The Internet and the Media
Senior 3 · English
The Internet and the Media
Lesson 4 of 5
25 min
Let's begin
The same person can write two emails about the same event in the same hour and make them sound like two different people. One goes to the manager of a radio station; the other goes to a cousin. In S2 you wrote a formal email about study opportunities. In this lesson you set a formal and an informal email side by side, see exactly what changes between them, and write both kinds yourself.
The writer, the school, the radio station and the people named are imagined.
To: station.manager@example.rw
Subject: Request to take part in the Saturday youth programme
Attachments: talk-outline.pdf, letter-of-support.pdf
Dear Mr Mugenzi,
I am writing on behalf of the Digital Citizens Club at Ubumwe Secondary School to ask whether we could take part in your Saturday youth programme.
Our club has thirty members in Senior 2 and Senior 3. Last term we ran a campaign that taught students how to recognise false messages and mobile money scams, and we have prepared a short talk and a quiz on the same subject. We believe that your listeners, especially young people and their parents, would find this information useful.
We would need about fifteen minutes and could come to the studio on any Saturday in March. Our patron, Mrs Uwera, has agreed to accompany us. I have attached the outline of the talk and a letter of support from our head teacher.
I would be grateful if you could let me know whether this is possible. Thank you for considering our request.
Yours sincerely,
Ishimwe Aline
President, Digital Citizens Club
Ubumwe Secondary School
Formal email: 162 words, from "Dear" to the signature.
To: teta@example.rw
Subject: We're going to be on the RADIO!!
Hi Teta,
Guess what? We're going to be on the radio! I emailed the manager of the community station last week, and he's just replied to say yes. We've got fifteen minutes next Saturday to talk about scams and fake messages.
I'm so nervous. You know how my voice goes all high when I'm scared! Kevin's doing the quiz part, which is funny, because he's the one who shared that fake exam message last year. He says that's exactly why he should do it.
Can you listen? It starts at ten. And could you ask Gaju to send me her story about the mobile money trick her brother stopped? It'd be a perfect example.
Miss you loads. Write soon!
Aline
Informal email: 120 words, from "Hi" to the name.
Definition
formal (style): careful, polite and complete language for people you do not know well or who have authority, such as officials, employers and teachers.
informal (style): relaxed, friendly language for family and friends, with contractions, everyday words and sometimes exclamations.
subject line: the short title of an email, which tells the reader what it is about before it is opened.
attachment: a file sent together with an email. To send one is to attach it.
| Feature | Formal email | Informal email |
|---|---|---|
| Subject line | clear and exact: Request to take part in … | can be playful: We're going to be on the RADIO!! |
| Greeting | Dear Mr Mugenzi, (Dear Sir or Madam, if you don't know the name) | Hi Teta, / Hello! |
| Opening line | states the purpose: I am writing to ask whether … | jumps in: Guess what? |
| Verbs | full forms: I am, we would | contractions: I'm, we've, it'd |
| Vocabulary | formal: accompany, consider, be grateful | everyday and phrasal: miss you loads, goes all high |
| Requests | indirect: I would be grateful if you could … | direct: Can you listen? |
| Punctuation | full stops; no exclamation marks or emoji | exclamation marks and questions are fine |
| Closing | Yours sincerely, (name known) or Yours faithfully, (name unknown); Kind regards, for semi-formal | Write soon! / See you! / Love, |
| Signature | full name, role and organisation | first name only |
Plan of a formal email: (1) why you are writing; (2) the details, with evidence; (3) what you need from the reader, practical information and any attachments; (4) a polite request for a reply and thanks.
Worked example
Turning an informal request into a formal one
Informal: "Hey, can u send me the form? Need it asap!!"
Worked example
Choosing the right closing
Tip
Read it as the receiver. Before you press Send, read your email as if you were the person receiving it. Is the purpose clear in the first two lines? Is anything rude by accident? Is the attachment really attached? Thirty seconds of checking can save you an embarrassing second email.
Warning
Write two emails.
Checklist before you hand it in
English for Emails: Formal and informal language, from the British Council. Note three pairs of phrases, one formal and one informal, that mean the same thing, and add them to the table in this lesson.
Practice
Sources and credits
Written by Ganzaa.
