How to Write an Email

Summary

The video script provides a comprehensive guide on how to properly format an email, covering essential components such as the subject, salutation, body, closing, and optional signature block. It emphasizes the importance of capitalization in the subject and salutation, with specific rules for formal and informal contexts. The script also outlines the use of empty lines and spaces for clarity and structure, and offers examples of how to create a professional signature block with contact information and links to websites or social media channels. The guide is designed to enhance the professionalism and readability of emails, making them more effective in both personal and professional communications.

Takeaways

• 📧 Email subjects should be capitalized like book titles, with the first word, last word, and important words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs) capitalized.
• 🔍 Unimportant words such as articles, conjunctions, and prepositions that are three letters or less are not capitalized in email subjects.
• 🖋️ In a salutation, capitalize the first word and all nouns, using a colon for formal salutations and a comma for informal ones.
• 📝 Formal salutations are used for job applications, emails to superiors, and professional correspondence, while informal salutations are for friends, family, and close acquaintances.
• 🔑 In the email closing, only the first word is capitalized, with no need to capitalize the second word.
• 📝 Formal closings include 'Best regards,' 'Sincerely,' 'Thank you,' 'Best,' 'Yours truly,' and 'Respectfully.'
• 📏 Leave an empty line after the salutation, between paragraphs, before the closing, and after the closing, but not after the electronic signature.
• 🖇️ An optional signature block can include the sender's name, contact information, website, and professional details.
• 📍 The signature block can vary in content, including name, email, phone number, job position, company, and mailing address, formatted according to the sender's needs.
• 🎓 For university students, the signature block might include the name, phone number, 'student' as the position, and the university's name.
• 📚 The video provides a comprehensive guide on email formatting, including capitalization, spacing, and optional signature blocks for professional and personal emails.

Q & A

What is the purpose of the subject line in an email?

The subject line serves as a short title that informs the reader about the content or the main topic of the email.

How should you format the salutation in a formal email?

In a formal email, the salutation should begin with 'Dear' followed by the recipient's title or name, and end with a colon.

What are the rules for capitalization in the subject line of an email?

Subjects should be capitalized like book titles, meaning the first word, the last word, and important words such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs are capitalized.

Which words should not be capitalized in the subject line of an email?

Articles, conjunctions, and prepositions that are three letters or shorter should not be capitalized in the subject line.

What is the difference between a formal and an informal email salutation?

A formal salutation uses a colon at the end and is used when addressing someone in a higher position or in a professional context. An informal salutation uses a comma at the end and is suitable for friends, family, or familiar contacts.

What should be capitalized in the closing of an email?

Only the first word of the closing should be capitalized. The second word and any subsequent words should not be capitalized.

How many empty lines should be left after the salutation in an email?

There should be one empty line left after the salutation in an email.

What is the purpose of an optional signature block in an email?

An optional signature block provides additional contact information about the sender, such as their name, email, website, phone number, position, company, and mailing address.

What is the correct punctuation to use at the end of an informal email salutation?

At the end of an informal email salutation, a comma should be used.

How many empty lines should there be before and after the closing of an email?

There should be one empty line before the closing and one empty line after the closing in an email.

Can you provide an example of a formal email closing?

Examples of formal email closings include 'Best regards,' 'Sincerely,' 'Thank you,' 'Best,' 'Yours truly,' and 'Respectfully.'

What is the significance of capitalizing nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in an email subject?

Capitalizing these parts of speech in an email subject helps to emphasize the importance of these words and makes the subject line more readable and professional.

Outlines

00:00

📧 Email Formatting Basics

This paragraph introduces the fundamentals of email formatting, including the structure of an email with its subject, salutation, body, closing, electronic signature, and optional signature block. It emphasizes the importance of each part and provides an example of a well-formatted email.

🔍 Capitalization in Email Subjects

The paragraph discusses the rules for capitalizing words in an email subject, drawing parallels to capitalization in book titles. It specifies that nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs should be capitalized, while articles, conjunctions, and prepositions three letters or shorter should not. Examples are given to illustrate these rules.

📝 Capitalization in Email Salutations

This section explains the capitalization rules for email salutations, highlighting the difference between formal and informal salutations and their respective punctuation. Formal salutations are used in professional contexts, while informal salutations are for friends, family, and familiar contacts.

🔑 Capitalization in Email Closings

The paragraph focuses on the capitalization in email closings, stating that only the first word should be capitalized. It provides examples of formal and professional closings suitable for various situations.

📏 Spacing and Line Breaks in Emails

This part of the script covers the use of empty lines and spaces in an email to enhance readability. It advises leaving an empty line after the salutation, between paragraphs, before and after the closing, and notes that no empty line or comma is needed after the electronic signature.

🖋️ Optional Signature Block

The final paragraph discusses the optional signature block at the end of an email, which may contain the sender's contact information, website, YouTube channel, and other professional details. It provides examples of different formats for signature blocks, tailored to various professional contexts, including university students.

🎬 Conclusion and Thanks

The video concludes with a summary of the key points covered and an expression of gratitude to the viewers for watching. It aims to leave the audience with a clear understanding of how to properly format an email.

Keywords

💡Email Formatting

Email formatting refers to the arrangement and style of text in an email to improve its readability and professionalism. In the video, it is the central theme, as it covers how to structure an email with appropriate parts, capitalization, spacing, and the optional signature block. The script provides a detailed guide on how to format each part of an email for clarity and effectiveness in communication.

💡Subject Line

The subject line is a short title at the beginning of an email that summarizes its content. It is crucial for giving recipients an immediate understanding of the email's purpose. The video emphasizes capitalizing the first word, last word, and important words within the subject line, following the rules of title capitalization.

💡Salutation

A salutation is the formal address used at the beginning of an email to greet the recipient. It sets the tone for the email and can be either formal or informal, depending on the relationship with the recipient. The video provides examples such as 'Dear Hiring Manager' and 'Dear Mom and Dad', and explains the use of a colon for formal salutations and a comma for informal ones.

💡Body

The body of an email is the main text where the sender communicates their message. It follows the salutation and precedes the closing. The video script mentions that the body should be written clearly and concisely to convey the intended message effectively.

💡Closing

The closing is the section of an email that signifies the end of the message. It often includes a polite phrase such as 'Best regards' or 'Sincerely'. The video specifies that only the first word in the closing should be capitalized, and it should be followed by an empty line before the electronic signature.

💡Electronic Signature

An electronic signature, typically the sender's first and last name, is used at the end of an email to authenticate the message. The video emphasizes its importance as a form of identification and a professional touch to the email.

💡Signature Block

A signature block is an optional section at the end of an email that includes the sender's contact information, such as name, email address, phone number, and sometimes a website or social media handle. The video provides examples of different formats for signature blocks, tailored to different professional contexts.

💡Capitalization

Capitalization refers to the use of uppercase letters in writing, particularly at the beginning of sentences, proper nouns, and titles. The video provides guidelines on capitalizing the subject line, salutations, and other parts of an email, emphasizing the importance of capitalizing nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, while using lowercase for articles, conjunctions, and short prepositions.

💡Empty Lines and Spaces

Empty lines and spaces are used in email formatting to separate different sections and paragraphs, enhancing readability. The video instructs to leave an empty line after the salutation, between paragraphs, before and after the closing, but not after the electronic signature.

💡Professionalism

Professionalism in the context of the video refers to the level of formality and etiquette expected in business or formal communication. The guidelines for formatting an email, including the use of formal and informal salutations and the structure of the signature block, are all aimed at maintaining a professional tone throughout the email.

💡Contact Information

Contact information is the set of details that allows recipients to get in touch with the sender outside of the email. The video discusses including this in the optional signature block, which may contain the sender's name, email, phone number, job position, company, and other relevant professional details.

💡University Student

The video script provides an example of a signature block specifically for a university student, which includes the student's name, phone number, and university. This context illustrates how the signature block can be tailored to the sender's role or status, adding a personal and professional touch to the email.

Highlights

Learn how to format an email including parts, capitalization, spacing, and optional signature block.

Subject of the email serves as a short title indicating the email's content.

Salutation is used to greet the recipient and should be capitalized properly.

The body of the email is where the main message is written.

Closing is a polite way to end the email conversation.

Electronic signature includes the sender's first and last name.

Optional signature block can include contact information and professional links.

Capitalize the first word, last word, and important words in the email subject like a book title.

Important words in a title include nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.

Examples of important words to capitalize are 'teacher', 'city', and 'great'.

Do not capitalize articles, conjunctions, or prepositions that are three letters or shorter.

In a formal salutation, use a colon at the end; for informal, use a comma.

Formal salutations are used in emails to superiors and for professional purposes.

Informal salutations are appropriate for friends, family, and close acquaintances.

In the email closing, only capitalize the first word.

Leave an empty line after the salutation and between paragraphs.

Do not leave an empty line or comma after the electronic signature.

Signature block can include name, email, website, and social media channels.

Examples of signature blocks include professional titles, company names, and mailing addresses.

University students might include their student status and university in their signature block.

The video concludes with a summary of how to format an email for clarity and professionalism.

Transcripts

- In this video, you'll learn how to format an email,

including parts of the email, what to capitalize,

where to leave spaces, and empty lines,

and how to do the optional signature block at the end.

Here's an example of an email that's formatted correctly.

Let's look at the parts of this email.

First we have the subject,

the subject is like a short title that tells your reader

what your email is about.

Then we have the salutation

where you're saying hello to your recipient.

In the body of the email, you write your message.

Then you have your closing where you sort of say goodbye.

Then you have your electronic signature,

which is your first and last name.

And then at the bottom,

sometimes there is an optional signature block.

You don't need a signature block, but many people use them.

And you might also want to have one.

Let's now talk about what to capitalize in your email.

First, let's talk about what to capitalize in your subject.

We capitalize subjects like we capitalize a book title,

but what do we capitalize in book titles?

We capitalize the first word,

the last word, and important words.

How do we know if a word in a title

or an email subject line is important?

Nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs are important words

in a title and should be capitalized.

Here's some examples.

People like teacher, boy, and parent.

Of course, there are many, many hundreds of other words

that could be people, places.

Three examples are school, city, and library.

Things like book, homework, idea.

Actions like run, ask, meet, or help.

Adjectives like sick, easy, great.

And adverbs like not, very, and always.

What about words that are not important

and should not be capitalized?

These include articles, conjunctions, or prepositions

that are three letters or shorter like these.

And, but, by, for, or, in, if, out, of, off, so, on,

a, an, and the.

These are examples that are used often but, of course,

there are many other words that are not important in titles

and should not be capitalized.

Now we've talked about what to capitalize in the subject,

what about the salutation?

In a salutation, capitalize the first word plus all nouns.

Let's look at some other examples of email salutations.

Here we have, Dear Hiring Manager, Dear Professor Smith,

Dear Board of Directors, Dear Mom and Dad, and Dear Sofia.

There are two types of email salutations.

The first three examples that we see here

are formal salutations.

At the end of a formal salutation, the punctuation you use

is called a colon, or the two dots that you see used

at the end of our first three examples.

You need to use a formal email salutation

when you're writing emails with job applications,

emails to leaders in your company, school, or community,

and emails to other people in higher positions.

The other type of email salutation

is an informal salutation.

Like the last two that you see here.

At the end of an informal salutation,

the punctuation you use is a comma.

Informal salutations are used

when you write to friends and family,

people you see daily or often,

and sometimes to teachers or professors.

It depends on the culture and the relationship

you have with the person, just as any email salutation does.

So we've covered what to capitalize

in the email subject and salutation.

Now let's talk about the closing.

In the closing, you capitalize only the first word.

The second word in a closing should not be capitalized.

Here's some examples of other email closings

that are formal, professional,

and will work in almost any situation.

Best regards, Sincerely, Thank you, Best,

Yours truly, and Respectfully.

Now we've reviewed capitalization,

let's look at where we need to leave

empty lines and spaces in your emails.

First, leave an empty line after your salutation.

Always leave empty lines between paragraphs,

leave one empty line before your closing,

and one empty line after your closing.

Notice you do not need an empty line or a comma

after your electronic signature.

Now let's talk about the optional signature block.

The signature block contains contact information

about the sender, as well as information

like the sender's website, YouTube channel,

or other professional contact information.

Here's example one with the name, email, website,

and YouTube channel.

Here's example two, you have the person's name,

phone number, position, or job.

Notice after the job, you have the company,

and between those two, a comma.

Finally, after that, you have his mailing address

at the bottom.

Here we have example three, that's very similar

to example two, except that the company name

and the job or position appear on two different lines.

So we don't need to separate them with a comma.

Here we have example

for a signature block of a university student,

where you have the person's name, phone number,

position, which is student, and his university.

So now we've concluded our video on how to format an email.

I hope that this video helped you.

Thanks a lot for watching.