Emails vs Letters - Differences and Similarities

Part 1 of 5 Next in 10s

As the name “electronic mail” suggests, the first guidelines for writing e-mails originated from the archaic format of handwritten letters. A lot of the rules for writing proper emails were appropriated from that lost art. Over time, however, the electronic culture started making its own rules and, by today, there are some big differences between the directions for writing emails or letters. To start off our new series of posts about practical tips for formal writing, we’re taking a look into how compiling electronic mail differs from its paper counterpart.

The Future is Less Formal

As anyone who has taken a look at how letters were written in the dear old Victorian times, can see that over the years our communication has become less and less formal. With the birth of more quick forms of communication – starting with the phone and ending with social media – our dialogues have become less and less tangled in formalities. This is especially true in today’s info age, and emails might be the best example. With the emerging new wave of internet communication and instant messaging, few people have time for writing the Queen’s English. It’s bloggers that seem to be especially to blame for the erosion of formal English. Today, when it takes two clicks to send “letters” to hundreds of people, the rules of starting every one of them with “Dear Sir/Madam,” might seem as archaic as a corded phone. And it’s understandable – unless you’re writing a complaint letter to a bank. Writing and answering emails in formal English takes more time and create more of an embarrassment if you don’t get something right. Although “To whom it may concern:” and “Dear Ms. Davies,” are still recognised as formal salutations, even business English has started relaxing its rules. The more informal “Hi,” and “Good day,” are becoming increasingly popular. [Post continues below]