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Writing guide

Clear professional emails in English: common mistakes and fixes

The email habits that make non-native writers sound unclear or too blunt, with before and after examples you can reuse: subject lines, requests, openings, closings and deadlines.

5 min read Published

Most non-native writers who struggle with work emails know their grammar well. The real problems are usually elsewhere: a subject line that says nothing, a request hidden in the third paragraph, a polite formula translated word for word from another language, or a tone that comes out more demanding than intended. Each of these is easy to fix once you can see it.

1. A subject line that says nothing

Your reader decides when to open the email from the subject line alone. "Question", "Hello" or "Urgent!!" force them to open it just to find out what it is about. Name the topic and, if there is one, the action.

Before

Subject: Question

After

Subject: Invoice 4821: can you confirm the payment date?

2. The request is buried

Many writers explain the whole background first and ask for something at the very end. Busy readers may never reach it. Put the request in the first two lines, then give only the context the reader needs to act on it.

Before

Last month our team started working on the new onboarding guide. We had several meetings and collected feedback from different departments, and there were many useful comments. Because of this, the document is now longer than planned. So I wanted to ask if it is possible to have more time.

After

Could we move the onboarding guide deadline from 15 October to 22 October?

The feedback from other departments was more detailed than we expected, and including it has made the guide longer. One more week would let us finish it properly.

3. Formulas translated word for word

Every language has its own polite formulas, and translating them directly into English often sounds stiff or old-fashioned. These are some of the most common ones, with natural alternatives:

  • "I am writing to you this email to inform you that…" → "I'm writing to let you know that…" or simply state the news.
  • "Please find attached herewith the file." → "I've attached the file."
  • "Hope you are fine." → "I hope you're well."
  • "Dear Sir" when you know the name → "Dear Ms Patel" or, in a less formal workplace, "Hi Priya".
  • "Waiting for your reply." → "I look forward to hearing from you." On its own, the first version can sound impatient.

4. Too direct, or too indirect

An instruction in the imperative can sound rude in English even when it is perfectly normal in your first language. The usual fix is a question with a clear deadline.

Before

Send me the report today.

After

Could you send me the report by 5 p.m. today?

The opposite mistake is just as common: so many softeners that the reader cannot tell what you want.

Before

I was wondering if it might perhaps be possible to maybe consider moving the meeting, if that is not too much trouble.

After

Would it be possible to move the meeting to Friday?

5. Small grammar slips that readers notice

These errors rarely cause confusion, but they appear so often in emails that it is worth checking for them:

  • "discuss about the plan" → "discuss the plan". Discuss takes no preposition.
  • "informations", "advices", "feedbacks" → "information", "advice", "feedback". These nouns are uncountable.
  • "I am working here since two years." → "I have been working here for two years."
  • "I didn't received it." → "I didn't receive it."
  • "Please revert." → "Please reply." Revert means "return to a previous state" for many readers.

6. Vague time and next steps

"ASAP", "soon" and "next week" mean different things to different people, especially across time zones. Give a day, a date and, where it matters, a time zone. Say clearly what happens next and who does it.

Before

Please send the documents ASAP so we can proceed.

After

Please send the signed contract by Wednesday, 14 October, 12:00 CET. Once we have it, I will book the installation date.

Putting it together

Here is a complete email before and after editing. The facts are the same in both versions.

Before

Subject: Hello

Dear Sir,

Hope you are fine. I am writing to you this email to inform you that we have received the samples and our team checked them. There are some informations about the colours that we need to discuss about. Waiting for your reply ASAP.

Best Regards

After

Subject: Sample colours: two questions before we approve

Dear Mr Okafor,

Thank you for the samples. Our team has checked them, and before we approve the order we have two questions about the colours:

1. Is the dark green in sample B the final shade?
2. Can sample C be produced in matte as well as gloss?

Could you reply by Friday, 16 October? That will let us confirm the order next week.

Best regards,
Lina

The edited version has a clear subject, uses the reader's name, puts the questions in a list and gives a deadline with a reason. The two questions are an example: always use the details from your own situation.

A checklist before you press Send

  1. Could the reader understand the email from the subject line and the first two lines?
  2. Is every request phrased as a clear question or a polite instruction?
  3. Are dates, times and time zones exact?
  4. Have you used the reader's name and a greeting that suits your relationship?
  5. Did you check uncountable nouns and verbs such as discuss?
  6. Does the email end with what happens next?

HumanProse has a Business mode for this kind of text. It rewrites a work email into clear, natural English and aims to keep your facts and requests as they are. Read the result before sending, and make sure the names, numbers and dates are still yours.

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