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Before we start
Imagine that you are the instructor that receives the email below. You teach three courses this term, in two different degrees. You have around 150 students.
Is the email appropriate?
Is it easy for you to know who Carla is? Why?
Is it easy for you to identify the assignment she is referring to? Why?
Which information is missing?
Subject: Mid-term assignment due date
Dear Dr Miller,
I was wondering when the due date for the mid-term assignment is. I cannot find this information in the syllabus nor on the online learning platform.
Thank you,
Carla
When should I include information about myself?
Since instructors receive many emails a day and usually teach several courses per term, it is a good idea to always include information that makes it easy for the instructor to identify you, but it is particularly important...
when you have not met the instructor before
when it is the first time you write, even if you have met this person before
Which kind of information should I include?
Think about distance and context: Are you writing to a current instructor? A former instructor? A faculty member who is not your instructor (yet)?
For instance, if you are writing to your current instructor, you don’t need to include the university you are studying at. However, if you are contacting faculty who work at other universities it is a good idea to refer to your home institution.
For current instructors, always include information about the course you refer to. If you know they teach the same course in several degrees, specify your degree too.
What is the typical pattern for a self-identification line?
You can phrase this line in many different ways, but the pattern below is very clear:
My name is [Name Surname] and I am…
a student in your Academic Writing class.
a first-year student in English Studies.
an undergraduate at University College London.
doing an internship in the English Department.
studying a degree in Translation at Harvard University.
Of course, you may vary the content of this sentence depending on the information that you include in (i) the subject line and (ii) the signature.
A long time ago...
When you are writing to a former instructor, for instance, to ask for a letter of recommendation, it is a good idea to include additional information that makes you stand out from the rest of students, and that helps them remember who you are.
You can find good examples of self-identification the samples section.
LANGUAGE FOCUS: PREPOSITIONS
Have a look at the prepositions in the examples above. Can you guess the general rule for using in or at?
Check your knowledge of prepositions in the interactive activity below. When you finish you will get the general rule that governs the use of 'in' and 'at'.
Carla's email was very appropriate in terms of tone. However, it did not contain her surname, nor the course she attends. Therefore, it is difficult for her instructor to identify the assignment she is talking about.
Write down a self-identification line for her email (i) following the first pattern given in the list of examples and (ii) using the information below:
Name and surname: Carla Pardo
Course: Sociolinguistics
LANGUAGE NOTE: Can I say in university? Yes, you can, but the meaning is different; it does not refer to the institution, but to the 'period of time' when you were a university student. Example: When I was in university, I joined the volleyball team and had the time of my life.
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