Neerja is a student of Class XI. She has opted for Computer Science. Neerja prepared the project assigned to her. She mailed it to her teacher. The snapshot of that email is shown below. ![Figure — the snapshot of Neerja's email to her teacher](/figures/societal-impacts/q20-neerja-email.svg) Find out which of the following email etiquettes are missing in it. Justify your answer. (a) Subject of the mail (b) Formal greeting (c) Self-explanatory terms (d) Identity of the sender (e) Regards

> [!TLDR] > This question tests understanding of professional email etiquette by identifying missing elements in a student's email to her teacher. ## Understanding Email Etiquette Email etiquette refers to the principles of behavior one should follow when composing and sending professional or formal emails. In an academic or professional context, a well-structured email demonstrates respect, clarity, and professionalism. Each element serves a purpose: the subject line helps the recipient prioritize and file the message, a formal greeting establishes the appropriate tone, self-explanatory terms ensure clarity, a proper signature provides context, and closing regards show courtesy. When Neerja sends her project to her teacher, she is engaging in formal academic communication. The email should be complete, clear, and respectful. Let's examine each element against the snapshot provided. ## Analysis of Each Email Etiquette Element **(a) Subject of the mail** The snapshot clearly shows `(no subject)` in the subject line. A subject line is essential because it tells the recipient what the email is about before they open it. In this case, something like "Class XI Computer Science Project Submission" would immediately inform the teacher of the email's purpose. **This etiquette is MISSING.** **(b) Formal greeting** The email body begins directly with "PFA the required document with this email." There is no greeting such as "Dear Sir/Madam," "Respected Teacher," or even "Good morning/afternoon." A formal greeting sets the appropriate tone for professional communication and shows respect. **This etiquette is MISSING.** **(c) Self-explanatory terms** Neerja writes "PFA the required document." While "PFA" (Please Find Attached) is commonly used in professional emails, it is an abbreviation that may not be universally understood, especially in an academic setting with students. More importantly, "the required document" is vague—it doesn't specify what the document is (

Neerja is a student of Class XI. She has opted for Computer Science. Neerja prepared the project assigned to h

Exercises · Q20

Q. Neerja is a student of Class XI. She has opted for Computer Science. Neerja prepared the project assigned to her. She mailed it to her teacher. The snapshot of that email is shown below.

Figure — the snapshot of Neerja's email to her teacher — Figure

Find out which of the following email etiquettes are missing in it. Justify your answer.

(a) Subject of the mail

(b) Formal greeting

(d) Identity of the sender

(e) Regards

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Concept understanding — Email Etiquette

Email Etiquette

Think about how you speak to someone face-to-face. You adjust your tone depending on who you're talking to — a friend gets casual language, a professor gets respectful phrasing, and a potential employer gets polished professionalism. Email etiquette is simply the same principle applied to written electronic communication. It is the set of conventions and courtesies that make your emails clear, respectful, and effective.

At its core, email etiquette is about respecting the reader's time and attention. Every email you send creates an impression of you — your competence, your professionalism, and your understanding of social norms in a digital environment. A poorly written email can confuse, annoy, or even offend the recipient, while a well-crafted one builds trust and gets things done.

Why It Matters for You

As a commerce or humanities student, you will soon be writing emails to professors, internship coordinators, potential employers, clients, and colleagues. These people receive dozens of emails daily. The ones that get read and answered promptly are the ones that are easy to process and pleasant to deal with. Email etiquette is not about being stiff or formal — it is about being clear, considerate, and credible.

Important

An email is a written record. Unlike a spoken conversation, it can be forwarded, saved, and referred back to. Never write anything in an email that you would not want your professor, your boss, or a stranger to read.

The Key Elements of Email Etiquette

1. A Clear and Specific Subject Line

The subject line is the first thing the recipient sees. It should tell them exactly what the email is about and whether it requires action.

Good: "Request for extension — Marketing assignment due 15 Oct"
Bad: "Hi" or "Question" or (blank)

A vague subject line makes your email easy to ignore or accidentally delete.

2. An Appropriate Salutation

Always open with a greeting that matches your relationship with the recipient.

Formal: "Dear Professor Sharma," or "Dear Ms. Gupta,"
Semi-formal: "Hello Dr. Verma," or "Good morning Mr. Singh,"
Casual (only with known peers): "Hi Priya,"

Never skip the salutation entirely. It sets a respectful tone.

3. A Concise and Well-Structured Body

State your purpose in the first sentence. Then provide necessary context, and end with a clear call to action.

Note

Most people skim emails on their phones. Keep paragraphs short — two to three sentences maximum. Use line breaks between ideas. If you have multiple questions or points, number them.

Example structure:

Opening line: "I am writing to request a one-day extension for the group project submission."
Context: "Our team has encountered an unexpected delay in data collection due to the Diwali holiday."
Action needed: "Could you please let me know if this is possible by Wednesday?"

4. A Professional Closing

End with a polite sign-off followed by your name and, if relevant, your contact details or course information.

Formal: "Yours sincerely," / "With regards,"
Semi-formal: "Best regards," / "Thank you,"
Casual: "Thanks," / "Best,"

Always include your full name. For academic emails, add your roll number and course name below your name.

5. Proofread Before Sending

Spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and missing attachments create a poor impression. Read your email aloud before hitting send. Check that the recipient's name is spelled correctly — this is a surprisingly common and avoidable mistake.

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This question tests understanding of professional email etiquette by identifying missing elements in a student's email to her teacher.

Understanding Email Etiquette

Email etiquette refers to the principles of behavior one should follow when composing and sending professional or formal emails. In an academic or professional context, a well-structured email demonstrates respect, clarity, and professionalism. Each element serves a purpose: the subject line helps the recipient prioritize and file the message, a formal greeting establishes the appropriate tone, self-explanatory terms ensure clarity, a proper signature provides context, and closing regards show courtesy.

When Neerja sends her project to her teacher, she is engaging in formal academic communication. The email should be complete, clear, and respectful. Let's examine each element against the snapshot provided.

Analysis of Each Email Etiquette Element

Subject of the mail The snapshot clearly shows (no subject) in the subject line. A subject line is essential because it tells the recipient what the email is about before they open it. In this case, something like "Class XI Computer Science Project Submission" would immediately inform the teacher of the email's purpose. This etiquette is MISSING.
Formal greeting The email body begins directly with "PFA the required document with this email." There is no greeting such as "Dear Sir/Madam," "Respected Teacher," or even "Good morning/afternoon." A formal greeting sets the appropriate tone for professional communication and shows respect. This etiquette is MISSING.
Self-explanatory terms Neerja writes "PFA the required document." While "PFA" (Please Find Attached) is commonly used in professional emails, it is an abbreviation that may not be universally understood, especially in an academic setting with students. More importantly, "the required document" is vague—it doesn't specify what the document is (the project), what it's about, or which assignment it refers to. The attachment is named "123.docx," which is completely non-descriptive. A self-explanatory approach would be: "Please find attached my Computer Science project on [topic name]" with a file named something like "Neerja_CS_Project.docx." This etiquette is MISSING.
Identity of the sender The sender's identity appears in two places: the email header shows "Neerja <[email]>" and the message ends with "Neerja." The teacher can clearly identify who sent the email. While a more complete signature (including class, roll number, or section) would be better practice, the basic identity of the sender is present. This etiquette is PRESENT (though minimal).
Regards …

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Q.Neerja is a student of Class XI. She has opted for Computer Science. Neerja prepared the project assigned to her. She mailed it to her teacher. The snapshot of that email is shown below.

Understanding Email Etiquette

Analysis of Each Email Etiquette Element

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