Formal and Informal Email Phrases – from Greetings to Closing Phrases!

GREETINGS

Formal

• Dear Sir/ Madam,
• Dear Sir or Madam,
• To whom it may concern: (especially AmE)
• Dear Mr/ Ms Jones,
• Dear Dr Smith,

(note: First names are NOT used. Using Miss or Mrs to address a woman is not appropriate, as you don’t know whether she’s married or not)

Informal

• Hi Dennis,
• Hello Claire,
• Dear Mum,

(note: salutations are followed by a (,) comma, exception: ’To whom it may concern:’)

REASON FOR WRITING / REPLYING

Formal

• I am writing to make a reservation/ to apply for the position of…/ to confirm my booking/ to ask for further information about …
• I am writing with regard to the sale of …/ to the complaint you made on 29th February
• Thank you for your e-mail of 29th February regarding the sale of… / concerning the conference in Brussels.
• With reference to our telephone conversation on Friday, I would like to let you know that…

Semi-formal / Informal

• Just a quick note to invite you to…/ to tell you that…
• This is to invite you to join us for...
• Thanks for your e-mail, it was wonderful/great to hear from you.
• I wanted to let you know that / tell you about / ask you if…

MAKING A REQUEST / ASKING FOR INFORMATION

Formal

• Could you please let me know if you can attend … / if you are available for a meeting on 12th December?
• I would appreciate it if you could please send me a brochure/ if you could please reply within two days.
• Could you possibly arrange a meeting with the Logistics Manager?
• I would also like to know if there are any swimming pools in your area.
• Please let me know how much the tickets cost.

Informal

• I was wondering if you could come and see me sometime next week.
• Would you mind coming early to help me clear up the place?
• Do you think you could call Jerry for me?
• Can you call me/ get back to me asap? (as soon as possible)

OFFERING HELP / GIVING INFORMATION

Formal

• We are happy to let you know that your article has been selected for publication.
• I am glad to inform you that we will be holding our annual conference in Brussels on 20 September 2014.
• We regret to inform you that the show has been cancelled due to bad weather conditions.
• We are willing to arrange another meeting with the CEO.
• We would be glad to send you another statement if necessary.
• Please do let me know if I can be of further assistance.
• Should you need any further information/assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Informal

• I’m sorry, but I can’t make it tomorrow. (= I can’t come tomorrow.)
• I’m happy to tell you that John and I are getting married next month.
• Would you like me to come early and help you clear up the place?
• How about I come and help you out?
• Do you need a hand with moving the furniture?

COMPLAINING

Formal

• I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with… / to complain about…
• I regret to say that I was not completely satisfied with the room you provided us.
• We regret to inform you that your payment is considerably overdue.
• I would like to receive a full refund and compensation for the damages.
• I am interested to hear how your company can compensate us for the distress we suffered.

Informal

• I’m sorry to say that you’re late with the payments.
• I hope you won’t mind me saying that the place you’d recommended to us wasn’t as nice as we’d expected.

APOLOGIZING

Formal

• We would like to apologize for any inconvenience caused.
• Please accept our apologies for the delay.
• Please let us know what we can do to compensate you for the damages caused.
• We will make sure that this will not happen again in the future.
• I am afraid I will not be able to attend the conference.

Informal

• I’m sorry for the trouble I caused.
• I apologize for the delay.
• I promise it won’t happen again
• I’m sorry, but I can’t make it to the meeting.

ATTACHING FILES

Formal

• I am attaching my CV for your consideration.
• I am sending you the brochure as an attachment.
• Please see the statement attached.
• Please find attached the file you requested.
• I am afraid I cannot open the file you have sent me.
• Could you send it again in … format?

Informal

• I’m attaching/sending you the holiday photos.
• Sorry, but I can’t open it. Can you send it again in … format?

ENDING

Formal

• I look forward to hearing from you.
• I look forward to hearing when you are planning to visit our town.

Informal

• Hope to hear from you soon.
• I’m looking forward to seeing you.

CLOSING FORMULA

Formal

• Yours faithfully, (when you start with Dear Sir/ Madam,)
• Yours sincerely, (when you start with the name e.g. Dear Ms Collins)
• Sincerely Yours, (AmE)
• Sincerely, (AmE)
• Yours Truly, (AmE)

Informal

• Love,
• Thanks,
• Take care,
• Yours,
• Best regards, (semi-formal, also BR)