In Business letters^x, Formal letters^x

In business letters (or formal letters, and in any kind of letter, really), we should make it a point to know who we are addressing. Of course you can use "Dear Mr. or Mrs.:," but your readers may lose interest. Why will they lose interest? Because you don't take the time to acknowledge who...

We have arranged for the surveyor to inspect these goods in November (or do you mean, on 7th November). After that: your paragraph sounds like it is part of a formal letter to a client or customer, so that "after that" is slightly too informal. You could say, "Following this inspection, they will...

Best wishes is fine for informal letters to friends and acquaintances, but it is certainly too casual for business letters and job applications. Use Sincerely yours-- it is never inappropriate.

Yes, we use formal letters - on paper - in the business world every day. And yes, the format of the letter is important to convey the "business-like" tone of the letter. In fact, important letters to customers aren't supposed to go out without being run past me or one of my colleagues to check...

Complimentary closings are highly standardized and carry little intrinsic meaning. Opinions vary slightly. Here is one summary from AN ONLINE STYLEGUIDE:Complimentary Closing The complimentary closing should convey the level of formality and degree of personal feeling that the...

I'm very glad that you've assured me the right way to write a good business letter. I've been struggling with this point since I left Uni. In Uni, my lecturer always encouraged the students to use modern-style approach in business letter writing, that are - direct, simple, consice and clear,...

I am college freshman writing a business letter for my dad's business oversea. I'm doing so because no one at his place speaks/writers acceptable English. So, I am drafted to write a letter (not e-mail) for him to a big company requesting for partnership. The my dad's marketing manager sketched...

Well I'm not clive, calif Jim, Mr P or MM but I hope I'll do. Yes, to an extent MarkLondon is right, in that these are not often used in e-mails etc and that formal letters are becoming rarer. However he does admit that these forms are still commonly used: "Don't worry Laia. Not all you have...

Hi Kim, Below is a typical explanation, with which I fully agree. Only the first word of the closing, whatever it may be, should be capitalized. Opinions vary somwhat in other matters. For instance, according to some authorities, strict BrE usage for business letters requires 'Yours...

There is no hard and fast rule, but the most common practice is to put the author's initials in capitals and the typist's initials in lower case. Here is an example: LC/vb When there are more pages than one in a letter it is normal practice to put nothing at the end of the first page. Since...