Just checking in is a common expression used to start an email or other correspondence. It is often used to follow up on a message sent before or to request an update on an ongoing activity. It is intended to be friendly but still alert the recipient that you anticipate a response.
However, this expression is overused and may come across as passive-aggressive, so it is better avoided. When contacting someone to follow up on a previously discussed topic or project, you should avoid a pushy or insincere tone.
The following alternatives encourage a response without seeming to place pressure on the recipient.
Emails are a foundational aspect of professional life, so knowing how to appropriately start an email and end it are skills worth mastering. Emails should end with a closing line, a sign-off, and an email signature.
Using the right final words will leave a good impression and help to build rapport. There are numerous options for how to close your emails, and the expressions you use should be matched to the context and the relationship you have with the recipient.
Hope you’re doing well (or hope you are doing well) is an expression that is often used at the start of emails or other correspondence. It demonstrates interest in the recipient’s well-being before diving into the body of the message.
This is a friendly, natural expression, and it is perfectly acceptable to use in both formal and informal contexts, including professional communication.
Hope you’re doing well email exampleDear Cecilia,
I hope you’re doing well.
I’ve got the reports you requested ready and will send everything to the client this afternoon.
Kind regards,
Paolo
That said, because the expression is used so often, it may seem insincere. Varying the expression or using alternatives can help you to avoid this and keep a fresh and engaging tone, particularly when you are writing to the same person.
I hope this email finds you well is often used to start an email in a friendly but formal, polite way.
This expression is suitable for professional communication but may come across as a bit stiff in communication with people you are already familiar with. Additionally, because it is used so often, it might come across as cliché or inauthentic.
To avoid this, you can use alternative email openings to break the ice without sounding too formulaic.
Dear Sir or Madam is a common greeting in emails or letters to people whose names you don’t know. Although this expression is still used, it is preferable to use other greetings as this phrase is rather impersonal and dated.
Ideally, communications should directly address the recipient by name. If you are unable to find this information, you can instead use the name of the group or department or the person’s job title. If you are not writing to one specific individual, you can use “To Whom It May Concern.”
Alternatives to Dear Sir or Madam examplesDear Ms. Pulan, …
Looking forward to hearing from you is often used to end an email or other correspondence. This expression is a friendly way of emphasizing that you expect the reader to reply.
“Looking forward to hearing from you” is a common expression that is neutral in terms of formality, so it is perfectly acceptable to use. However, since it is used so frequently, you may want to change it slightly if you are worried the reader may simply skim over it.
The following alternatives give you options to adapt the expression to the type of response you are looking for.
Regards is an expression used to close an email or other types of correspondence. It shows respect to the recipient and wishes them well. Regards should be followed by a comma and your name on a separate line.
Regards can be used as part of a number of phrases to sign off in an email. Other versions of this expression can be used for more formal or less formal situations.
Regards email exampleDear Professor Callahan,
I am reaching out in relation to your request for papers on criminal law. I have several potential submissions that may meet your criteria.
To Whom It May Concern is a formal opening for an email or letter that is addressed to someone whose name is unknown or to a nonspecific recipient, such as a department or group of people.
While “To Whom It May Concern” is still in use, it is somewhat dated and impersonal, and there are generally better options to start an email depending on who your recipient is. This greeting might imply that you are sending a mass email or that you didn’t take the time to find the name of the person you want to reach.
If you cannot find the name of the person you’re addressing or you have a nonspecific audience, it is still generally better to use a job title or department name to personalize the opening of your message.
To Whom It May Concern email alternativesDear Head of Sales, …
To quote something is to state it exactly as it was originally presented, using the exact words from the original source and quotation marks (in written text). Therefore, a quote is a copy of a piece of text.
To quote something correctly, you must:
Copy the text exactly as it’s written in the source material
Enclose the text in quotation marks or format it as a block quote
Quoting in MLA exampleHarold Bloom has argued that Shakespeare “is neither Nietzschean nor Kierkegaardian, atheist nor Christian, nihilist nor humanist, and he is no more Falstaff than he is Hamlet” (37).
Adjective order in English follows certain rules. When there is more than one adjective preceding a noun or pronoun, the adjectives follow a specific pattern according to their category.
Adjectives are divided into a variety of categories depending on what aspects of the noun they describe. Using the correct adjective order is an important part of composing sentences that flow well and read naturally.
Adjective order examplesHe called the office and spoke to the new Canadian receptionist.
Brianna wore a large heart-shaped diamond ring to the dinner.
That is my favorite red velvet dress.
The thieves broke the glass using a short steel pipe.
