Personal/Impersonal Language
Lesson Progress
0% Complete
Another key area that identifies the level of formality in an email is whether personal or impersonal language is used.
Formal emails use utilize impersonal language, whereas informal emails are typically characterized as more personal.
Here are some features of the IMPERSONAL LANGUAGE found in more FORMAL EMAILS
| Increased usage of the passive voice | Passive: “The matter is being dealt with….” vs. Active: “I am dealing with the matter…” |
| Technical/professional vocabulary | “A consensus has been reached”… vs. “They agree…” |
| People and situations are referred to in general, not in particular or personally | “The issue of reduced sales…” vs. “Your failure to meet sales objectives…” |
| No emotive vocabulary | “Sales figures did not meet expectations in Q1…” vs. “Sales figures were horrific in Q1…” |
| No contractions | “is not acceptable…” vs. “isn’t acceptable” |
| No use of the personal pronouns ‘I’, ‘we’ ‘our’ | “The project is behind schedule…” vs. “We are behind schedule…” |
| Indirect Questions instead of Direct Questions | “I was wondering if the sales report is ready…” vs. “Did you finish the sales report…?” |
In order to write effective emails in a formal tone, it is vital to master the passive voice. Here is a reminder of what the passive voice looks like in all tenses:
| Tense | Active Voice (less formal) | Passive Voice (more formal) |
| Present Simple | I write sales reports every week. | Sales reports are written every week. |
| Present Continuous | I am completing the sales report right now. | The sales report is being completed right now. |
| Past Simple | We finished the sales report yesterday. | The sales report was finished yesterday. |
| Past Continuous | I was writing the sales report. | The sales report was being written. |
| Present Perfect Simple | We have completed the sales report. | The sales report has been completed. |
| Present Perfect Continuous | I have been working on the sales report. | No passive version |
| Past Perfect Simple | We had completed the sales report before last week’s meeting. | The sales report had been completed before last week’s meeting. |
| Past Perfect Continuous | We had been writing the sales report for weeks leading up to yesterday’s meeting. | No passive version |
| Present Modal Verbs | We will / can / could / would / might / must / should write the sales report. | The sales report will / can / could / would / might / must / should be written. |
| Future Continuous | I will be writing the sales report. | Not typically used in the passive: The sales report will be being written… |
| Future Perfect Simple | We will have completed the sales report by the end of next week. | The sales report will have been completed by the end of next week. |
| Future Perfect Continuous | I will have been working on the sales report for 3 months as of next week. | No passive version |
| Past Modal Verbs | We would / could / might / must / should have written the sales report last week. | The sales report would / could / might / must / should / have been written last week. |