If you are a new listener to this award-winning podcast, welcome! With over 40 years of teaching between us, Reza and Craig will help you improve your English and take it to the next level.
In this episode: Your questions answered: How to start and finish emails, the English ‘subjuntivo’, the difference between ‘avoid’ and ‘prevent’ and more of your questions and comments.
 
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Thanks to our good friend Javier for the olive oil.
How to start and finish emails
Reza responds to emails using a similar level of formality (or informality) as the person who sends the email.
FORMAL
Beginning a formal email:
Dear John, Mr. Smith (Mrs/Miss/Ms) - Yours Sincerely,
miss - singlemrs.- marriedms - single or married
Dear Sir/Madam - Yours Faithfully,
Hi, Good morning/afternoon/evening (Reza would not choose these greetings for formal emails unless the other person used them first)
Reza is a bit of a stickler (stickler - rigorista, insistente)
Ending a formal email:
Best wishes, All the best, Warm regards, Best regards, Kind regards,
I look forward to/I'm looking forward to + (verb) + ing (Reza would choose not to use contractions, like "I'm", in a formal email).
Reza and Craig both agree that it's better to be more formal in exam emails and letters.
It's always better to be more formal than to risk offending someone by being too informal.
INFORMAL
Beginning an informal email:
Hi, Hello, How's it going? What's up? Hey there! G'day (Australian greeting)
Ending an informal email:
Love, Lots of love, hugs, Cheers! kisses, see you soon! Thanks,See you Tuesday,Until Friday,
Feedback: Javier from Burgos
Javier found us around episode 44 and went back to Nº1. Now he needs more than one episode per week because he's listened to all of them!I'm used to listening to a daily podcast of you (must be true, he said "listening TO"!), If I were the President of the Government I would declare your podcasts "of national interest" and I would enact a law forcing you to release a podcast every day. Poor Craig and Reza!
A doubt I sometimes have is trouble translating our Spanish "subjuntivo" into English.
Certain expressions are clear to me, such as the typical "verb + pronoun + to inf" (I told you to come earlier), and some others such as using certain verbs with the bare infinitive (recommend, suggest): I recommend that you study more /It is recommended that you study more.
My doubt is with other examples apart from the aforementioned, such as: "No creo que vaya a la fiesta" = I don't think I go / will go to the party. Which one is correct? Both?
Besides, concerning the examples with the bare infinitive, I think that with some verbs there is only that possibility, I mean: "I recommend that you go the party" is OK but you can't say "I recommend you to go to the party".
But with other verbs, are both possibilities allowed?. For instance: "I asked that Mark submit his assignment" MAYBE YOU ASKED MARK’S TUTOR TO ASK MARK TO SUBMIT IT and "I asked Mark to submit his assignment". YOU ASKED MARK DIRECTLY
So, my enquiry is: which verbs are only used with the bare infinitive and which verbs can be used with both structures?.
Best regards from Burgos,Javier
Nobody really agrees what the subjunctive is and when it should be used. Many grammar books and English teachers disagree.
The past subjunctive is the same as the past indicative. The exception is the verb TO BE: I were, you were, he/sh/it were (for example, as used in the second conditional "If I WERE you, I would.....")
The present subjunctive is the same as the past subjunctive, except for the 3rd person 's' which is sometimes (but not always) removed: "I recommend he TRAVEL without any luggage."
The present subjunctive is more common in American English than British English.
The present subjunctive of the verb TO BE is 'BE' for all forms of the verb (I BE, you BE, he/she/it B