E-Mail In An Instant 7. 8. 9. 10. Answers Mistake 1: Sloppy spelling, ghastly grammar, and poor punctuation. This e-mail is difficult to read because of all the misspelled words and badly constructed sentences. The general carelessness of the message gives the receiver an instant negative impression of the sender, and concern about his or her credibility--which all can af- fect future correspondence. Mistake 2: No salutation or signoff. Don't start your e-mail with a description of a predicament or launch into the meat of your message. Instead, begin any e-mail (even one that is addressing a problem) with a friendly salutation.