TEACHER’S NOTES

Email expressions: Part 2

by Jamie Keddie

Level: Intermediate – advanced

Business & esp teacher’s notes

4 Give back Worksheet 1 (Five emails) to

Time needed: 1 hour your students and allow them to correct
Objective/summary: This lesson aims to equip their own work by looking for the relevant
students with some basic vocabulary that they expressions in the five emails.
may need for writing emails.
Answers
Example vocabulary: Get in touch, thanks in
advance, bear with me, let me know, please all the best email 3
find attached bear with me email 2
get in touch email 3
keep in touch email 1
Lesson plan
let me know email 1
please find attached email 4
1 Give out copies of Worksheet 1 (Five see you soon email 1

emails). Ask your students to identify: thanks for everything email 1
thanks in advance email 4
• Which one is an automated response (an you’re so hot email 5
out of office reply)?
• Which one is a ‘thank you’ email?
• Which one is an unwanted (junk) email? 5 Play Chinese whisper translations

(monolingual classes only).
2 Ask them to identify words/expressions

that mean: This game works a bit like ‘consequences’ in
that it involves writing on pieces of paper
1) let somebody stay/sleep at your place and folding the paper to hide text before
passing it to the next player.
2) a queue of things to do
The exact way in which you choose to
3) be patient organize the activity will depend on the
number of students you have in your class.
4) very good-looking/sexy If you have knowledge of your students’
native language, you could get involved
in the activity yourself in order to make
Answers up numbers.
1) Let somebody stay/sleep at your place
Put somebody up (email 1) Instructions:
2) A queue of things to do
A backlog (email 2) • Make sure everyone has a blank sheet of
3) Be patient paper.
Bear with me (email 2)
4) Very good-looking/sexy • Divide the class up into groups of four.
Gorgeous (email 5)
• Within each group of four, one student
copies email 1 onto the top of their piece
of paper, another student copies email
2, another email 3 and another email 4
3
Take all email sheets back from your (email 5 is discarded).
students and give out Worksheet 2 (Word
trios). Have students complete the exercise • Once again, confiscate all copies of the
individually or in pairs. 5 emails handout from your students (if
you don’t, they will be able to cheat).
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BUSINESS & ESP / Skills / Email expressions: Part 2

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 TEACHER’S NOTES
TG or WORKSHEET
Email
Title expressions: Part 2
by Jamie Keddie
Author
Business
subject title

• Each student passes their piece of paper Original email in English

to the person on their left. (written by student 1)
• Students attempt to translate the email
into their own language. Once this has
been done, the paper is folded so that
the original email (in English) cannot Translation into students’ L1
be seen.
(written by student 2)
• Once everyone in the group has finished
their translations, the pieces of paper are Now fold along the dotted line ABOVE
passed again.

• Each student will now see a translation

of one of the emails (but not the Translation back into English
original). They must attempt to translate (written by student 3)
& esp teacher’s notes

it back into English.

• The activity continues in this way Now fold along the dotted line ABOVE
(writing and folding). Ultimately, the
pieces of paper can be unfolded and
the translations can be compared with
Translation into students’ L1
the originals.
(written by student 4)

Now fold along the dotted line ABOVE

Translation back into English

(written by student 1)

Now fold along the dotted line ABOVE

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BUSINESS & ESP / Skills / Email expressions: Part 2

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 WORKSHEET 1
Email expressions: Part 2
by Jamie Keddie

Five emails
Business & esp worksheet 1

Email 1

Hi Gerard

Just wanted to say a very big thank you for putting us up at the weekend. It was
great to finally see Barcelona (even if it was in the rain) and we had a great time.
It’s a shame we couldn’t stay longer but that’s life.

Make sure you keep in touch and let me know if you have any plans to visit London
and we will return the favour.

Again, thanks for everything and hope to see you soon!

Jane

Email 2

Thank you for your message. I’m out of the office on business this week and next.
I will try to access email while away but can’t guarantee it. As I already have a
backlog, it will be difficult for me to deal with new tasks before August so please
bear with me.

Email 3

Dear Sir or Madam,

One of our delegates for the conference has a spare sleeper train ticket for London
to Liverpool on the 15th April that they would like to sell. Apparently there are
very few of these tickets remaining so if this is of interest to you then please get
in touch.

All the best

E. Smith
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BUSINESS & ESP / Skills / Email expressions: Part 2

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 WORKSHEET 1
TG or WORKSHEET
Email
Title expressions: Part 2
by Jamie Keddie
Author

Do you remember the language?

Business
subject title

Email 4

Dear Alfredo

Please find attached my CV and accompanying letter. As discussed, I would be

grateful if you could pass it on to your company’s human resources department.
Thanks in advance.

Kind regards

Susie
& esp worksheet 1

Email 5

you’re so hot. wanna chat?

i’ll be on msn messenger today at [email protected]
again you’re gorgeous
hope to hear from you

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BUSINESS & ESP / Skills / Email expressions: Part 2

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 WORKSHEET 2
Email expressions: Part 2
by Jamie Keddie

Word trios
Business & esp worksheet 2

Put the words into groups of three to make expressions that you have already
seen in the emails:

1) All
__________ _________ _________
the best

2) ____________ ____________ ____________

3) ____________ ____________ ____________

4) ____________ ____________ ____________

5) ____________ ____________ ____________

6) ____________ ____________ ____________

7) ____________ ____________ ____________

8) ____________ ____________ ____________

9) ____________ ____________ ____________

with all in for

thanks in please

bear touch you’re see

me keep you advance soon

best everything get let

thanks in attached me

ouch the find so

hot know
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© Macmillan Publishing Ltd 2007

M W P
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FR BE C

BUSINESS & ESP / Skills / Email expressions: Part 2

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