Top Three Common Mistakes Nonnative Speakers Make While Writing Emails

Email writing is perhaps one of the most common forms of writing in both academic and professional settings. This is because emails are one of--if not the most--convenient ways of communicating with your teachers or colleagues. Writing an email may seem harmless however it is a bit different than writing a text to a friend. In this post, I am going to talk about three common mistakes nonnative speakers of English make while writing emails. In addition, I am going to include a template you can use to ensure your emails will be as concise as possible. Note: I have seen the following mistakes made by both native and nonnative speakers, however, for the sake of this post, I am only going to refer to them as mistakes made by nonnative speakers. Also, each of these common mistakes are interconnected, meaning that if you are making one of them, you are probably making the others as well.

I. Giving Way Too Much Information

This is probably the top mistake that nonnative speakers make when writing emails. I use to be guilty of this one myself when I was just starting college. A lot of students have difficulty switching between the different forms of writing. That is to say, they will use the same format for all types of writing. For example, a nonnative speaker who tends to write reports may not realize that they have to be more concise when writing an email and write it as if they are writing a report.

As you know, types of writing such as report writing and essay writing typically require a lot of information. In fact, the more information the better (assuming it is all relevant information but that is a topic for another time). However, when it comes to writing emails, the more information is not better. Email messages are meant to be brief and to-the-point. Therefore, you want to make sure your email is concise and does not include any irrelevant information. This is because you do not want to make whomever the email is intended for have to figure out the intention of your message. 

So many nonnative speakers seem to think that writing an email requires a lot of time and thought, but the truth is, it should only take you a minute or so to write. Chances are if it is taking you more than ten minutes to write you are writing too much information, and the more unnecessary information you include in an email, the less professional your message will seem.


II. Using The Wrong Tone

Email writing is usually at least somewhat professional. This means that unless you are writing an email to a friend or family member you want to make sure your writing sounds professional. While using too much information can definitely be seen as sloppy, using the wrong tone while addressing whoever is perhaps a worse offense. Consider the following two sentences:

"Hey! How've you been? I'm excited to see you at the event next week!..."

"Good afternoon. How have you been? I am looking forward to your class this semester..."

Which sentence sounds more professional to you? It may be true that both sentences are clear and pretty concise but the second sentence has a more professional tone, and therefore, would be the sentence you would want to use when addressing a colleague. The first sentence has a much more casual tone which means it would be more appropriate to use when addressing a close friend or an acquaintance.  

The tone you use is so important because, much like in a verbal conversation, the tone you use in an email will allow the reader to understand you better. For example, let us say you are reaching out to a potential employer and decide to send an email that is written more casually such as the first sentence. The employer may not even consider you to be a serious candidate for the position because you are talking to them as if they are someone you know. However, if you send an email that is written professionally such as the second sentence, the employer will be more likely to consider you to be a serious candidate. 

Simply put, using the correct tone when writing an email is probably the most important part. There is a good chance that someone will overlook the fact that your email is not formatted perfectly, but when it comes to using the wrong tone, there typically is no overlooking that.

III. Using The Incorrect Format

Formatting is important regardless of what type of writing you are doing. Granted, it may not be the most important element of writing, however, even so, a piece of writing that is formatted significantly wrong will make your writing appear unprofessional. Email writing is no exception. There is a very specific format in which to structure your emails, and by using the correct format, you are pretty much guaranteed not to make any of these other mistakes. Remember: being concise and to-the-point are both essential parts of writing an email.  

Feel free to use the following example to help you format your next email:

Salutation, (Dear [whomever], Good [morning/afternoon/evening])                            [1 line]

Greeting/Question or concern (I hope your semester is going well. I was hoping that we could meet later this week to discuss my test results)                                                                      [2-4 lines]

Explanation of concern/additional concern (I am unsure why I received such a low score considering I spent several hours preparing for the test/Also, I would look to talk with you about the next test) [2-4 lines]

Additional information (if necessary)                                                                         [2-4 lines]

Additional information (if necessary)                                                                         [2-4 lines]

Farewell message (I hope to hear from you promptly, See you tomorrow)                [1-2 lines] 

Signature ([your name]


While the format of the email is always fairly strict, it is subject to change depending on whom the email is being sent to. For example, when I send an email, I prefer to use "Good [morning/afternoon/evening]" as my salutation and for my signature, I will either put "-Ryan M.Shea" or "-Ryan" depending on who I am writing to.

However, I have also seen people use a simple "hello" or "hi [whomever]" as a salutation. Of course, the words that you include in each email will vary depending on how close you are with the person you are sending it to. For example, "hi [whomever]" is appropriate if emailing a colleague who you know fairly well; however, it would not be appropriate if emailing a potential employer or someone you have yet to meet. If you are emailing someone you do not know, a simple "dear [whomever]" is a safer choice.

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Email writing is pretty simple once you get familiar with using the correct format, and, as with anything, the more you practice, the better you will become at it. If you would like to work on your ability to send concise, professional emails, contact us today to schedule a preliminary consultation. 

Email: levelupproficiency@gmail.com  


Ryan M Shea, English Proficiency Specialist