English Learning Content for Beginners

Topic: Sending Emails

Welcome to your English learning journey! Today, we’ll learn about sending emails through a fun dialogue and practical exercises.

Dialogue

Alice and Bob are friends. Bob is trying to send an important email.

Alice: Hey Bob, what’s wrong? You look like you’re fighting a computer!

Bob: Alice! Oh, thank goodness. I am! I need to send this really important email, but it’s not working right.

Alice: What’s the problem? Did you forget the ‘send’ button?

Bob: No, no, I clicked it! But then I realized… I forgot the attachment!

Alice: Haha, the classic move! What’s the attachment?

Bob: It’s my super secret recipe for banana bread. It’s for my boss.

Alice: Your boss? For banana bread? Is that work-related?

Bob: Well, it’s a ‘team-building’ exercise. She asked everyone to bring their favorite recipe.

Alice: Okay, that’s fun! Did you write a subject line?

Bob: Yes! ‘My Banana Bread Will Conquer All!’

Alice: Bob! That’s… enthusiastic. Maybe change it to ‘Banana Bread Recipe – Bob’?

Bob: Hmm, good point. More professional. And I need to attach the file again, right?

Alice: Exactly. Click the little paperclip icon, find your file, and then hit send again.

Bob: Got it! And next time, I’ll check for attachments before sending.

Alice: Smart move! Good luck with the banana bread conquest!

Current Situation

Emails are still a very important way to communicate, especially in work or school. Even with many messaging apps, emails are often used for formal messages, sending documents, or talking to people you don’t know well. Learning how to send an email correctly, including writing a clear subject line and attaching files, is a basic but essential skill in today’s world.

Key Phrases

• What’s wrong? / What’s the problem?

  Meaning: Asking why someone is upset or what difficulty they are facing.

  Example: “You look sad. What’s wrong?”

• Oh, thank goodness.

  Meaning: An expression of relief or gratitude.

  Example: “Oh, thank goodness you’re here! I needed help.”

• It’s not working right.

  Meaning: Something (like a machine or system) is broken or not functioning correctly.

  Example: “My computer is slow; it’s not working right.”

• Did you forget…?

  Meaning: Asking if someone failed to remember or bring something.

  Example: “Did you forget your keys?”

• The classic move! (informal)

  Meaning: A common or typical action, often a mistake, that someone (or many people) often makes.

  Example: “I always leave my phone at home. That’s the classic move for me!”

• Is that work-related?

  Meaning: Asking if something is connected to one’s job or profession.

  Example: “Are you checking personal emails? Is that work-related?”

• Good point.

  Meaning: An acknowledgment that someone has made a valid or helpful statement.

  Example: “You’re right, I should call them. Good point.”

• Exactly.

  Meaning: Used to say that something is precisely true or correct.

  Example: “So, we meet at 3 PM? Exactly!”

• Got it! (informal)

  Meaning: An expression of understanding or confirmation that one has received something.

  Example: “Please give me the book.” “Got it!”

• Smart move! (informal)

  Meaning: An expression of approval for a clever or sensible action.

  Example: “Bringing an umbrella was a smart move; it’s raining now.”

Grammar Points

1. Simple Present Tense

We use the simple present tense for actions that happen regularly, facts, or things that are generally true.

• Affirmative: Subject + Verb (add -s for he/she/it)

  Examples: I send emails. He sends emails. It works.

• Negative: Subject + do/does not + Verb (base form)

  Examples: I do not send emails often. It does not work right.

• Questions: Do/Does + Subject + Verb (base form)?

  Examples: Do you send emails? Does it work?

2. Imperative Verbs

We use imperative verbs to give commands, instructions, or advice. There is no subject (the subject ‘you’ is understood), you just start with the verb.

• Positive: Verb (base form) + (Object/Rest of sentence)

  Examples: Click the button. Attach the file. Send the email.

• Negative: Don’t + Verb (base form) + (Object/Rest of sentence)

  Examples: Don’t forget the attachment. Don’t send it yet.

3. “Did you…?” Questions (Simple Past)

We use “Did you…?” to ask about actions that happened in the past and are now finished. We use the base form of the verb after ‘did’.

• Question: Did + Subject + Base Form of Verb?

  Examples: Did you forget your keys? Did you write the email?

• Short Answers: Yes, I did. / No, I didn’t.

  Examples: Did you click send? “Yes, I did.” Did you attach the file? “No, I didn’t.”

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks

Choose the correct word to complete the sentences based on the dialogue.

1. Bob needs to ______ an important email. (send / read)
2. He ______ the attachment. (remembered / forgot)
3. Alice asked, “Did you ______ the ‘send’ button?” (push / click)
4. Bob’s banana bread recipe is for his ______. (friend / boss)
5. To attach a file, click the little ______ icon. (paperclip / star)

Exercise 2: Match the Question to the Answer

Match the questions (1-5) to their correct answers (A-E).

1. What’s wrong?
2. Did you forget the attachment?
3. Is that work-related?
4. What’s the subject line?
5. What should I do next?

• A. No, it’s for a team-building exercise.
• B. “My Banana Bread Will Conquer All!”
• C. Yes, I did!
• D. You need to attach the file again.
• E. I can’t send my email.

Exercise 3: Reorder the Words

Put the words in the correct order to make a sentence.

1. send / I / an / need / to / email.
2. forget / the / Did / attachment / you / ?
3. paperclip / the / Click / icon.

Exercise 4: True or False

Read the sentences and decide if they are True (T) or False (F) according to the dialogue.

1. Bob is trying to send a letter. (T/F)
2. Bob forgot to write a subject line. (T/F)
3. Alice thinks “My Banana Bread Will Conquer All!” is a good subject line for a boss. (T/F)
4. Bob needs to click the paperclip icon to attach a file. (T/F)

Answers

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks

1. send
2. forgot
3. click
4. boss
5. paperclip

Exercise 2: Match the Question to the Answer

1. 1. E
2. 2. C
3. 3. A
4. 4. B
5. 5. D

Exercise 3: Reorder the Words

1. I need to send an email.
2. Did you forget the attachment?
3. Click the paperclip icon.

Exercise 4: True or False

1. False (He’s sending an email)
2. False (He wrote one, but it was too enthusiastic)
3. False (She suggested changing it)
4. True