My name is Giovanni,
and I grew up in southern Italy. For the past six years I have happily worked
at an international construction firm. Part of my job involves daily email
correspondence with clients, mostly in English - not a problem for me now. But
when I first started, I often had the impression that people weren't reading or
couldn't understand my emails.
Given the importance
of emails in today's business world, you'll understand just how frustrating
this was for me. I usually had to send yet another email to clarify what I
thought was already clear in my first email. This is an obstacle for many of us
who learn English as a second language. I've come up with some email phrases
that help me, and hopefully now you, get the most out of email correspondence
in English:
· One of the best ways to make sure your email
is comprehensible is to include words that link your ideas together. In
addition to words such as "and", but", "or", etc., you
can also use linking words to supplement things you have already said ("in
addition" and "also" are two major email phrases I use for this
purpose) or to make comparisons and contrast (I prefer "likewise" and
"however").
· We all know the typical "if/then"
phrases, but if I am looking for a more formal option, I use "on the
understanding that…". It not only comes across as more professional, but it
also gives me a chance to reiterate the thought or concept I want my client to
understand.
· I recommend you make more use of relative
pronouns such as "who", "what" and "which". They
allow you to establish a link back to something you have already said, which
helps you make useful distinctions.
· Finally, when it comes time to end my email or
to summarize my thoughts, I usually start a sentence with "in
conclusion" or "to sum up". These phrases make it clear that the
end is near and gives me one last chance to concisely restate the points I want
to make.
