Why Grammar is Important in E-mails

When creating an e-mail, whether it's being sent to a friend or a colleague, it is always important to display proper grammar. Not only does it show professionalism but it shows organization, thoughtfulness, and intellect. Here are my reasons why grammar is important in creating e-mails.

First thing’s first: greetings. Greetings in an e-mail are essentially first impressions. They set the tone for the rest of the e-mail and help the reader to determine what kind of message you are trying to portray. By greeting with a quick friendly message such as, “Dear Mr./Mrs. Jones”, “To Whom it May Concern”, “Mr./Mrs. Jones” it shows professionalism and good grammar skills. Next, for the body of the paragraph, it’s always important to include proper capitalization, indentation, and other grammar tools. Another important factor with grammar is proper wording. Re-reading your body paragraph could make or break your chances at being professional with your writing. For instance, a good example of a bad sentence could be a comma splice, “Alex broke his toe, he shouted in pain”. One way to fix this is to add a period, “Alex broke his toe. He shouted in pain”. For the closing sentence, it’s always best to keep it short and sweet. Professional and common closing sentences include, “Best regards”, “Sincerely”, or “Hope to hear from you” (Woods, 2010). 

References

Woods, G. (2010). Using Good Grammar in E-mails. Retrieved from For Dummies: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/using-good-grammar-in-emails.html