Owensboro Community & Technical College The Language of College Home

Ask for help

Emailing an Instructor and Asking Questions

Use this page when you have a question for your instructor and want to ask it clearly in writing.

About 10 minutes. Includes practice with answers.

Before you write

Instructors get many emails every day. A clear, specific email gets a faster and more useful answer. Before you write, take two minutes to check three places. Many answers are already there.

  1. The syllabus. It has due dates, policies, and how to contact your instructor.
  2. The assignment directions. They have the requirements and often the rubric.
  3. Course announcements in Blackboard. Changes often appear here first.

If you still have a question, write. Asking is normal. Instructors expect questions, and a good question shows that you take the course seriously.

What instructors expect

  • Use the method in the syllabus. Some instructors want email at your college address. Others want a message in Blackboard.
  • Use the name your instructor asks for. If you are not sure, write Professor + last name.
  • Write one email for one topic. Two different questions are easier to answer in two short emails.
  • Give your instructor time to answer. The syllabus often says how soon your instructor replies. Write early, not an hour before a due date.
Key terms
Subject line:
the short title of an email. It tells the reader what the email is about.
Greeting:
the first line, such as Dear Professor Lee,
Closing:
the last line before your name, such as Thank you,
Section:
one class meeting group of a course. Your instructor may teach several sections of the same course.

Six parts of a clear email

  1. Subject line. Name the course and the topic. ENG 101: Question about Essay 2 sources
  2. Greeting. Dear Professor Lee, or Hello Professor Lee,
  3. Who you are. Your name and your course. Add the section or meeting time if you know it.
  4. Your question or request. Be specific. Say what you already checked.
  5. Thanks. One short sentence is enough.
  6. Closing and your full name. Thank you, then your first and last name.
Tone

An email to an instructor is more formal than a text message. Use complete sentences. Do not start with Hey, and do not use abbreviations such as u or pls.

Example: an email with a question

A student read the assignment directions and still had a question. Each number matches a note below the email.

An email with notes

Subject: ENG 101: Question about Essay 2 sources1

Dear Professor Lee,2

My name is Ana Reyes, and I am in your Tuesday and Thursday ENG 101 class.3 I read the directions for Essay 2 and the rubric.4 Could you tell me whether an interview can count as one of the two sources?5 I would like to interview my supervisor about the topic.

Thank you for your help.6

Sincerely,
Ana Reyes

  1. A clear subject line. The instructor knows the course and the topic before opening the email.
  2. A polite greeting. A title and the last name, followed by a comma.
  3. Who the student is. The instructor teaches several sections, so the meeting days help.
  4. What the student already checked. This shows that the question is not in the directions.
  5. One specific question. It can be answered quickly. The word order is the order of a statement, not a question. See the language focus below.
  6. Thanks, a closing, and a full name. The full name helps the instructor find the student in the gradebook.

If you missed class

Do not ask “Did I miss anything important?” Everything in class is important. Instead, check the course materials first, and then ask what you need to do.

  • I was absent on Tuesday. I read the slides in Blackboard and finished the reading. Is there anything else I should do before Thursday?

If you have a reason that the syllabus asks you to report, such as illness or a work emergency, say so briefly. You do not need to share private details.

Language focus: indirect questions

Language focus

Questions inside polite phrases

In an email, many questions begin with a polite phrase such as Could you tell me or I would like to know. The question that follows is called an indirect question. It uses the word order of a statement: subject first, then verb. It does not use do, does, or did.

Direct and indirect questions
Direct questionIndirect question
Where is the rubric?Could you tell me where the rubric is?
When is the essay due?I would like to know when the essay is due.
How do I submit the file?Could you explain how I submit the file?
Can an interview count as a source?Could you tell me whether an interview can count as a source?
Watch for this

After Could you tell me, put the subject before the verb. Write Could you tell me when the quiz is? Do not write “Could you tell me when is the quiz?”

For a yes-or-no question, use whether or if: Could you tell me if late work is accepted?

The question mark goes at the end when the whole sentence is a question (Could you tell me…?). Use a period when the sentence is a statement (I would like to know….).

Sentence starters

Fill in each blank with your own words.

  • Subject line: Question about : Request to meet about
  • Who you areMy name is , and I am in your class.
  • What you checkedI read , but I am not sure .
  • Your questionCould you tell me whether ?Could you explain what means in the directions?
  • To ask for a meetingCould we meet during your office hours on ?Would you have time to meet on or ?
  • To closeThank you for your help.Thank you for your time.

Practice

  1. Which subject line is the most useful?
    • A. Question
    • B. HELP!!!
    • C. BIO 135: Question about the lab report format
  2. Correct this question: “Could you tell me when is the next quiz?”
  3. Change this to an indirect question that begins with Could you tell me: “Do we need a title page?”
  4. What three parts are missing from this email? “hey when is the essay due”
Show suggested answers
  1. C. It names the course and the topic. A and B do not tell the instructor what the email is about.
  2. Could you tell me when the next quiz is? In an indirect question, the subject (the next quiz) comes before the verb (is).
  3. Could you tell me whether we need a title page? It is a yes-or-no question, so use whether or if. Do not use do.
  4. Any three of these: a greeting, who the student is, which course, what they checked, a thank-you, and a full name. Also, the due date is usually in the syllabus or in Blackboard. Check there first.

Next step

Related pages