n.(略作Mr.全称很少用于书面)先生

参考例句：

• Mister Smith is my good friend.史密斯先生是我的好朋友。
• He styled himself " Mister Clean ".他自称是“清廉先生”。

2 direct   

adj.直接的；直达的；v.指挥；知道；监督；管理

参考例句：

• This train is direct,you do not have to change.这辆火车是直达的，你不必换车。
• The army is under the king's direct command.军队由国王直接统帅。

3 advertised   

v.公布( advertise的过去式和过去分词 )；宣传；展现；宣传（自己的事）

参考例句：

• The news of his appointment filtered out before it was officially advertised. 他被任命的消息在还没正式公布前就被透漏出去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They advertised their goods. 他们为他们的商品做广告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

5 automatic   

adj.自动的；不经思考的，习惯性的；当然的

参考例句：

• Breathing is an automatic function of the body.呼吸是身体的一种无意识的功能。
• Modern trains have automatic doors.现代火车装有自动门。

6 signature   

n.签名，署名，信号

参考例句：

• Make sure that you get it down and his signature on it.你一定要把它记下来，并让他在上面签字。
• Each person's signature is unique.每个人的签名都是独一无二的。

7 suitable   

adj.合适的，适当的，适宜的

参考例句：

• Tomorrow will be quite suitable.明天挺合适。
• Is she suitable for the job?她适于做这工作吗？

8 known   

adj.大家知道的；知名的，已知的

参考例句：

• He is a known artist.他是一个知名的艺术家。
• He is known both as a painter and as a statesman.他是知名的画家及政治家。

9 admission   

n.允许进入；承认；入场费，入会费，入场券

参考例句：

• We attached a condition to his admission to our school.我们对准许他入校附加了一个条件。
• By her own admission,she was responsible for the accident.她自己承认，事故应该由她负责。

10 loan   

n.贷款；借出的东西；借；vt.借出；贷予

参考例句：

• I asked the bank to help me with a loan.我请银行给我一笔贷款。
• Has the bank okayed your request for a loan?银行批准你的贷款要求了吗？

11 manners   

n.礼貌；规矩

参考例句：

• You should mend your manners.你的态度应当纠正。
• His manners are rough,but he is a kind man at heart.他虽然举止粗鲁，但心地善良。

12 device   

n.器械，装置；计划，策略，诡计

参考例句：

• The device will be in production by the end of the year.该装置将于年底投入生产。
• The device will save much time and effort for us.这种装置会使我们节省大量时间和气力。

13 directly   

adv.直接地，径直地；马上，立即

参考例句：

• I will telephone you directly I hear the news.我一听到消息，马上打电话给你。
• She answered me very directly and openly.她非常坦率地、开门见山地答复了我。

14 electronic   

adj.电子的；n.[-s]电子学，电子设备

参考例句：

• It is an electronic device with many uses.这是一部具有多种用途的电子仪器。
• Father needs a new electronic shaver.爸爸需要一个新的电子剃须刀。