29 June

Clearer emails. Part I: Writing dates

Posted in staying on track

Something people in my lessons are often unsure about is how to write dates and times. This short article aims to provide a few simple rules for writing dates clearly and correctly. Off we go … In British English the format is *day month year*: 10 June 2015. There’s no need to write the th (10th […]

14 October

Emails: Getting the beginning right

Ok, this might seem like a very small point, but it’s one which I think makes a world of difference when it comes to creating a positive impression if you’re writing to someone. Think big The main body of English emails or letters always begins with a capital letter. Yes, really. Yes, always. So it’s: Dear […]

15 September

Mind your Ps and Qs

As you’ve probably noticed, ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ are used a lot by English native speakers. It’s easy enough to add a generous sprinkling of ‘thank yous‘ to your English emails: Thank you for getting in touch. Thanks for calling. Thank you very much for all your support. Many thanks for making my stay so enjoyable. […]