Per is a preposition that has several meanings. Probably its most common use is almost invisible—in the abbreviation “mph (miles per hour),” where it means “each.”
It’s commonly used in newspaper reporting to mean “according to” (e.g., “The President has been kept informed, per sources close to the Oval Office”).
Per is often found in the phrase per our conversation in emails and letters (e.g., “Per our conversation yesterday, could you let me have the new draft proposal by Friday, please?”).
Per can also refer to how often something happens (e.g., “Take one tablet once per day”), or it can have the meaning of “every” (e.g., there are more cafes per square mile than in any other city”).
Per is also commonly used in the phrase per se to mean “intrinsically” or “by itself” (e.g., “The film isn’t bad per se, but it can’t compare to the book”).
Continue reading: What does per mean?
Ms. is a title used for any adult woman (e.g., “Ms. Genji”). Unlike “Miss” or “Mrs.,” “Ms.” does not indicate a woman’s marital status and is therefore the female equivalent of the masculine title “Mr.”
“Ms.” is not an abbreviation for anything, and it does not stand for “Miss.” It is pronounced [miz], but it is always written as “Ms.”
Continue reading: What does “Ms.” stand for?
Mx. is a gender-neutral title that can be used for people who do not identify as male or female or do not want to have their gender specified. It is used in the same way as titles like “Ms.” or “Mr.” (e.g., “Mx. Nande”).
“Mx.” is followed by a period to match the form of other titles, but it is not an abbreviation of anything. The x is used like a statistical value to indicate that the person’s gender is unspecified.
Continue reading: What does “Mx.” stand for?
When starting an email to a professor, it is best to take a more formal approach to avoid making a poor impression. In the greeting, use “Dear” followed by a title and the professor’s last name (e.g., “Dear Professor/Dr. Willow,”).
You can follow the greeting with a number of opening lines before diving into the purpose of your message, such as:
You can also use “I’m reaching out …” if you prefer to come straight to the point.
You can adapt the tone of your emails according to the professor’s response. For example, if they greet you with “Hi/Hello” in their reply, you can adopt the same style.
However, continue to use their title (unless they explicitly give you permission to address them otherwise), and avoid using overly informal language like slang or “Cheers.”
You can automatically rewrite your sentences to express your intended meaning using QuillBot’s tools.
Continue reading: How do I start an email to a professor?
When ending an email to a professor, take a more formal approach, especially when interacting with the person for the first time.
First, be sure to clearly indicate any actions you would like the professor to take. The purpose of your email and what you expect from the professor should be clear.
Then, there are a number of sign-offs you can use to end the email, such as:
- Sincerely
- Best regards
- Kind regards
Avoid using overly informal language like slang or “Cheers.”
Try QuillBot’s rephraser to vary your writing.
Continue reading: How do I end an email to a professor?
“Sincerely” or “Sincerely yours” are sign-offs that are typically used when you’re ending an email to someone you’ve been in contact with before as opposed to someone you are reaching out to for the first time.
“Yours truly” was traditionally used when contacting a stranger and was usually paired with the greeting “Dear Sir or Madam.” It is not frequently used nowadays, especially in emails. Instead, a sign-off like “Regards” is more common.
QuillBot’s rewording tool can help you vary your written vocabulary.
Continue reading: Should I write “Sincerely” or “Yours truly”?
Similar expressions to “I hope you’re doing well” include:
Automatically rephrase your sentences to express your desired meaning.
Continue reading: What is an alternative for “I hope you’re doing well”?
“Dear Sir or Madam” is similar to “To Whom It May Concern” in that both expressions are impersonal and do not specify the recipient using their name.
“Dear Sir or Madam” is the more appropriate choice when you are addressing a single person, whereas “To Whom It May Concern” is suitable when you are addressing a group or organization.
You can use QuillBot to automatically rephrase your sentences and ensure they express your intended meaning.
Continue reading: Is Dear Sir or Madam the same as To Whom It May Concern?
It is generally best to adapt your greeting to the person you are addressing by using their name. If this isn’t possible, you can also use organization or department names or the person’s title.
Though it is somewhat impersonal and dated, “Dear Sir or Madam” can be used if you cannot find any information about the person you want to address.
Our sentence rephraser can help you vary your writing and express your intended meaning.
Continue reading: When should I use Dear Sir or Madam?
Just checking in is an expression used to start an email. It is intended to be a friendly way to prompt someone to respond or perform a given action.
However, because it is so commonly used to remind someone of something they need to do, it can come across as passive-aggressive. To avoid this, it can be replaced with other expressions, such as “I’d love to get an update on …”
In more personal contexts, “just checking in” is often used when asking about someone’s well-being (e.g., “I just wanted to check in on you”). Here, it doesn’t have a passive-aggressive connotation.
You can use QuillBot to automatically rephrase your sentences and ensure they express your intended meaning.
Continue reading: What’s the meaning of “just checking in”?
