How to sign a letter in English. Personal letter in English: correspondence etiquette. Invitation acceptance letter

Dear Sir or Madam, => Yours faithfully(British English ), Yours truly(amer.eng.).
Formal style, the name of the recipient is NOT indicated in the appeal. Expressions are considered a bit obsolete, although they are still found.

Any appeal=> Best regards, Kind regards, Warm regards, Regards, Kindest regards.
Less formal ways to end a business letter. Often used in business e-mail.
see also

Correspondence is drawn up according to its own special rules in each language. Since writing a business or personal letter is included in the list of tasks for the USE in English and many international exams, it is important to know how to write English letters correctly. We want to invite you to familiarize yourself with several final formulas of the letter, which usually precede the signature. Having understood the nuances of their meaning, you can use them accurately and always to the point.

Regards,

Word regard comes from french regarder- look. These roots are associated contemporary meaning words: "to look after someone", to look at someone with a special feeling", "to respect, appreciate, distinguish among others". Used as a signature, the word "regards" serves to indicate a favorable attitude, respect. In this case "regards" is often followed by adjectives kind, warm, or best.

Expression warm regards perfect for completing a letter business partner, with whom you are in a warm, almost friendly relationship, or want to count on those.

Cheers,

This term in England gained its popularity as a toast at the beginning of the twentieth century. Interestingly, today it is quite often used as a final formula in English letters. Originally, the word "cheer" in English meant "face", derived from the Latin "cara" (having the same meaning). Gradually, the word began to acquire a metaphorical meaning and denote "mood", a little later the meaning of the term narrowed down to an exclusively positive "joy".

This wording is perfect for ending a congratulatory letter or postcard.

cordially,

When the English began to use the word "cordially" it had a more sensuous meaning than it does today. This expression could be interpreted something like this: "with sincere love", "with all my heart." Today, the word has taken on a more formal connotation.

Be careful how you use this wording, it sounds a little outdated today and is not suitable for ending letters to a correspondent with whom you want to maintain lively and casual communication.

thanks,

As a final wording, the word "thanks" has two possible connotations: "thank you for your attention and time spent reading the letter" or "thanks in advance for fulfilling the request described in the letter."

Many people prefer to strengthen the wording with an exclamation mark (thanks!) or additional expressions (thanks so much).

sincerely,

The word "sincerely" comes from the Latin sincerus, meaning "pure, unstained, perfect." The adverbial form sincerely began to be used as a final wording in the early 18th century and is still used for this purpose, meaning "sincerely", "genuinely".

This wording is more suitable for completing paper letters than e-mails.

best,

Surprisingly, the word "best" is also often found as the final construction of English writing. It is an abbreviation for a number of expressions, such as: "all the best," "best wishes," or "my best." All of them mean a wish for well-being and good luck.

Many consider best to be a rude and impersonal way to end a letter, while others like such a short and bright wording.

yours,

Variations with the word yours were especially loved in the days of Dickens. Charles himself skillfully played with expressions that included the wording: "yours truly", "heartily yours" and "faithfully yours"

Yours expresses affection and tenderness towards the correspondent, and therefore is hardly suitable for official correspondence.

respectfully,

Respectfully expresses a high level of respect for the addressee of the message.

In official correspondence, adding yours (yours respectfully) to the word respectfully can soften the tone of the letter a little and make it more personal.

Well, now you are fully equipped to competently and beautifully complete any letter.

Sincerely yours,

Dmitry Nikitin School

Everyone knows that the column "knowledge foreign languages” is in the resume of any serious company. And if you write “freedom” in such a column, then the chances of getting a tidbit increase many times over. And the phrase "business English" will have an almost magical effect.

As a rule, business English involves written communication. And this is good. Firstly, there is always the opportunity to think and get into the dictionary. Second, there are so many standard expressions that it is practically not difficult for a person who speaks English from the Pre-Intermediate level and above to write a decent letter and send it to business partners.

The main thing in writing a letter is its framing. That is the beginning and the end. As they say, people are greeted by clothes, and the last words are remembered best of all (thanks to Stirlitz). Accordingly, if you start your appeal correctly and end it just as correctly, then the very essence of the letter will be perceived better, and the overall impression of your speech in general can play a decisive role.

By adhering to certain writing rules, you will definitely achieve success. Let's start writing a business letter in English!

Greetings

As befits all polite people: any communication begins with a greeting. And not the same in a tricky way The structure of a business letter also begins with a greeting.

Dear Sir or Madame- an appeal to a person if you do not know either the name, or the title, or even whether it is a man or a woman. Important: after this greeting, no exclamation point is put! And even no punctuation mark is put at all, just the next sentence comes from a new line. You can put a comma if you really want to.

Dear Mr White(Ms White / Mrs White / Miss Catcher) - addressing the addressee by last name (after Mr, Ms, etc., the name is not put!) I hope everyone remembers that Mr is an appeal to a man, Miss - to an unmarried woman, Mrs - to a married woman, Ms - to a woman who does not want to emphasize her marital status.

Important: never write with the full word Mister, Mistress - only in abbreviation (Mr, Mrs)!

Dear Mr John- addressing the addressee by name (with a closer business acquaintance)

Dear Nick- addressing the addressee by name with a very old, almost friendly business acquaintance

It is important to focus on appeals to a woman. Now the universal appeal Ms (this is both married and unmarried) is very common. Therefore, in business letters they often write exactly this way so as not to offend :) If you know for sure that the addressee is a married woman, you can safely indicate Mrs. But if you know that you are definitely not married, it’s better not to take risks with Miss. Because some of it, oddly enough, offends.

After the greeting, you can remind yourself. More precisely, about the last communication: by e-mail, by phone, in person, etc. Even if the memory of the addressee is not girlish and he addressed you 5 minutes ago.

Thank you for your message.- Thank you for your message.

Thank you for your e-mail of…- Thank you for your email from (date)…

With reference to your phone call/ letter of (date)/ advertisement in “NW Magazine”…- in relation to your phone call / letter (on such and such date) / ad in NW Magazine ...

In reply (in answer/ in response) to your request… In response to your request...

In accordance (in conformity) with your request …- As per your request...

In compliance with your request…- As requested by you...

Further to our conversation/telephone talk…- In continuation of our conversation / telephone conversation, etc.

We are writing in response to your publication in… We are writing in response to your posting in...

We were pleased to receive your inquiry… We were pleased to receive your request...

Reasons for contacting

After the greeting and reminders, there should be a phrase that will bring the addressee up to date and explain why you are actually sending him this letter.

We are writing to inquire about…- We write to inquire about...

We apologize for… We apologize for...

We confirm that…- We confirm that...

We would like to clarify… We would like to clarify...

We kindly ask you to… We kindly ask you...

I am writing to enquire about/ to apologize for/ in connection with/ get more details about/ explain…- I am writing to you to inquire about / to apologize for / in connection with / to find out details about / to explain ...

This is to confirm … To confirm…

We hereby inform you … We hereby inform you…

Letter Completion

This is your catchphrase.

As always, if you have any questions, please send them directly to me. - As always, if you have any questions, please contact me directly.

If you have any questions feel free to contact me. / should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly- If you have any questions, feel free to contact me / directly to me, please.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. - If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact (literal translation).

Thank you and I am looking forward to hearing from you. Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks in advance.- Thank you in advance.

Please contact us again if we can help in any way.- Please contact us again if we can help you in any way.

Signature, or formula of politeness

The last touch remains. In Russian official letters, everything ends in a standard way: "With respect, ...". In English, it is customary to say "sincerely yours." But in accordance with etiquette, it will have to be translated into Russian anyway as "with respect."

yours faithfully,
Sincerely, ... (if the name of the person is unknown, i.e. the letter began with Dear Sir or Madam)

yours sincerely,
Sincerely, ... (if you know the name, i.e. the letter began with Dear Mr / Miss / Ms / Mrs)

If you have been communicating with a person for a long time and address him in a letter by name, then it is appropriate to use any of the following options (you can translate as “with Best wishes»):

best wishes
kind regards,
Warmest regards.

For sim - I'm sorry.

kind regards,
iLoveEnglish.

We hope that this sample business letter in English will help you find new job or create business connections soon.

« Remember the last phrase”- these are the words of the famous movie hero from one Soviet television series. The remark went “to the people” and is now a common aphorism. Indeed, the last words affect the whole impression of the conversation. Therefore, when composing business or personal correspondence, you should carefully consider how to finish the letter in English and politely say goodbye to the interlocutor. The ability to tactfully and appropriately use standard cliché phrases at the end of the letter will be the subject of today's material.

A formal letter requires increased attention to the norms of politeness. With successful business communication, the end of the letter allows you to enhance the effect of the above text.

The ending in a business letter should make a favorable impression: there should not be obsession, excessive emotionality, flattery, bias, and even more rudeness and hostility. Therefore, in business correspondence, it is customary to use impersonal speech clichés. The table below shows the standard phrases that often appear in the completion of a business letter in English.

These expressions will help to beautifully complete the text of the message. But this is not the whole ending, because. no letter in English needs a signature. Usually this short remark expresses their respect or wishes for success. The translation of many of these phrases into Russian coincides, and even when switching to English, they are used almost interchangeably, with only very slight emotional differences.

A business letter in English may end with a signature of the following form:

• Yoursfaithfully* - with sincere respect;
• Respectfully yours* – Sincerely;
• Sincerelyyours-Yours sincerely;
• With gratitude- sincerely grateful
• With gratitude- sincerely grateful;
• Thanks and regards- with gratitude and best wishes;
• bestregards – with best regards;
• kindregards- with good wishes;
• bestwishes- with wishes of success.

* These expressions are used only if the writer does not personally know the addressee of his letter.

Paying tribute to the accepted norms of courtesy, they put a comma and write the personal data of the signatory on a new line: first name, last name and position held. This letter ends.

So, we figured out the official messages and learned how to finish them beautifully. But one more important question remained unsolved: how can one complete a letter to a friend in English or an appeal to foreign relatives? We will discuss this in detail in the next section.

English phrases of farewell in friendly correspondence

Informal correspondence also adheres to a polite tone, but provides incomparably more opportunities for expressing emotions and emphasizing the closeness and warmth of relationships. Therefore, there are a very large number of answers to the question of how to finish a letter in English in personal correspondence.

Let's start with the fact that an informal text should also have a logical conclusion: a kind of last note or a final line. And sometimes it is at the finishing stage that a stupor occurs: you write about the latest news and events, and a beautiful end to the letter does not come to mind.

Of course, everyone has their own style of writing letters, but even in friendly correspondence there are often template phrases. Don't know how to finish your English letter? Feel free to choose and write one of the expressions below. In our material, they are also highlighted in a separate table.

Other English topics: Transmittal letter in English to send resume

Using these clichés, you can give a beautiful and meaningful look to any letter.

It remains only to put a polite formula and your initials. There are just a lot of signature options for an informal letter, but we have selected the best and most frequently used examples from it. So you don’t have to think long about how to sign a letter either.

If the addressee of your message is relatives or good friends, it would be appropriate to use such forms of farewell as:

• Yours cordially- cordially yours;
• Yours ever – always yours;
• Eternally yours- always yours;
• Your loving brother- Your loving brother;
• your friend – Your friend;
• Your very sincere friend- Your devoted friend;
• bestwishes – With best regards;
• Give my regards to… - Send greetings ...;
• Allthebest – Best wishes.

If you and your interlocutor are very close friends or you have a warm romantic relationship, then the following wishes will come to the rescue:

• Affectionately- With tenderness;
• Lots of love- I love you very much;
• Lots of kisses – Kisses;
• Hugs- I hug;
• With love and kisses- Love and kisses;
• With all my love– With all love;
• Passionately yours – Passionately yours;
• Always and forever Yours forever and ever;
• Missingyou – Missing You;
• sendmyloveto… – Send my regards…;
• takecare – Take care;
• Tillnexttime– Until next time;
• Seeyousoon – See you soon;
• Seeya- See you;
• Cheers– Bye ;
• Ciao– Chao!

And after expressing our feelings, do not forget to put a comma, and sign your name on a new line.

Now we are familiar with the rules for processing all types of correspondence. But still, it is better to see a complete sample of writing once than to read a theory abstracted from practice several times. At the end of the material, we suggest you look at examples English letters different character with Russian translation.

How to finish a letter in English - samples and excerpts from correspondence

In this section, you will find several examples that clearly show the format of letters in English, as well as the correspondence between their styles and forms of politeness.

Letter of congratulation

Dear Daniel and Sarah,

Please accept our heartiest congratulations on your silver wedding anniversary!

It seems that you connected your destinies just yesterday. It's been 25 years since that wonderful day.

With great pleasure, we want to wish such an ideal couple only the best things: a lot of love, good health, eternal youth and a long and happy life together. Being your friends is an honor and a pleasure!

With best wishes on your anniversary,

Jonathan and Elizabeth Livingston.

Letters to a friend

Hey Emily!

I'm still waiting for that book you promised to send me at our last meeting. Since then, you have not written to me, apparently, you are now very busy with business.

Anyway, I'm going to visit you in a week and we can meet. What do you think about that? Scribble a couple of lines when you're free.

Dear Jack,

Thank you very much for your letter! It's great to hear from you!

I must apologize for not writing sooner. I worked very hard and didn't have a minute of free time. But now I can tell you about my news.

I have been on vacation since yesterday. My boss allowed me to go on vacation for a whole month. I am very happy, now I can go to Spain, finally! I saved up money for this trip for two years, and yesterday I bought round-trip tickets to Barcelona. I will spend two weeks in Barcelona. You can't even imagine how much I dreamed about this! I'm just in seventh heaven!

Later, when I return to Moscow, I will go to my parents. They live in St. Petersburg. I spent my childhood in Saint Petersburg, so I have many friends there. I will be very pleased to meet them. After this trip to the city of my childhood, I will return to Moscow again and write you all my impressions.

Well, it's time for me to wrap up. Hope to hear from you again soon.

Love and kisses,

Excerpts from business letters

Please accept our sincere apologies for the recent inconvenience. Rest assured that we will take all necessary measures to ensure that this does not happen again in the future. As compensation, we have issued a 30% discount on your order.

Once again we apologize for the inconvenience caused.

All the best,

Robert Fletcher

General manager

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