A vacancy at an international organisation, a project with a partner abroad or a question to a foreign university: in all of these situations you will need to write in English. Even people with good grammar start to hesitate: should it begin with “Dear Sir” or “Hi”? The general etiquette of work email (subject, structure, attachments and replies) is covered in our article on email etiquette, and the longer application letter in the guide to the cover letter. This article focuses specifically on the language and structure of work emails in English: formal and semi-formal style, the subject line, the salutation, opening phrases, polite requests, closing lines and sign-offs. Using the example of Aziza, a fictional jobseeker, we will fix a first draft, go through five sample emails and typical mistakes, and finish with an exercise and a checklist. The English samples use British spelling.
Formal and semi-formal style
Work emails in English are written in two main styles.
Formal style is needed when you write to a stranger for the first time, send documents for a job, grant or course, contact a government office or university, or write an official apology.
Semi-formal style suits colleagues you know, regular partners and correspondence that is already under way.
The difference is easy to see in phrases with the same meaning:
- “I would like to ask…” becomes “I’d like to ask…” in semi-formal style
- “Please find attached the report.” becomes “I’ve attached the report.”
- “I would be grateful if you could confirm…” becomes “Could you confirm…?”
- “I look forward to hearing from you.” becomes “Speak soon.”
Formal style avoids contractions (I’m, don’t, we’ll) and addresses people by their surname. The golden rule: if in doubt, be more formal. Too much formality at worst looks a little stiff, whereas too much informality can come across as disrespectful. If the recipient replies with “Hi Aziza” and signs off with their first name only, you can switch to the same tone in later emails.
The subject line
An English subject line is short (roughly 4–8 words) and says straight away what the email is about. Good examples:
- “Application: Project Assistant (Ref. PA-24) – Aziza Nurmatova”
- “Thank you – Project Assistant interview”
- “Request to reschedule: meeting on 15 October”
- “Enquiry about the evening English course”
- “September report – apologies for the delay”
Subjects such as “Hello”, “CV”, “Question” or “URGENT!!!” say nothing about the content, and the last one sounds like shouting. Useful rules:
- If the vacancy has a reference number, put it in the subject: the HR team handles several vacancies at once.
- Add your name to an application email so that it is easy to find in a search.
- Write dates in words: “5 October”, not “05.10”. In American style a numeric date is read as month/day.
The salutation: Dear, Hi or Dear Hiring Manager
The salutation sets the tone of the whole email:
- “Dear Mr Wilson,” / “Dear Ms Wilson,”: in a formal email when you know the surname. The title is followed by the surname: “Dear Mr John” is wrong, “Dear Mr Smith” is right.
- “Dear Hiring Manager,” / “Dear Admissions Team,”: when you do not know the name.
- “Dear Sir or Madam,”: very formal, when no name is given anywhere.
- “Hi Anna,” / “Hello Anna,”: semi-formal, for a colleague you know or someone who has written to you that way.
Ms, Mrs and Miss. When addressing a woman, use Ms: it does not depend on marital status and is the standard in business correspondence. Use Mrs or Miss only if the recipient uses it herself. In British style Mr, Ms and Dr are written without a full stop; in American style with one (“Mr.”, “Ms.”).
If you do not know the person’s gender, for example with names like Alex or Sam, write the full name: “Dear Alex Morgan,”.
The salutation is followed by a comma, and the text starts on a new line with a capital letter. There is no need to translate “Assalomu alaykum” separately: “Dear Ms Wilson,” is itself the greeting.
Opening, main body and polite requests
Opening phrases
The first sentence states the purpose of the email straight away:
- “I am writing to apply for the position of…”: a job application.
- “I am writing to enquire about…”: asking for information.
- “I am writing to follow up on…”: after an earlier email or meeting.
- “Thank you for your email.” / “Thank you for getting back to me.”: in a reply.
- “I hope you are well.”: a warm start to a semi-formal email.
A long introduction such as “My name is Aziza, I am 27 years old, I live in Samarkand…” is unnecessary: your name is in the signature.
A clear main body
- One email, one topic. If you have several questions, use a numbered list.
- Short paragraphs of 2–4 sentences.
- Specific facts: “by Friday, 16 October” instead of “soon”; “my CV and two reference letters” instead of “some documents”.
- Say what you expect: a reply, confirmation, a document or a meeting.
Making requests politely
The imperative (“Send me the form.”) sounds rude in a work email, even with “please”. Requests are phrased as questions or conditionals:
- “Could you please send me the application form?”
- “Would it be possible to move our meeting to Friday?”
- “I would be grateful if you could confirm the date.”
- “I was wondering if you could share the agenda.”
Bad news can be softened too: “Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend…”, “I am afraid the deadline is too tight for us…”. Phrases such as “I need you to…” and “You must…” sound like orders.
Closing lines and sign-offs
One closing line comes before the sign-off:
- “I look forward to hearing from you.”: formal, when you expect a reply. “Look forward to” is followed by the -ing form: “to hearing”, not “to hear”.
- “Please let me know if you have any questions.”
- “Thank you for your time and consideration.”: in an application email.
How sign-offs differ. International correspondence most often follows the British rule:
- “Yours sincerely,”: formal, when the salutation includes a surname (“Dear Ms Wilson”).
- “Yours faithfully,”: formal, when the salutation has no name (“Dear Sir or Madam”, “Dear Hiring Manager”). In American style “Sincerely,” is usually used in both cases.
- “Kind regards,”: polite and neutral, suitable for most work emails.
- “Best regards,”: close to “Kind regards”, slightly warmer.
- “Best,” / “Thanks,”: informal, for colleagues you know well.
The sign-off is followed by a comma, with your name on the next line. Phrases such as “With deep respect” are word-for-word translations from Uzbek and sound odd.
Aziza’s example: from first draft to finished email
A fictional situation: Aziza Nurmatova has been organising training events at a learning centre in Samarkand for two years. She has seen a “Project Assistant” vacancy at the Tashkent office of an international organisation. The advert asks for a CV and cover letter in English, and the contact person is Ms Sarah Wilson (a fictional name). Her first draft:
Dear Sir,
I am Aziza. I want to apply to position of Project Assistant. I have a big experience in organising of events. I send you my CV. Waiting your answer.
Respect,
Aziza
What is wrong with it:
- “Dear Sir”: the name is in the advert, and she is a woman. Correct: “Dear Ms Wilson,”.
- No subject line: the email will get lost among other applications.
- “apply to position”: correct is “apply for the position”.
- “a big experience in organising of events”: correct is “two years of experience in organising events”.
- “Waiting your answer”: a word-for-word translation; correct is “I look forward to hearing from you.”
- “Respect,”: there is no such sign-off; here it should be “Yours sincerely,”.
- No evidence: Aziza has not shown what she can do.
The corrected version is the first sample below. The email is short: the details are in the attached CV and cover letter. For help with the CV itself, see our guide to writing a CV. Tidy up your LinkedIn profile in English too, as HR teams often look at it.
Five sample emails
Names, organisations, dates and reference numbers are fictional. Adapt the structure to your own situation.
1. Application email (cover email)
Subject: Application: Project Assistant (Ref. PA-24) – Aziza Nurmatova
Dear Ms Wilson,
I am writing to apply for the position of Project Assistant at your Tashkent office, as advertised on your website. Please find attached my CV and cover letter.
For the past two years, I have coordinated training events at an education centre in Samarkand. My responsibilities include preparing schedules, keeping participant records in Excel and writing short reports in English and Uzbek. I believe these skills match the requirements of the role.
I would welcome the opportunity to discuss my application. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Yours sincerely,
Aziza Nurmatova
Phone: +998 XX XXX XX XX
2. Thank-you email after an interview
Subject: Thank you – Project Assistant interview
Dear Ms Wilson,
Thank you for taking the time to meet me yesterday. I enjoyed learning more about the teacher training programme and the team’s plans for next year.
Our conversation confirmed my interest in the role. The plan to expand the programme to the regions sounds especially exciting, and I believe my experience of organising events outside Tashkent would be useful there.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards,
Aziza Nurmatova
3. Rescheduling a meeting
Subject: Request to reschedule: meeting on Thursday, 15 October
Dear Mr Davies,
I am afraid I will not be able to attend our meeting on Thursday, 15 October at 10:00, as I have been asked to lead a training session in Bukhara that day. I apologise for any inconvenience.
Would it be possible to move the meeting to Friday, 16 October, after 14:00, or to the morning of Monday, 19 October? I would also be happy to meet online.
Thank you for your understanding.
Best regards,
Jasur Toshmatov
4. Asking for information
Subject: Enquiry about the evening English course
Dear Admissions Team,
I am writing to enquire about your evening English course for adults. Could you please let me know the following?
- The start date of the next group.
- The number of lessons per week.
- Whether there is a placement test.
I would also be grateful if you could send me the application form.
Yours faithfully,
Dilnoza Karimova
5. Apologising for a delay
Subject: September report – apologies for the delay
Dear Ms Chen,
I apologise for the delay in sending the September training report, which was due last Friday. Some data from our regional partners arrived later than expected, and I wanted to make sure the figures were accurate.
Please find the report attached. The key results are summarised on the first page. To avoid similar delays, I have asked our partners to send their data by the 25th of each month.
Kind regards,
Bobur Aliyev
Common mistakes made by Uzbek speakers, and checking your email
Word-for-word translation
- “Hurmatli…” (“Respected…”) should not become “Respected Mr Smith”, but “Dear Mr Smith”.
- “Sizga murojaat qilyapman” (“I am addressing you”) is not “I am appealing to you” (an appeal is a complaint or a plea), but “I am writing to…”.
- “Javobingizni kutaman” (“I await your answer”) is not “I wait your answer”, but “I look forward to hearing from you.”
- “Ilovada yuboryapman” (“I am sending it as an attachment”) is not “Attached is sent”, but “Please find attached…”.
Excessive formality and “Dear Sir”
An opening such as “Dear Esteemed Sir, with deep respect I humbly ask…” tires the reader: “Dear Ms Wilson, I am writing to…” is perfectly polite. Avoid phrases such as “Kindly do the needful”. “Dear Sir” assumes the recipient is a man and is considered old-fashioned: look for the name in the advert, on the organisation’s website or on LinkedIn, and if you cannot find it, write “Dear Hiring Manager”.
Articles and capital letters
Uzbek has no articles, so a, an and the tend to go missing or appear where they are not needed:
- “I worked as teacher” → “I worked as a teacher”.
- “I am a English teacher” → “I am an English teacher”.
- “I have a experience” → “I have experience”.
- “informations”, “advices” → “information”, “advice” (these words have no plural form).
Capital letters: “I” is always a capital; so are days of the week, months, languages and nationalities (Monday, October, English, Uzbek) and surnames (“Dear Ms wilson” is wrong). Do not write whole words in capitals (“PLEASE REPLY”): it reads as shouting.
Checking tools and artificial intelligence
- Spell check. In Gmail, Outlook or Word, set the email language to English (UK); in Word this is Review → Language → Set Proofing Language.
- Grammar assistants. Tools such as Grammarly point out mistakes with articles and prepositions, but do not accept every suggestion blindly, as the meaning may change.
- Read the email aloud and separately check the spelling of the name, that the date matches the day of the week and that the attachment is actually attached.
You can describe the situation to an AI assistant in Uzbek and ask for a draft in English. But always edit the result yourself: AI text is often generic and long. Add specific facts, do not leave in words you do not understand, and do not enter personal or confidential information. More on this in our article on AI tools at work. To build vocabulary for work correspondence, see the articles on English vocabulary and learning English.
Practice exercise and checklist
Exercise
- Find a job or course advert in English.
- Find out the recipient’s name and the reference number.
- Write the subject line: type of email, position, your name.
- Write a three-part email: an opening with “I am writing to…”, two or three sentences of evidence and a closing line.
- Match the sign-off to the salutation.
- Look for the seven mistakes from Aziza’s draft in your own text.
Checklist before sending
- The style suits the situation: formal for a stranger, semi-formal for a colleague.
- The subject line is clear.
- The salutation is correct: “Ms” plus surname, or “Dear Hiring Manager”.
- The first sentence states the purpose.
- Requests are phrased as questions.
- Articles and capital letters are checked; there is no word-for-word translation.
- Dates are written in words, and the day of the week matches the date.
- The sign-off matches the salutation, and the attachment is attached.
A work email in English is a set of familiar phrases: use them a few times and email correspondence in English will become routine.
If you would like to learn English systematically with a teacher, take a look at our association’s free English language programme and other training programmes. When you are ready, submit an application and our specialists will get in touch.