Email Politeness Game

Emailing politeness competition game

What is wrong with all the phrases below? They all have the same problem.

Formal and informal email opening greetings

Hiya John/ Hey!/ Dearest Bob

 

Hey dudes!

 

Opening line

Just got your mail./ Was so thrilled to get your mail!

 

Wow, that was quick!

 

I know it took me ages to get back to you!

 

Fab to meet you last week./ Was cool to meet up last week.

 

About…/ Writing ‘bout…

 

Writing to…

 

Wassup?

 

Good weekend?

 

A real quick one to let you know that…

 

Body

Writing about attachments/ documents

Check out the attached document for more info. 

 

Orders/ Commands/ Instructions/ Demanding action

Please finish by…

 

Requests

Can you do me a huge favour and…?

 

Enquiries

Need some info about…

 

Responding to requests

There’s absolutely no way that I can do that.

 

Asking for permission

I wanna… Sound OK?

 

Making arrangements/ Invitations

U free at 9 on Mon?

 

No idea ‘bout the venue yet.

 

Fancy… (with us)?/ Wanna… (with us)?

 

Making complaints

I’m very angry about…/ … was terrible.

 

You sent the wrong amount.

 

Emphasizing important information

Turn off ALL the lights when you finish!!!

 

Mentioning other people

Hugs and kisses to…

 

Please FWD this to…

 

Please CC me when you mail…

 

Closing line

Write soon!/ Please reply ASAP.

 

Can’t wait to CU then!

 

Need more info? Just drop me a line.

 

Thx!!!!

 

Sound OK?

 

So sorry!!!/ Sorry ‘bout that.

 

Closing greeting

Hugs and kisses/ XXX/ XOXO

 

Name at the end

 

(nothing)

 

Answer: They are all very informal (sometimes just meaning very casual or friendly, but often meaning rude)

Choose one line above. Take turns making it more and more polite/ formal (usually meaning longer and longer). Continue as long as you can (even if it becomes too formal). When everyone gives up or the next version is less formal/ polite, the person who made the most formal version wins that round. Discuss which of those phrases is actually most useful for your emailing, then do the same activity with other sentences from above.

Mixed answers

Without looking above, label the examples below with numbers from 1 for the most informal/ casual (the one which was above) to 4, 5 or 6 for the most formal/ most polite.

Formal and informal email opening greetings

Dear John

Dear Mr Smith

Hi John

Hiya John/ Hey!/ Dearest Bob

 

Dear all

Hey dudes!

Hi everyone

Hi/ Hi guys

To: All staff

 

Opening line

Just got your mail./ Was so thrilled to get your mail!

Thank you for your email yesterday about…

Thank you for your email.

Thanks for your email.

Thanks for your mail.

 

Thank you for writing back so quickly.

Thank you very much for writing back to me so quickly.

Thanks for your quick reply.

Wow, that was quick!

 

I know it took me ages to get back to you!

I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to reply to your email.

Sorry for my late reply.

 

Fab to meet you last week./ Was cool to meet up last week.

It was a great pleasure to have the opportunity to be able to meet you last week.

It was a pleasure to meet you last week.

It was great to meet you last week./ Thanks for meeting me last week.

 

About…/ Writing ‘bout…

I am writing to you in connection with/ regarding/ with regards to/ concerning…

I’m writing to you about…

Re:…

Regarding…

Writing about…

 

I am writing to you in order to…

I’m writing to…

Writing to…

 

 

How are things?/ How’s life?/ How’s it going?/ How are you doing?

How are you?

I hope this email finds you well.

I hope you are well.

Wassup?

 

Good weekend?

How was your weekend?/ Hope you had a good weekend.

I hope you had a good weekend.

 

I’ll write with more details later, but I thought that you might need to know that…

Just a quick note to say…

Only got a second, but thought you should know…

A real quick one to let you know that…

This is just a quick note FYI to say…

 

Body

Writing about attachments/ documents

Check out the attached document for more info. 

Here is the document.

I’ve attached the document.

Please find the document attached./ Please see the attached document for more details.

The document is attached.

 

Orders/ Commands/ Instructions/ Demanding action

I’d like you to finish by…

Please finish by…

Please make sure that you finish by…

Would you please finish by…?/ I’m afraid I have to ask you to finish by…

 

Requests

Can you do me a huge favour and…?

Can you… (for me)?

Could you possibly…?

Could you…?

I would be very grateful if you could….

 

Enquiries

Can you tell me…?

Could you inform me…?

Could you possibly give me some information related to…?

Need some info about…

 

Responding to requests

I’m afraid I can’t do that.

I’m afraid that will be rather difficult.

There’s absolutely no way that I can do that.

Asking for permission

Am I allowed to…?

Do you mind if I…?

I wanna… Sound OK?

Is it okay for me to…?

Would you mind at all if I…?

 

Making arrangements/ Invitations

How about meeting at nine o’clock on Monday (if you’re free/ if that’s OK with you)?

I’d like to meet at nine a.m. on Monday 25th (if you are available then/ if that suits you).

It would be great if we could meet at nine a.m. on Monday 25^th April if that is convenient with you.

U free at 9 on Mon?

What about meeting at 9 on Monday?

 

I’m afraid I still need to confirm the venue.

No idea ‘bout the venue yet.

The venue is still TBA/ TBC/ TBD.

 

Do you fancy… with us?/ How about… with us?

Fancy… (with us)?/ Wanna… (with us)?

It would be our great pleasure if you could attend…

We’d like to invite you to…

 

Making complaints

I am not happy with…/ … was not good enough.

I am not very happy with…/ … was not really good enough.

I was not entirely satisfied with…/ … did not meet the high standards that I expected.

I’m very angry about…/ … was terrible.

 

You didn’t send the right amount.

You don’t seem to have sent the right amount.

You sent the wrong amount.

 

Mentioning other people

Hugs and kisses to…

Please give my good wishes to…

Please give my love to…

Please pass my best regards onto…

Please say Hi to… from me.

 

Can you send this onto…?

Could you possibly forward this to…?

I would be very grateful if you could forward this to…

Please FWD this to…

 

 

Can you copy me in when you email…?

Could you include me when you send an email to…?

Please CC me when you mail…

 

Emphasizing important information

NB: staff are expected to turn off all the lights when they finish.

Please note that staff are expected to turn off all the lights when they finish.

Please turn off all the lights when you finish.

Turn off ALL the lights when you finish!!!

 

Closing line

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

I’m looking forward to your reply.

I’m waiting for your reply.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Write soon!/ Please reply ASAP.

 

Can’t wait to CU then!

CU then.

I look forward to seeing you then.

I’m looking forward to seeing you then.

See you on Monday.

 

If you need any more info, just let me know.

If you need any more information, please let me know.

If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Need more info? Just drop me a line.

 

Any assistance that you could give me in this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers.

Thank you in advance.

Thank you.

Thx!!!!/ You’re a lifesaver!

Thanks.

 

Hope that’s OK.

I hope that is acceptable with you.

I hope that is okay.

Sound OK?

 

Again, please accept my apologies for any inconvenience caused.

I’m sorry about that.

Once again, please accept our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience that might have been caused.

So sorry!!!/ Sorry ‘bout that.

 

Closing greeting

All the best

Best regards

Best wishes

BW

Hugs and kisses/ XXX/ XOXO

Lots of love

Regards/ Yours

Sincerely/ Sincerely yours/ Yours sincerely/ Yours faithfully

 

Name at the end

(nothing)

A

A.M. Case (Mr)

Al

Alex

Alex Case

 

Check as a class or with the answer key.

Suggested answers

A few might be debateable, so please check if you classified them differently.

Opening greeting

Formal and informal email opening greetings

1. Hiya John/ Hey!/ Dearest Bob
2. Hi John
3. Dear John
4. Dear Mr Smith

 

1. Hey dudes!
2. Hi/ Hi guys
3. Hi everyone
4. Dear all
5. To: All staff

 

Opening line

1. Just got your mail./ Was so thrilled to get your mail!
2. Thanks for your mail.
3. Thanks for your email.
4. Thank you for your email.
5. Thank you for your email yesterday about…

 

1. Wow, that was quick!
2. Thanks for your quick reply.
3. Thank you for writing back so quickly.
4. Thank you very much for writing back to me so quickly.

 

1. I know it took me ages to get back to you!
2. Sorry for my late reply.
3. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to reply to your email.

 

1. Fab to meet you last week./ Was cool to meet up last week.
2. It was great to meet you last week./ Thanks for meeting me last week.
3. It was a pleasure to meet you last week.
4. It was a great pleasure to have the opportunity to be able to meet you last week.

 

1. About…/ Writing ‘bout…
2. Writing about…
3. Re:…
4. Regarding…
5. I’m writing to you about…
6. I am writing to you in connection with/ regarding/ with regards to/ concerning…

 

1. Writing to…
2. I’m writing to…
3. I am writing to you in order to…

 

 

1. Wassup?
2. How are things?/ How’s life?/ How’s it going?/ How are you doing?
3. How are you?
4. I hope you are well.
5. I hope this email finds you well.

 

1. Good weekend?
2. How was your weekend?/ Hope you had a good weekend.
3. I hope you had a good weekend.

 

1. A real quick one to let you know that…
2. Only got a second, but thought you should know…
3. Just a quick note to say…
4. This is just a quick note FYI to say…
5. I’ll write with more details later, but I thought that you might need to know that…

 

Body

Writing about attachments/ documents

1. Check out the attached document for more info.
2. Here is the document.
3. I’ve attached the document.
4. The document is attached.
5. Please find the document attached./ Please see the attached document for more details.

 

Orders/ Commands/ Instructions/ Demanding action

1. Please finish by…
2. Please make sure that you finish by…
3. I’d like you to finish by…
4. Would you please finish by…?/ I’m afraid I have to ask you to finish by…

 

Requests

1. Can you do me a huge favour and…?
2. Can you… (for me)?
3. Could you…?
4. Could you possibly…?
5. I would be very grateful if you could….

 

Enquiries

1. Need some info about…
2. Can you tell me…?
3. Could you inform me…?
4. Could you possibly give me some information related to…?

 

Responding to requests

1. There’s absolutely no way that I can do that.
2. I’m afraid I can’t do that.
3. I’m afraid that will be rather difficult.

 

Asking for permission

1. I wanna… Sound OK?
2. Is it okay for me to…?
3. Am I allowed to…?
4. Do you mind if I…?
5. Would you mind at all if I…?

 

Making arrangements/ Invitations

1. U free at 9 on Mon?
2. What about meeting at 9 on Monday?
3. How about meeting at nine o’clock on Monday (if you’re free/ if that’s OK with you)?
4. I’d like to meet at nine a.m. on Monday 25th (if you are available then/ if that suits you).
5. It would be great if we could meet at nine a.m. on Monday 25^th April if that is convenient with you.

 

1. No idea ‘bout the venue yet.
2. The venue is still TBA/ TBC/ TBD.
3. I’m afraid I still need to confirm the venue.

 

1. Fancy… (with us)?/ Wanna… (with us)?
2. Do you fancy… with us?/ How about… with us?
3. We’d like to invite you to…
4. It would be our great pleasure if you could attend…

 

Making complaints

1. I’m very angry about…/ … was terrible.
2. I am not happy with…/ … was not good enough.
3. I am not very happy with…/ … was not really good enough.
4. I was not entirely satisfied with…/ … did not meet the high standards that I expected.

 

1. You sent the wrong amount.
2. You didn’t send the right amount.
3. You don’t seem to have sent the right amount.

 

Emphasizing important information

1. Turn off ALL the lights when you finish!!!
2. Please turn off all the lights when you finish.
3. NB: staff are expected to turn off all the lights when they finish.
4. Please note that staff are expected to turn off all the lights when they finish.

 

Mentioning other people

1. Hugs and kisses to…
2. Please give my love to…
3. Please say Hi to… from me.
4. Please give my good wishes to…
5. Please pass my best regards onto…

 

1. Please FWD this to…
2. Can you send this onto…?
3. Could you possibly forward this to…?
4. I would be very grateful if you could forward this to…

 

1. Please CC me when you mail…
2. Can you copy me in when you email…?
3. Could you include me when you send an email to…?

 

Closing line

1. Write soon!/ Please reply ASAP.
2. I’m waiting for your reply.
3. Looking forward to hearing from you.
4. I’m looking forward to your reply.
5. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

 

1. Can’t wait to CU then!
2. CU then.
3. See you on Monday.
4. I’m looking forward to seeing you then.
5. I look forward to seeing you then.

 

1. Need more info? Just drop me a line.
2. If you need any more info, just let me know.
3. If you need any more information, please let me know.
4. If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

1. Thx!!!!
4. Thank you.
5. Thank you in advance.
6. Any assistance that you could give me in this matter would be greatly appreciated.

 

1. Sound OK?
2. Hope that’s OK.
3. I hope that is okay.
4. I hope that is acceptable with you.

 

 

1. So sorry!!!/ Sorry ‘bout that.
2. I’m sorry about that.
3. Again, please accept my apologies for any inconvenience caused.
4. Once again, please accept our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience that might have been caused.

 

Closing greeting

1. Hugs and kisses/ XXX/ XOXO
2. Lots of love
3. BW
4. Best wishes
5. All the best
6. Regards/ Yours
7. Best regards
8. Sincerely/ Sincerely yours/ Yours sincerely/ Yours faithfully

 

Name at the end

 

1. (nothing)
2. A
3. Al
4. Alex
5. Alex Case
6. M. Case (Mr)

Ask about anything above which you couldn’t understand or didn’t understand the reasons for the formality of.

 

Speaking activity

Choose a function and level of formality and say what you would write in such a situation. Your partner should listen and answer with the same level of formality.

 

Writing homework

Choose three functions such as those above and write out the emails, one as a formal email, one as an informal email/ casual email, and one with a medium level of formality.

 

Brainstorming stage

First of all without any help, brainstorm phrases with the right level of formality for your own emailing into the categories below.

Opening

Opening greetings

 

 

 

Opening lines

Opening lines mentioning the last contact between you

 

 

 

Opening lines with the subject of the email

 

 

 

Social opening lines/ Friendly opening lines

 

 

 

Opening lines for short emails

 

 

 

Body of the email

Mentioning attachments

 

 

 

Instructions/ Commands/ Demanding action

 

 

 

Requests

 

 

 

Asking for permission

 

 

 

Making arrangements/ Changing arrangements/ (Re)scheduling

 

 

 

Making complaints

 

 

 

Invitations

 

 

 

Emphasizing important information

 

 

 

Closing

Closing lines

Closing lines mentioning the next contact between you

 

 

 

Closing lines offering more communication/ help (if needed)

 

 

 

Closing lines for (big) requests

 

 

 

Closing lines with apologies/ Closing lines when responding to complaints

 

 

 

Closing greetings

 

 

 

Name at the end

 

 

 

Compare with the suitable phrases from above, brainstorm more, then compare your extra ideas as a class or with a list of phrases.

Key words for polite email phrases activities

Use the key words below in the politeness competition, to brainstorm suitable formal/ polite emailing phrases, and/ or in phrases as you roleplay polite/ formal email exchanges. Your teacher will tell you if you should discard the cards or cross of the words as you use them, or if you can continue to use the same words in other phrases later.

acceptable	advance	afraid	apology/ies
appreciate(d)	attached	available	best
connection	contact	convenient	dear
forward	further	great	hope
inconvenience	just	mind	opportunity
order	please	pleasure	possibly
regards	so	sorry	thank
very	would	yours