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Clive
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507985
Thu, 01 May 08 04:31 AM
Hi,
So, it would be great If you guys can solve the mystery of what "My Best" means.
It's not really a big mystery. It just means 'My best wishes' or 'My best regards'.
Clive
Joined on
Thu, Oct 28 2004
Canada
Veteran Member
29,575
El tango argentino es un pensamiento triste que se puede bailar (The tango argentino is a sad thought which can be danced) Enrique Santos Discépolo
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Clive
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507986
Thu, 01 May 08 04:34 AM
Hi,
What about when you end a conversation with something like, "It's been good to see you again, Jack. Please give my best to Doris and the kids. I'm sorry they couldn't come on this trip with you," or "So, you're going to the San Diego office? If you see Sandra Evans out there, give her my best." Is this usage another one of our quaint southern US idioms, grounded in ignorance and bad grammar? Or is it more widespread? Yes, seems pretty common to me. Just 'my best wishes'.
Best wishes, Clive
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Anonymous,
1 yr 200 days ago
When I was at secrerarial college many years ago, the rule was that if your letter was addressed by name: 'Dear Mr. Smith', or 'Dear John Smith' you used 'Yours sincerely'. If however you addressed it more impersonally: 'Dear Sir/Madam' then you used 'Yours faithfully'
Anonymous,
1 yr 188 days ago
The convention in letter writing is simply this: If you don't know the name of the person you are writing to (maybe it is a letter of complaint to the head of a business or organisation) and you are beginning the letter Dear Sir or Madam, then you should sign off Yours faithfully. If you do know the person by name, and start the letter Dear Mr or Mrs ***, then you should sign off Yours sincerely. In email, the sign off can be much more informal, such as Best wishes or Kind regards. I hope that helps?
Anonymous,
1 yr 186 days ago
This is the rule - no doubt about it.
Anonymous,
1 yr 169 days ago
Yours sincerely and Yours faithfully In the UK, traditional valedictions have been mainly replaced by "Yours sincerely" or "Yours faithfully". (Do not paste and copy lengthy material without citing references-- MM)
I personally feel that Kind Regards or Best Regards sounds cold and distant. Yours Truely.....or anything starting out with YOURS is to personal. A simple Thank You is warm, professional, and friendly. Petyon/ HR Manager
Anonymous,
1 yr 136 days ago
Alright - I'm an American girl corresponding via email with a British male. This began quite simply - regarding his book, and - we've had a few exchanges at this point. [Still dancing that fine line between academia and personal]. In general he closes his emails with "With kind regards" etc. and recently moved to "With all good wishes,". I know I've no real reason to hope that this is anything more than simply a conversation, but - that said - are there any closings I could perhaps use which might up the ante, so to speak - without scaring him off? I would be much obliged! Thank you! Kind regards, K.
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Clive
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538391
Tue, 08 Jul 08 04:36 PM
Hi, Personally, I think it's what you say in the rest of the email that makes the difference. But other people here may give you much better opinions. Good luck, Clive
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Anonymous,
1 yr 132 days ago
Well, 'warm regards' or 'warmest regards' has the kind of ambiguous connotations I think you're looking for. I think that the body of the letters is probably where to get more into your conversation, though (and, really, my experience with academia has been that it's always personal, even when you really don't want it to be). Anyway, what I got on here to say (not to you, anonymous). I have never seen an email from a native English speaker use "Best regards" - to be honest, it sounds kind of stilted to my American ears. If you're feeling formal, then a simple "Regards," works. If you're a little looser that day, then try "Best wishes,". Also, the capitalization pattern matters. "Best Wishes," implies a much cheerier fare-thee-well than "Best wishes," but "With Kind Regards," is a play title, not an email closing. There's no hard and fast rule, but if you emulate the closings that you see in other British/American emails, you'll do fine. Just never respond to an email with the exact same closing that the recipient used.
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