It can be difficult to find the right opening sentence for an email. Below are some common expressions for starting business emails.

Making an Announcement

Please be advised that…(formal)
Please be aware that…(formal)
Please note that…(neutral)
We are pleased to announce…(for good news)
We are proud to announce…(for good news)
Effective immediately…
As of (date)…
Due to recent events…
As you know…(announcing something people are aware of)
We regret to announce…(for bad news)

Note that we can also start an announcement with an infinitive.
To address our issues with…
To better serve our customers…

 
Making a Request

I am writing to request…(formal)
I am writing in reference to…(formal)
I am writing to inquire about…(formal — requesting information)
I would appreciate it if you could…(formal request)
I was wondering if you could…(formal request)
Do you think you might be able…? (formal request)
I am interested in finding out more about…(neutral — requesting information)
I would like to know if…(neutral — requesting information)
Do you think you could…? (neutral)
Would you please…? (neutral)
Could you please send…? (neutral)
Could you please…? (neutral)
Can you please…? (neutral)

 
Following up on a Conversation

As per our discussion…(formal)
Per our discussion…(formal)
In reference to our earlier conversation…(formal)
This is to confirm that…(confirming something the writer stated during a conversation)
As we discussed on (date/day)…(neutral-formal)
Regarding our conversation on (date/day)…(neutral-formal)
As I said on (date/day)…(informal)
Like I said on (date/day)…(informal)

 
Apologizing

Please accept our apologies for…(formal)
We would like to apologize for…(formal)
We sincerely apologize for…(formal)
I am deeply sorry for…(formal)
I’m sorry, but…(informal, used for minor transgressions — ex. I’m sorry, but I have to reschedule the meeting)
I’m afraid that…(used for minor transgressions or softening bad news)

 
Extending an Invitation

We would like to cordially invite you to…(formal)
You are cordially invited to attend…(formal)
We would be delighted if you joined us…(formal)
We would like to invite you to…(neutral)
You are invited to attend…(neutral)

 
Congratulating Someone

Congratulations on your…
Congratulations on being…
I was pleased to hear about…
I was happy to hear about…

 
Reminding Someone

Just a friendly reminder that…
Just a quick note to remind you about…
Just a brief reminder that…
Have you had a chance to…? (gently reminding someone to finish a task)
Just checking on the status of…(gently reminding someone to finish a task)

 
Delivering Bad News

We are sorry to inform you…
We regret to inform you…
We regret to announce…

Note that we can also use expressions with due to, after, and despite to communicate bad news.
Due to (reason) we are unable to…
After consulting with…,
After evaluating…
Despite our best efforts,…

 
Responding after a Delay

Please excuse the delay in responding to your last email…(formal)
I apologize for the delayed response. (formal)
Sorry for taking so long to get back to you. (neutral-informal)

 
Requesting Payment

Our records show…
According to our records…
This is a reminder that…
Note that if multiple emails are needed, the tone typically gets progressively more direct. See the examples here.

 
Responding to a Complaint

Thanks for letting us know about…
Thank you for informing us about…
Thank you for sharing your experience with…
Thank you for taking the time to write to us…
Thank you for your email…

Note that many experts recommend starting these responses by thanking the customer. The actual apology usually comes later in the email. Some common expressions we use to apologize in response to a complaint include:
We’re sorry for any frustration this may have caused.
We’re sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.
We sincerely apologize for…

 
Acknowledgement

Thank you for your prompt reply…(formal)
Thanks for getting back to me so quickly…(neutral)
Thank you for the detailed response…(formal)
Thank you for your order of…(neutral)
Thank you for completing…(neutral)
This is to confirm that we have received…(neutral)
Thank you for your email…(neutral)

Change the following from informal English into formal English
Informal Formal

example
Can you send me the minutes
from yesterday’s meeting?

I was wondering if you could please provide me with
the minutes from yesterday’s meeting? or
Could you please provide me with the minutes from
yesterday’s meeting when you get a chance?

Sorry, I can’t make it
tomorrow.

See you next week.

Don’t forget to make sure all
the participants sign in at the
door.

I’m sorry to tell you that our
facilities are not available next
week.

About the information you
wanted, unfortunately we
cannot provide it to you

 Re-write this email using professional English

Hey everyone. Great news! We all received REALLY good feedback for our event
yesterday. Participants said they thought everyone was very helpful. I just want to
thank you guys for your hard work.
Also, there are some people that still haven’t given us back the keys from last week.
Lastly I wanted to let you know that my wife is undergoing surgery next week, so I will
be away until Thursday.
David

Provide a Subject Line for Each of the Following Email Excerpts

Subject: __________________________________________
Just a reminder about tomorrow’s event at 6:30 PM. Please make sure to order all
the food exactly two hours before the event begins.

Subject: __________________________________________
Due to a scheduling conflict, tomorrow’s meeting is going to be postponed from 2:30
to 3:30. Thank you for your understanding!

Subject: __________________________________________
Therefore, I am wondering whether your facilities will be available for event next
April? Our event will take place on April 12, from 2 – 4 PM, and we are expecting
approximately 300 guests.

Subject: __________________________________________
In order to facilitate a smooth event, could you please provide us one week in
advance with your PowerPoint and a copy of any other materials you plan to use?

Common Mistakes
Underline the correct or most appropriate word.
EMAIL 1

I am writing with (1) connection/reference/regarding to our telephone conversation this
morning about your order 7895LG. I must (2) regret/apologise/sorry for the delay in
processing this order. I can now confirm that the goods have been shipped and should
(3) arrive/reach/deliver you within 10 working days. We have taken special (4)
care/attention/caution to make sure that the items are exactly as you requested.
Once again, please (5) take/have/accept our apologies. If you have any further
questions, do not (6) stop/fail/hesitate to contact me again.

EMAIL 2

I was (1) sorry/unhappy/afraid to hear about the damage to the products that you
received this morning. However, I am (2) afraid/apologise/regret that we cannot (3)
accept/except/have responsibility in this (4) topic/material/matter. All our products are
(5) controlled/checked/looked very carefully before leaving the factory, and the damage
in this case must have been caused in transit. I (6) propose/suggest/tell that you contact
the shipping company directly about possible compensation.
In the meantime, we can ship the same order to you again, if it would help. If you give
us a firm instruction to do so (7) until/by/within the next few days, it should reach you
(8) until/by/within the end of the month.

Write an email to a colleague giving news about a work project:

 Ideas: progress of the project so far; problems and possible solutions; any budget
or staffing problems; likely outcome, any other ideas you have.