Email Reply

Generalization for the Email Reply:

There is 15 minutes to read, write, and revise an email. When creating an email:

• Write a response that clearly maintains the exchange

• Uses a formal tone throughout

• Answer all questions asked in the original email,

• Ask more information about something mentioned in the original message or is still relevant to the topic of the message

When assessing the email, look to see if you accomplished these tasks:

• Did you maintain the exchange?

• Did you answer all questions and elaborate on your answers?

• Did you ask a question relating to the topic?

• Did you use a formal tone throughout?

• Is your response fully comprehensible?

• Did you response use of language show some sophistication?

• Is you response well organized?

Strategies for the Email Reply:

The following is a guideline about how you should budget time and review effectively:

Read the introduction and the email (2 to 3 minutes):

• Identify who sent the email and why

• Identify the questions that need ot be answered. Underline them so they are easy to refer back to.

• Make note of any information that is mentioned that could have more details

• Make note of any cultural references in the original email (origin of author, and so on)

Writing you reply (8 to 10 minutes):

• Use the formal register, use usted, throughout the response

• Structure your response correctly (greeting, opening, body, closing, goodbye)

• Respond to all the questions being asked and elaborate briefly in you response

• Request more information about something that was mentioned or about something related to the topic

• Vary your vocabulary

• Keep ideas simple and clear

• Include a variety of tenses and/ or moods, if appropriate. Do not try to force the use of different tenses or moods, as this will count against you if it makes your response confusing

• If a mistake is made, draw a kine through it and keep writing

After you finish writing (2 to 5 minutes):

• Proofread your reply and make sure that…

  • you have addressed all elements in the email, including asking for more details;

  • you have used a variety of vocabulary

  • your ideas are clear and concise; and

  • you used correct orthography, punctuation, and paraphrasing

Writing Your Email:

The email should include the following:

• Greeting | should be appropriate for a formal correspondence

• Opening | These are one or two sentences in which you acknowledge receipt of the message and convey any feelings and emotions from having read this message and/or in which you make a general comment related to the topic

• Body | This is the bulk of the response where the questions are answered in the original email and elaboration is done briefly on each answer. Be creative with the elaboration but make sure that the ideas you write are appropriate for a formal situation. Include a question that is relevant and appropriate within the context.

• Closing | This is one or two sentences in which you express gratitude to the recipient of the email, reiterate some of the information mentioned in the body, and/or espress that you look forward to hearing back from them

• Goodbye | Should be appropriate for a formal correspondence

Vocabulary:

Sample Email:

Estimada Directora,

    En primer lugar, quisiera agradecerle por haberme seleccionado como finalista. Estoy bien emocionado de saber que tengo la oportunidad de participar en esta fantástica exposición.

    Para contestar a sus preguntas, de niño, siempre me han fascinado los grandes héroes nacionales, pero si fuera de solamente escoger uno, sería José Martí. Me fascina tanto porque a través de su literatura ayudó a crear una identidad cubana, que sirvió de fuerza unificadora para la gente de la isla. También, murió en batalla tratando de liberar su país de los españoles. En la exposición, me gustaría incorporar ejemplos de su literatura para mostrar cómo sirvió para crear esta identidad nacional. Sería interesante partes de sus Versos Sencillos, y crear talleres donde los visitantes pueden mejor comprender su obra y formar versos originales que definan su propia identidad cultural.

    Me emociona muchisimo sabe porque soy finalista, ¿Sabe usted cúando van a seleccionar al solicitante ganador?

    Muchisimas gracias otra vez por la correspondencia, y quedo a su disposición para facilitarle cualquier otra información.

Atentamente,

Javier Benavidez

As you look over the response, make note of the following:

• The organization of the response us divided into five distinct portions (greeting, opening, body, closing, and goodbye)

• Use of transitions (En primer lugar, para contestar a sus preguntas, También)

• Elaboration following the answer of each question

• Use of formal tone throughout

• Use of a variety of verb moods and tenses (present, preterit, conditional, imperfect subjunctive)

Also note that there is not an email address or a date as these elements are not necessary and are a waste of time.