Checklist to Self-Edit Emails

Posted On: December 20, 2020

Checklist to Self-Edit Emails:

Capitalize the letter I on it’s own.
Capitalize the first letter of every sentence.
Capitalize the first letter of proper nouns (names, company names, your job title, days of the week, month names, country and city names, etc.).
Ensure there is a punctuation mark (full stop/period, question mark, exclamation mark) at the end of every statement.
Ensure there is no space before a punctuation mark (comma, full stop, question mark).
Use a question mark at the end of a question.
Use an apostrophe for contractions or to show possession.
Use the correct article before required words (a/an/the).

Let’s look at some examples of the mistakes noted above.

#1 Capitalize the letter I on it’s own.

Wrong: When we meet tomorrow, i will have the demo ready.

Correct: When we meet tomorrow, I will have the demo ready.

#2 Capitalize the first letter of every sentence.

Wrong: the website goes live tomorrow. are you ready?

Correct: The website goes live tomorrow. Are you ready?

#3 Capitalize the first letter of proper nouns.

(names, company names, your job title, days of the week, month names, country and city names, etc.)

Wrong: Our offices in india are located in hyderabad, indore, and kochi. The newest office in kochi opened on wednesday, june 7.

Correct: Our offices in India are located in Hyderabad, Indore, and Kochi. The newest office in Kochi opened on Wednesday, June 7.

Practice your knowledge of capitalization with this quiz.

#4 Ensure there is a punctuation mark (full stop/period, question mark, exclamation mark) at the end of every statement.

Wrong: Today I will go to the store

Correct: Today I will go to the store.

#5 Ensure there is no space before a punctuation mark.

(comma, full stop, question mark)

Wrong: We need to plan the kickoff meeting . Should I invite Jacob , Prema ,and Yash ?

Correct: We need to plan the kickoff meeting. Should I invite Jacob, Prema, and Yash?

Note: There will be a space after the punctuation mark.

#6 Use a question mark at the end of a question.

Wrong: Can we meet tomorrow. (incorrect punctuation mark)

Wrong: Can we meet tomorrow (lacking punctuation mark)

Correct: Can we meet tomorrow?

#7 Use an apostrophe for contractions or to show possession.

Wrong: Lets go out of station for the weekend.

Correct: Let’s go out of station for the weekend.

Note: It may be better to write out contractions to avoid this mistake.

(Let us go out of station for the weekend.)

Wrong: This was Rithikas house.

Correct: This was Rithika’s house.

Wrong: The mans name was Ronald.

Correct: The man’s name was Ronald.

See this excellent YouTube tutorial on possessives.

#8 Use the correct article before required words (a/an/the)

Wrong: I need to write an user story.

Correct: I need to write a user story. (or) I need to write the user story.

Wrong: Sam will join meeting 10 minutes late.

Correct: Sam will join the meeting 10 minutes late.

Test your knowledge of articles and how to use articles here.

Once you master this, you will be able to answer Shashi’s question, “Why India and not the India?” or “Why the USA and not USA?”

Our Email Writing course, The Ultimate Guide to Email Writing for Ease and Professionalism, is designed to teach effective Email Communication, covering aspects like structure, tone, grammar, and etiquette. It helps participants write clear and concise emails tailored to different audiences and purposes. The course includes practical exercises and feedback to improve writing skills and build confidence in professional communication through email.

Photo credit at freepik.