How to Write a Formal Email in English: Structure and Phrases [2026]

A formal email in English follows a fixed structure, and readers notice when you deviate from it, even when your grammar is perfect. The parts are expected in a particular order, and each one has a small set of phrases that native professionals reach for automatically. Get the structure right and a reader takes you seriously before they have read a single point.

This guide breaks a formal email into five parts, from the greeting to the sign-off, with tested phrases for each. Two complete examples show a request and a complaint written correctly. A final section lists phrases that many learners still use but that now sound outdated to British readers.

The five parts of a formal email

Every formal email is built from the same five blocks, in this order.

1. Greeting

The greeting depends on whether you know the reader's name. Never guess a first name in a formal context.

• You know the name: Dear Mr Khan, Dear Ms Roberts, Dear Dr Osei.
• You do not know the name: Dear Sir or Madam.

Use Ms rather than Mrs or Miss unless you know the reader prefers otherwise, because Ms says nothing about marital status and is the safe professional default.

2. Opening line

State why you are writing in the first sentence. A reader should never have to reach the second paragraph to learn the purpose.

• I am writing to ask about the invoice dated 3 August.
• I am writing to apply for the position advertised on your website.
• I am writing with regard to the order I placed last week.

3. Body

The body carries your actual message. Keep each paragraph to one idea, and stay direct. Formal does not mean long or decorated; it means clear and polite.

• To request: I would be grateful if you could send me the full report.
• To ask a question: Could you please confirm whether the room is available on the 12th?
• To give information: I would like to inform you that the meeting has moved to Thursday.

4. Closing line

Signal that you are finishing and say what you expect to happen next.

• I look forward to hearing from you.
• Please let me know if you need any further information.
• Thank you for your time and assistance.

5. Sign-off

The sign-off must match the greeting. This is the one rule people break most often.

• If you opened with a name (Dear Mr Khan), close with Yours sincerely.
• If you opened with Dear Sir or Madam, close with Yours faithfully.

Put your full name on the line below, and your role or company beneath that if it is relevant.

Example one: a request

Dear Ms Roberts,

I am writing to ask about the training course scheduled for 20 September. I would be grateful if you could confirm whether places are still available and let me know the cost per person.

If it would help, I am happy to provide the names of the three colleagues who would attend.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely, Daniel Owusu

Example two: a complaint

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing with regard to order number 4471, which arrived on 8 August. Two of the four items were missing from the package, and the invoice does not match what I received.

I would be grateful if you could arrange for the missing items to be sent, or refund the difference. I have attached a photograph of the delivery note for reference.

Please let me know how you would like to proceed.

Yours faithfully, Priya Sharma

Notice that even the complaint stays calm and specific. It states the facts, says what it wants, and offers evidence. Anger rarely gets a faster reply than a clear account does.

Phrases that now sound outdated

Some phrases were standard a generation ago and are still taught in many places, but they read as old-fashioned or oddly formal to British readers today. Replace them with plainer alternatives.

• Please do the needful becomes: Please could you arrange this.
• Kindly revert becomes: Please let me know, or Please reply.
• Please be informed that becomes: I would like to let you know that.
• Awaiting your earliest response becomes: I look forward to hearing from you.
• I beg to state that becomes: nothing, just say the point directly.

The modern standard for formal English is politeness through clarity, not through elaborate wording. A short, well-structured email now reads as more professional than a decorated one.

If you write emails as part of your job, the same principles scale up to longer messages and reports. Our guide to English email writing for business covers tone, follow-ups and handling difficult messages in more detail. And if you need your written English assessed formally, our Eng4Skills assessment scores your writing against the CEFR.