English Email - The Subject Line

Use an effective Subject Line in your email.

1. Don't leave it blank.

• A blank subject line might get deleted by antivirus software.
• A blank subject line wastes your recipient's time.
  

2. Do add important information in the subject line.

• A good subject line help the recipient identify and determine how important your email is.
• Capitalize all important words in the subject line (See examples).
• Follow the same capitalization and punctuation rules that you would follow in any other document.
  

For example:

• Request Catalog for Fall Purchase
• Hotel Reservations on Sept. 23
• Just Returned to Japan. Call Me.
• Hanako's Homework from Oct. 3 Class
• Resend Your Last Email Dated Oct. 23
  

3. Due to different email clients around the world, avoid using any symbols in the subject line. Use only alphanumeric characters.

• Do not use any em-size characters (2-bit/全角) in your subject line.
• Use en-size characters (1-bit/半角)
• Avoid symbols like: #, %, ~, |, \, {, }, etc.
  

4. Use clear and concise language in your Subject Line. For example:

• Catalog Request
• Request for Additional Copier Maintenance Information
• Request for Concert Ticket Information for September 2005
• Symposium Schedule Confirmation for Tokyo and Seoul
• Questions Regarding Organization History and Future Goals
  

5. Return emails in the same day you receive them if possible.

• In the 21st Century, treat emails as you would a phone call.
  

6. Encourage others to communicate with you by email.

• Provide your correct email address on your business cards and official correspondence.
• Include your email address in your email signature. This is especially useful if your recipient is using Outlook. (Firefox users are OK).

7. Do not reproduce a message in full when responding to it, especially if you are posting to a newsgroup.

• This is hard on the readers and wasteful of resources.
• Select only the parts that you are responding to.
  

Sources:

• Bull's Eye Business Writing: 10 Easy Guides for Getting to Your Writing Target, by Gloria Pincu, M.A. , President of Basic Learning Systems, Inc.
• Chip Sorensen, www.anmi-eikaiwa.com
  

┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘
アンミ英会話教室
〒234-0053横浜市港南区日野中央2-6-3
パークサイド日野102号室

tel 045-841-4218
fax 045-841-4288
cell 070-5084-9592
www.anmi-eikaiwa.com
┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘

10 Tips on Writing

Getting Started
進出方法

1. Think about the end.　 最終結果に目を向ける。

• What should the result of your letter be?　どういう経過がほしい？
  

• Are you providing information?　情報を提供するか？
  

• Are you asking for information?　情報を求めるか？
  

• Are you making a recommendation?　ｱﾄﾞﾊﾞｲｽをするか？
  

• Are you arguing a point?　議論するか？
  

• List what you want to say or ask.　言いたい事・聞きたい質問はすべて書く。
  

• Good letters have a strong sense of purpose.　手紙を書く時は目的意識を持って。
  

2. Get to the point immediately.　すぐに、要点に触れなさい。

• Don’t delay.　遅滞なく履行する事。
  

• State your question, comment, and argument in the first paragraph.　最初の段落で疑問・コメント・反論・などを述べる。
  

3. Put yourself in the reader’s place.　読者の身になって考えてみなさい。

• If the letter came to you, how would you respond?　この手紙を受け取った時、どう思う？
  

• Be pleasant.　感じ良く接するよう努力する。
  

• If you are addressing a difficult situation, be firm but courteous.　力強く心を込めて、丁寧に困難な状況に対応する。
  

No Business-ese　特殊用語を使わない

4. Say it plainly.　簡潔に伝え。

• Avoid stilted phrases.　大げさな言葉を使わない。
  

5. Clear deadwood.　無駄な言葉･表現を取り除く。

• Cut words, sentences, and even paragraphs that don’t contribute.　無駄な言葉・文書・文節･等を取り除く。
  

• Simplify your reader’s job.　手紙をもっと単純化するように。

6. Use active verbs.　動作を表す動詞。

• Avoid passive language.　受動態を使わない。
  

• Passive language suggests evasiveness or suggests blame is being placed elsewhere.　受動態を使うと、あやふやなことを感じさせる。
  

7. Be human. 　人情味を加える。

• Use personal pronouns of I, we, and you.　人称代名詞を使う事。
  

Be Positive　前向きであろうとする

8. Never write in anger.　怒って手紙を書かないように。

• Anger will evaporate; a letter won’t.　怒りが解けるが、手紙はずっと残る。
  

• Handle problems in an upbeat manner.　問題に積極的に取り組む。
  

9. End with an action step.　ｱｸｼｮﾝ・ｽﾃｯﾌﾟで終える。

• The end of a letter should suggest the reader’s next move, or your own.　手紙の最後に次の一手を示唆する。
  

• A simple “Sincerely,” and your name is the perfect closing.　締めくくりのメッセージに「Sincerely, 」と自分の名前を記入する。
  

10. Be Professional.　職業上の行為。

• The best-written letter will not survive a bad presentation.　見掛けが中身と同じほど重要なことが多い。
  

• Use a clean, logical format for your letter.　きちんと整頓して、論理的なフォーマットを使う。
  

• Don’t change fonts.　フォント設定（サイズ・スタイル・タイプ･等）を変えず。
  

• Don’t be concerned about going to a second page if the first becomes crowded.　無理に１ﾍﾟｰｼﾞに収めず、ﾍﾟｰｼﾞ数を無視する。
  

Bibliography

The Writing Center. Arizona State University, 2005.
http://www.asu.edu/duas/wcenter/, accessed September 15, 2005.



┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘
アンミ英会話教室
〒234-0053横浜市港南区日野中央2-6-3
パークサイド日野102号室

tel 045-841-4218
fax 045-841-4288
cell 070-5084-9592
www.anmi-eikaiwa.com
┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘

Contractions in Business Writing

As a rule, contractions are used only in informal writing or in tabular matter where space is limited. However, contractions of verb phrases such as "can't" for "cannot" are commonly used in business writing where the writer is striving for an easy, friendly tone.

---

Certain contractions can have more than one meaning. Can you explain the meaning of the following sentences?

For example: What's her name? (What is her name?)

1. What's he do for a living? (________________)
2. What's been happening? (________________)
3. When's the last time you saw her? (________________)
4. Let's find out. (________________)

(Answers Below)



1. What's he do for a living? (What does he do for a living?)
2. What's been happening? (What has been happening?)
3. When's the last time you saw her? (When was the last time you saw her?)
4. Let's find out. (Let us find out.)

Be aware of these common problems: the misuse of "its" and "it's" and "your" and "you're."

Use "its" when you want to communicate possession.

"It's" is used as a contraction for "it is."

"Your" also shows possession, and "you're" is a contraction of "you are."

Examples:
Its bark kept us awake.
It's too soon for celebrating.

Your desk is sloppy.
You're a silly person.

Source: Bull's Eye Business Writing: 10 Easy Guides for Getting to Your Writing Target, by Gloria Pincu, M.A. , President of Basic Learning Systems, Inc.

┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘
アンミ英会話教室
〒234-0053横浜市港南区日野中央2-6-3
パークサイド日野102号室

tel 045-841-4218
fax 045-841-4288
cell 070-5084-9592
www.anmi-eikaiwa.com
┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘┘