Search results for 'tag:Formal letters tag:Salutation' matching tags 'Formal letters' and 'Salutation'

Re: Social titles

Huevos — Fri, 09 May 2008 21:31:52 GMT

If you are writing a formal letter don't put the person's name in the salutation; instead put it in the header. Use dear sir or dear madam. If you don't know the name or the sex of the person you wish to contact take the trouble to find out. If you are writing to a department use dear sirs (plural). Dear sir or madam sucks.

Re: greetings used in letters

Arvsworld — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 13:16:31 GMT

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 they are. How do they know that the letter in question is addressed to them?

Take some time to complete your salutation by using correct names and titles.

For informal letters to your uncle and aunt, yes, just couple their names and titles together with "and."

Re: To Whom it May Concern

Clive — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 23:14:28 GMT

Hi again.

Dear Messrs. would probably do...

Sorry, definitely not. That is rarely used, and really only with multiple surnames.

If I want to write a very stiff and extremely formal letter to a law firm that I don't like, I might address them as

Dear Messieurs Smith, Jones and Gradgrind,

It seems that a lot of Forum readers feel very, very uncomfortable with the idea of not starting with a formal salutation, yet in email I would say that this is more or less the norm for native speakers.

Perhaps this lack of comfort is a reflection of differences in cultures, where other cultures are more formal. Other manifestations of this difference,in other threads, seem to include, for example, almost a big fear by people that they will seriously offend a woman if they accidentally address her as 'Dear Sir'.

I should add that in starting all my posts here with 'hi' and ending with 'best wishes', I am very much in a minority. I just started doing that for fun, and it has become a little unconscious ritual. It's not what many people typically do.

Best wishes, Clive

Re: opening task of a letter - with comma and point in UK?

nona the brit — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 17:13:27 GMT

That would be a very informal letter so I'm not sure you need to worry too much about 'rules' anyway (are you sure the US would finish a salutation with a full stop?).

Hi Peter,

is the form I would think is most common in the UK to match with the more formal 'Dear Peter,'

Re: Writing letters

Grammar Geek — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 14:43:49 GMT

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 the grammar and the format and such things to ensure it represents a professional image.

I would say that handwritten letters are reserved for thank you notes and letters of sympathy. You may use e-mail for letters of congratulations, but a handwritten one is still nice too. I would never send a business letter that was hand written.

As more people use e-mail for more purposes, the "formal e-mail" is probably being use more often. And as with a letter, a structured format, with a salutation and a closing - not to mention full sentences properly punctuated and capitalized, and without any "u r" type nonsense - will convey that it's a business letter.

If ever got an e-mail from a business that said "Dear Customer, ur account has been reviewed and we need 2 contact u. Do it quick." you can believe that I would hit delete pretty quickly.

Re: Question for sponsorship letter: Dear Mr. (first or last?) name,

Anonymous — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 13:24:40 GMT

Regarding to your question. What is suitable for formal Letters(Salutation), it doesn't matter even if it is your close relative, friend, Father etc in that head of the Insti. there.>>>>You should Use..

Dear Sir,

Then follow by any topic you want to write official.eg. APPLYING FOR THE POST OF A CLERK. after the Topic, you most underline the Topic...(Then Period).

Re: a salutation question....

Clive — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 16:22:50 GMT

Hi,

Are we entitled to use , for instance: " Dear Engineer Jack Runson;" as our salutation in a formal letter referring the sales director of a company?

I'd like to add a comment about spoken English. When we go to work, we don't say 'Good morning, Engineer Runson', either. Titles are not used in this way. I find that many immigrants come from cultures where they are, so they have to learn not to do this.

Best wishes, Clive

a salutation question....

Kazem — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 07:11:13 GMT

hi every body.

Are we entitled to use , for instance: " Dear Engineer Jack Runson;" as our salutation in a formal letter referring the sales director of a company?

Thanks for your help.