Email basics

What's in the lesson

1. 1Warm-up
2. 2In this lesson
3. 3Guess the words (1)Vocabulary exercise
4. 4Guess the words (2)Vocabulary exercise
5. 5Check the wordsVocabulary
6. 6Useful phrasesVocabulary
7. 7Check your understandingReading comprehension
8. 8Listen: Javier's voicemailListening comprehension
9. 9Use the new wordsVocabulary exercise
10. 10What does it mean?Grammar exercise
11. 11Find the time wordsGrammar exercise
12. 12Time words for deadlines and datesGrammar rule
13. 13Choose the right wordGrammar exercise
14. 14Fix the time wordsGrammar exercise
15. 15Say it naturallySpeaking practice
16. 16Your turn: write Leila's emailDiscussion
17. 17Questions about the trainingSpeaking practice
18. 18Let's discussDiscussion
19. 19Wrap-up

Homework

1. 1Homework: closest meaningVocabulary exercise
2. 2Homework: your sentencesVocabulary exercise
3. 3Homework: time wordsGrammar exercise
4. 4Homework: before your vacationDiscussion

Words

• recipient/rɪˈsɪpiənt/

  a person who gets a message, a letter or a package

• subject line/ˈsʌbdʒɪkt laɪn/

  the short line at the top of an email that says what it is about

• cc/ˌsiː ˈsiː/

  to send a copy of an email to someone who needs to know about it (from "carbon copy"; also the Cc field)

• bcc/ˌbiː siː ˈsiː/

  to send a copy of an email to someone without the other recipients seeing it (from "blind carbon copy")

• reply all/rɪˌplaɪ ˈɔːl/

  to answer everyone who got an email, not only the sender

• attachment/əˈtætʃmənt/

  a file that you send with an email (attach: the verb)

• sign-off/ˈsaɪn ɔːf/

  the word or words before your name at the end of an email or a letter, like "Best regards"

• thread/θred/

  a group of emails or messages that answer each other

• out of office/ˌaʊt əv ˈɔːfɪs/

  away from work and not answering email (an out-of-office reply: an automatic answer that says so)

• proofread/ˈpruːfriːd/

  to read something carefully to find and fix mistakes before others see it

Two slides from the lesson

Warm-up

Let's talk about email at work.

1. About how many emails do you get on a normal workday?
2. Who do you write to in English, and what about?
3. What do you find hardest about writing emails in English?

Grammar rule

Time words for deadlines and dates

Words	Meaning	Example
by + a time	not later than this time: at this time or earlier	The new laptops should arrive by Wednesday.
no later than + a time	the same as by, but firmer and more formal	Tickets must be paid for no later than the 3rd.
by … at the latest	this is the very last moment	The parts will be here by the 20th at the latest.
before / after + a time, an event or a clause	earlier / later than it	Turn off your computer before you leave. Let's talk after lunch.
until + a time	all the time up to then, and then it stops	The cafeteria is open until 2:30.
not … until + a time	not before this time	We won't know the price until the supplier calls back.
from … to / until	the start and the end	I worked there from 2019 to 2023.
within + a period	at some time before the end of the period	Most orders ship within two days.
in + a period (about the future)	after that much time from now	I'll call you back in an hour.
in advance	before the time something happens	Thanks in advance for your help.

on, at, in

on + a day or a date: on Wednesday, on July 4 · at + a clock time: at 6:45 (and at noon, at night) · in + a month, a year or a part of the day: in August, in 2028, in the evening

In American English, through makes it clear that the last day is included: We're open Monday through Friday. Informal till means the same as until.

by is for an action that happens once, at or before the deadline (send, reply, finish). until is for something that continues (stay, be closed, wait, be away). So: Please reply by Friday, not Please reply until Friday. And it's no later than, not no later then. In an out-of-office reply, "until Monday" can be unclear, so say the day you will be back: I'll be back on Monday.