How to end a letter in English? Sincerely yours... or how to end business letters correctly.

The most common phrases to end a business letter in English are Yours sincerely, Yours faithfully, Yours truly, Best regards. Below are the features of using each of them.

Yours sincerely

Possible options: Sincerely yours (American English), Sincerely.
The most common way to end a business (official) letter is English language. Used when the address indicates the recipient's name at the beginning of the letter, for example: "Dear Ms Paula Hill".

Yours faithfully

The phrase is considered a bit outdated, although it can still be found in business correspondence, especially in British English. Used extremely rarely in American English (see Yours Truly). The peculiarity of using this expression is that it should be used in the absence of indicating the name of the recipient in the address at the beginning of the letter, for example: “Dear Sir" or "Dear Madam".

Yours truly

American equivalent of the expression Yours faithfully.

Best regards

Possible options: Kind regards, Warm regards, Regards, Kindest regards, etc.
These expressions sound less formal than Yours sincerely And Yours faithfully. They are recommended to be used only when the letter is NOT of a strictly official nature and is addressed to a person with whom you have a more friendly (and not just business) relationship. It is worth noting, however, that these expressions are often used in electronic business correspondence.

Summary

Dear Ms Paula Hill, => Yours sincerely(British English) Sincerely yours(American English), Sincerely.
Formal style, the recipient's name is indicated in the message.

Dear Sir or Madam, => Yours faithfully(British English), Yours truly(American English).
Formal style, recipient's name is NOT included in the message. The expressions are considered a little outdated, although they are still found.

Any request=> Best regards, Kind regards, Warm regards, Regards, Kindest regards.
Less formal methods complete a business letter. Often used in electronic business correspondence.
see also

Deliberate politeness can look extremely impolite. How to avoid this? We share tips from experts in the field of etiquette.

Stop writing "S" Best wishes! at the end of the letter. Yes, this signature looks harmless. You really only want the best for the respondent. But times are changing, and such politeness formulas have become redundant.

According to researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, who have been studying the issue since 2003, the social norm has changed relatively recently. Now only 5% of emails end with such wishes. More often attributed to “Thank you!” or “With respect!” .

Email became widespread in the 90s, and most users immediately abandoned formalities - and politeness formulas at the end of messages. According to business etiquette coach Barbara Patcher, "It was more like notes." On the Los Angeles web page Times University of California sociologist Neil Schmegler predicts that with the development of electronic technologies, paper correspondence will finally become a thing of the past.

But over time, emails took over the functions of paper ones, and people returned to familiar norms. business correspondence. Pachter says, "There's a whole hierarchy of closing signatures." So what should you choose? "Sincerely"? Bad stamp. "Warm greetings"? Too emotional. "Thank you"? A good option, but it is often chosen where gratitude is not required at all. “Sincerely, yours” - did you really wholeheartedly, sincerely attach each of these files?

The problem with “best wishes” is that it doesn’t tell the respondent anything at all. Business ethics consultant Judith Kallos says: “It’s a meaningless formula of speech used when there is nothing worth saying.” Other experts are not so categorical: they call it “harmless,” “correct,” “decent,” or “nothing.” Liz Danzico, director at a PR agency NPR says: "Recently, 'All the best' usually expressed polite inattention - but now it can mean a veiled insult or threat."

Letters written several centuries ago are littered with “best wishes.” In the Anglo-Saxon tradition, the stamp appeared in 1922. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, this was facilitated by Francis Scott Fitzgerald, who wrote to the literary critic Edmond Wilson, “Zelda sends you her best wishes.” The formula became widespread and ended its life only at the end of 1968, when Larry King received an official message ending with “All the best, Billy.” Such letters were already annoying, and even the sharp-tongued Larry King said that it was too familiar.

Politeness formulas have been ingrained in languages ​​for centuries. In 1922, Emily Post, one of the pillars of the science of etiquette, wrote:

“The British began to get rid of embellishments in letters back in the 18th century. They limited themselves to “Sincerely yours.”

In the age of the Internet, tradition continues. People avoid both familiarity and expressions of affection and use as much neutral wording at the end of the letter. According to a survey, 75% of people prefer “Thank you!” or “Good luck!” However, many admit that this is not the best choice, - but are forced to comply with the new social norm.

If not “best wishes”, then what?

No way. In general, do not use polite formulas in your signature. With the spread of services like Slack and Email became similar to messengers. Barbara Patchett says: "Emails have become less formal." Nowadays, concluding formulas are not used in letters to friends or good acquaintances - it is considered that this is as archaic as voice messages. Politeness formulas only slow down correspondence. Liz Danzico comments, "People don't talk like that." She herself puts a period at the end of emails - business and personal. Without a signature.

The exam offers an excerpt from a letter from your possible pen pal. The letter contains some news and several questions asking for your opinion, advice, etc.

You are required to write a response letter starting with your brief return address in the upper right corner, the date below the address, a salutation, and ending with a parting phrase and name.

First of all, to write a letter, you need to know the rules of spelling and punctuation of the English language and try to follow them - the person to whom you addressed the letter will be pleased to read a well-written letter.

One of the English language tasks in both the Unified State Exam and the Unified State Examination is writing a personal letter in response to a letter from an “English-speaking pen pal.” It is included in Part C, just like writing an English essay. At the same time, if in the Unified State Exam the length of a letter is 100-140 words, then in the Unified State Exam there is a limit of 100-120 words, because in the Unified State Examination you are given the task to ask 3 questions, and in the Unified State Examination you are given the task of simply answering the letter, although, in any case, if you write the questions, this will be a plus.

Writing a letter to foreign language is a simple task that needs to be completed as quickly as possible to leave time for other tasks. So, let's look at the uniform rules for writing a personal letter. To make it easier to understand everything, watch a specially selected video from the site:

On the right top corner indicate the address in the following order (reverse order to Russian):

  • apartment
  • house number, street name
  • city
  • a country

It is allowed to indicate the address in in brief, For example:
Moscow
Russia

Below the address skipping a line, you must write the date of the letter:
June 4th, 2012
June 4, 2012

or less formally:
04/06/12

The letter begins with an informal address. If the name of your interlocutor is not indicated in the task, you should come up with one:
Dear Tim,
Dear Rebecca,

After the address you need to put a comma!

Divide the text of the letter into several logical paragraphs, each of which begins with a red line.

1. In the first paragraph, you should thank your friend for his letter:
Thanks (a lot) for your (last) letter.
Your last letter was a real surprise.
I was glad to get your letter.
It was great to hear from you! / It was great to hear that… / I was happy to hear…

You can also apologize for not writing earlier:
Sorry I haven’t been written for so long but …/ Sorry I haven’t been in touch for so long.
I’m sorry I haven’t answered earlier but I was really busy with my school.

and/or mention any fact from the letter received:
I’m glad you passed your History test!
Sounds like you had a great time in London!
Great news about your…!

2. The body of the letter (2–3 paragraphs). In it you must disclose all aspects specified in the task. Don't forget to ask the necessary questions.

The letter is expected to be written in an informal style, so you can use informal linking words such as well, by the way, anyway, so, colloquial expressions like Guess what? Or Wish me luck!, as well as exclamation marks.

3. In the last paragraph, explain why you are ending the letter:
Well, I’d better go now as I have to do my homework.
Anyway, I have to go now because my Mum asked me to help her with the washing up.
I've got to go now! It’s time for my favorite TV show.

and mention further contacts:
Write (back) soon!
Take care and keep in touch!
Drop me a letter when you can.
Hope to hear from you soon.
I can’t wait to hear from you!

At the end of the letter, on a separate line, the final cliché phrase is indicated, which depends on how close the author and the addressee are. It is always followed by a comma! Below are possible options From least formal (1) to more formal (8):

  1. Love,
  2. Lots of love,
  3. All my love,
  4. All the best,
  5. Best wishes,
  6. With best wishes,
  7. Yours,
  8. Warm regards,

On the next line, under the final phrase, the author's name is indicated (without a surname!). For example:
Andy or Kate

Thus, a letter to a friend looks like this:

Writer's address (indicated in the upper right corner)
Date of letter (under address)

Appeal,
At the beginning of the letter, the author usually a) thanks the addressee for previously received correspondence; b) apologizes for not writing earlier.
The body of the letter (2-3 paragraphs). It should disclose
all aspects specified in the assignment.
Be sure to ask all the necessary questions.
At the end of the letter, the author usually mentions the reason for ending the letter, as well as further contacts (cliché phrases are used).
The final phrase
Author's signature (name)

Template for writing a letter in English

13 Ostozhenka street

I was so happy to get your letter! I can’t wait to meet you in July! I’m sorry I haven’t answered earlier but I was really busy with my school.

You asked me to tell you about… Well, …

By the way, ...? ...? ...?

Unfortunately, I’d better go now as I’ve got loads of homework to do (as always). Take care and keep in touch!

The article offers you clichés and phrase patterns that will help you write a letter in English.

IN modern world Few people do not know English, because it is international and compulsory to study in schools, technical schools and universities. English is useful for everyone when traveling, in professional activity and in cases of communication with foreigners.

IMPORTANT: Social media have swallowed up the whole world and no one is surprised by a letter coming from “the other end of the world.” The tips offered in this article will help you start a conversation with a person and write a letter correctly. Here you will find examples of introductory and general phrases, greetings and farewells.

Starting a letter can be very difficult. It is important to choose beautiful words to interest your interlocutor and win him over. It doesn’t matter who you’re talking to, a friend, a boyfriend, a guy or girl you like, a distant relative, the main thing is to know common appeals, which are like universal cliché, suitable for any letter.

Like any letter, a letter in English must have three main parts:

  • Greetings and introduction
  • Main (main) part
  • Final part, farewell




Phrases for writing to a friend or girlfriend in English: list with translation

It doesn’t matter what the essence of your letter will be, whether it is a letter of recognition, greeting, farewell or invitation. You should fill it up in general phrases, which will allow you to clearly express all thoughts and words. Use the established clichés proposed in this article.







How to finish a letter in English to a friend: rules

You should also end the letter beautifully, using farewell phrases. You should thank your interlocutor for sending the letter or write that you are looking forward to an answer from him.



How to correctly format a letter to a friend in English: a ready-made letter template

They will help you write a letter correctly and beautifully ready-made examples, where you can track the use of all introductory phrases and follow this example to use your own.

Examples of ready-made letters:







How to say “Sincerely” in English in a letter to a friend?

Your signature at the end of the letter is characteristic feature, which will not only indicate your good manners, but also that you know all the rules for writing a correct letter.





An example of a letter to a friend in English with translation

Use examples of letters in English, which are presented only with translations. This way you can focus on introductory clichés and know exactly their meanings.

Almost every person who is somehow connected with the Internet knows what email is. Old friends, colleagues, relatives love to keep in touch via email, because it is a truly convenient service. True, some still prefer good old handwritten messages. But the majority of people on Earth communicate in one way or another.

It is important to know that the letter can be business, congratulatory or personal. Depending on the style of the text and who it is intended for, the text itself is already compiled.

How to end a letter to a friend

Before thinking about the ending of the message, check the text you have already written. It is important to correct all errors, both grammatical and stylistic. After that, consider adding to your letter. Letter to the in electronic format It’s much easier to compose because you can always delete or add a new piece of text at any point in the message. With a handwritten letter, everything is much more complicated, because it must be written without a single mistake.

You should immediately decide what you expect from the recipient. If you want a quick response to a letter, add special notes or write it directly in the letter. If you have a little time to wait for a response, then leave what you wrote as is.

The letter should end logically, the main idea must be fully transferred. Otherwise, the recipient will be guessing what you wanted to say with this or that word. Write clearly and clearly so that there are no ambiguous questions.

So how do you end a letter to a friend? If unique ideas don’t come to your mind, then you can use hackneyed expressions:

  • Your friend, "Name"
  • I want to see you
  • See you!
  • Waiting for an answer
  • Wait for a visit!
  • Kisses, “Name”
  • Come soon
  • Be happy!
  • Best wishes!
  • All the best, your friend "Name"

How to end a business letter

When writing a business message, you need to conduct a deeper and more thorough check, otherwise your partner, having found errors, will not want to have anything to do with you. The text should be written in simple text, there is no need to make up huge sentences with different phrases, just use basic descriptions.

Watch your speech, do not use common words and expressions: “Che,” “Yes, no problem,” etc. Treat your interlocutor with respect, and do not insult him under any circumstances, otherwise you may not send messages at all.

The end of the letter should be intriguing, interest your interlocutor, add a little spark. From the beginning of the text, you need to lead the reader to the essence of the issue and only at the end completely reveal your cards. The fact is that the ending of the text is best remembered, which means that a person will pay more attention to it.

Before ending your message, please enter full list main documents, if any. Be sure to number each document and do it in chronological order.

  • I hope for further cooperation.
  • Thank you for your attention.
  • Best regards, "Name".
  • With respect, "Name".

How to end a letter in English

When corresponding with friends or loved ones, you do not have to follow a clear text structure. Here the speech may be simpler, because the most important thing is to convey emotions, feelings, and talk about what is happening. You can use jokes, common expressions, etc.

On this moment The younger generation communicates in a completely different language. Many adults do not always understand what we are talking about. Borrowed words are often used, new concepts are introduced, which is why our speech becomes completely different.

To finish a letter in English, you must also preliminary preparation. Check the entire text for errors, add the necessary notes, and then move on to the ending.

  • Good Luck - Good luck!
  • With Love - with love!
  • Good cheers - good mood!
  • See you soon - see you soon!
  • Talk to you later - let's talk later.
  • Truly yours - best regards!

Now you know how to end a letter. Use these tips to appear competent.