Sincerely yours… or how to finish business letters correctly. Business letter etiquette. Examples of business letter phrases. General rules for writing business letters

21.10.2019

Correspondence is one of the most important ways communication between people all over the world. With its help, you can solve any issue: work, commercial, personal. This often saves time, because we do not have to wait for a person to talk to him (let better letter waiting for him in a box).

Fortunately, today we do not have to wait long, and a letter can be sent at lightning speed thanks to the Internet. However, to avoid shame, it is important to know how to write it correctly in English language. Let's discard the officialdom and talk about something pleasant - today we are writing a letter to a friend.

Example of a friendly letter

Dear Paul,
Thank you for your letters! I "m glad to hear that you" ve passed your driving test! Congratulations!
I "m sorry I haven"t written for such a long time. I "ve been really busy with my new project. By the way, thank you for your brilliant idea. I really had the best presentation last time. I really appreciated your advice.
As for your question, I think all you have to do is just regular exercises. Don "t be lazy and try to find at least 20-30 minutes for your health every day. There is a rule of 30 minutes a day: if you do something at least 30 minutes a day you will have a result at the end of the week. For example, if you read 50 pages during this time, at the end of the week you"ll have total of about 350 pages. If we say that we don't have enough time for it (as we usually do) we have 0 result at the end of the week. Besides, they say that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. So all you have to do is to take the bull by the horns and try it for just 3 weeks.
Unfortunately, I need to come back to my project. I hope my advice was helpful.
Hope to hear from you soon.
take care,
Victor

Sample letter to a friend

Thank you for your letter!

I'm glad to know that you passed on the rights! Congratulations!
I'm sorry I didn't write to you for a long time. I have been very busy with my new project. By the way, thanks for the great idea. I really had great presentation last time. I really appreciated your advice.
Regarding your question, I think all you need to do is just exercise regularly. Do not be lazy and try to find at least 20-30 minutes a day for your health. There is a rule of 30 minutes a day: if you do something for at least 30 minutes a day, at the end of the week you will have a result. For example, if you read 50 pages during this time, by the end of the week you will have 350 pages. If we say that we don't have time for this (as we usually do), we will have a zero result at the end of the week. Plus, they say it takes 21 days to form a new habit. So all you have to do is take the bull by the horns and try for 3 weeks.
Unfortunately, I have to get back to my project. Hope my advice was helpful.
I hope for a speedy reply.

What is informal English writing?

Such a letter is also used to ask for some information, to congratulate on a holiday, to ask for advice / give advice. A friendly letter can be written to both an old friend and a new, unknown friend. The tone of the letter should show your love and concern for your friend.

How to start an informal letter?

Like any other type of letter, informal contains certain mandatory parts. Of course, this is a greeting and a farewell. Start with a word Dear(dear) + the name of the person you are writing to. Also (especially in e-mails) you can start with the word Hi+ person's name.

For example: Dear Bob, or Hi Bob. Do not address a person by their last name or Mr, Mrs. It sounds too formal and even ridiculous when combined with Dear.

In an informal letter, a comma is often put after the name, and the text of the letter itself begins on a new line. In this case, it is important to keep the style, that is, if you used a comma at the beginning, then repeat this technique at the end of the letter, saying goodbye.

What to write about in an informal letter?

How are you?- How are you?
How is your family?- How is your family?
Thank you/Many thanks for your (recent/last) letter/postcard.- Thank you/Many thanks for the (recent/last) letter/card.
I hope you are well.- I hope you are well.
I was so surprised to hear that...- I was surprised to hear that...
It was good / nice / great to hear from you again.- It was good / nice / wonderful to hear from you again.

If you have not communicated for a long time, the following phrases will do:

It "s ages since I" ve heard from you. I hope you "re well / you and your family are well. Haven't heard from you in years. I hope you are well/you and your family are well.
I "m sorry I haven"t written/haven"t been in touch for such a long time. Sorry for not posting/ keeping in touch for so long.

Examples of phrases and variants of letters in English

If a friend wrote about the news:

Glad to hear that…- Glad to hear that...
Great news about…- Great news about...
Sorry to hear about…- Sorry to hear about...

I thought you might be interested to hear about/know that…“I thought you might be interested in hearing about/knowing what…”
Listen, did I tell you about …? You"ll never believe what…- Listen, did I tell you about...? You will never believe that...
By the way, have you heard about / did you know that…?- By the way, did you hear about / did you know that…?
Oh, and another thing… This is just to let you know that… Oh, and one more thing... Just so you know...

Sorry:

I "m really sorry that I forgot to send you a birthday card but I was busy with my new job.- Sorry, I'm sorry I forgot to send you a birthday card, but I was busy with a new job.
I "m writing to apologise for missing your party but I"m afraid I was with flu.- I'm writing to apologize for missing your party, but I'm afraid I had the flu.

We invite:

Could you let me know if you can come / you "d like to join us?- Could you let me know if you can come/would you like to join us?
I was wondering if you "d like to come on holiday with us. I'm wondering if you would like to come with us on vacation.
I "m / We" re having a party on Saturday 13th and I / we hope you "ll be able to come.- I / We are having a party on Saturday the 13th and we hope you manage to come.

We answer the invitation:

Thank you very much for your invitation. I'd love to come.- Thanks a lot for the invitation. I would love to come.
Thank you for inviting me to… but I "m afraid I won"t be able to…- Thank you for inviting me to... but I'm afraid I can't...

We ask:

I "m writing to ask for your help / you (if you could do me) a favour.- I am writing to you to ask for help / (could you give me) a favor.
I wonder if you could help me/do me a favour.- I'm wondering if you could help me / provide a service.
I "d be very / really / terribly grateful if you could ...- I would be very / really / terribly grateful if you could.

Thank you:

I "m writing to thank you for your hospitality / the wonderful present. I am writing to you to thank you for your hospitality/wonderful gift.
It was so kind of you to invite me to stay with you.“It was so kind of you to invite me to stay with you.
I really appreciated all your help/advice.- I really appreciate your help/advice.

Congratulations/good luck:

Congratulations on passing your exams/your excellent exam results!- My congratulations on successful delivery exams/your excellent results!
I wish you good luck/Good luck in/with your exams/your interview.- I wish you good luck / good luck in / in the exams / interview.
Don "t worry, I" m sure you "ll do well / pass.- Don't worry, I'm sure you'll succeed / pass.

Why don't you…?- Why do not you…?
Maybe you could…?- Perhaps you could...?
How about…?- What about…?
You can't leave Moscow without... (doing sth)- You can't leave Moscow without... (having done something)
I "m sure you will enjoy... (doing sth). If you like, we can…- I'm sure you'll enjoy... (doing something). If you want we can...

How to end an informal letter?

Of course, after we shared everything, talked about everything, answered all the questions, you need to logically finish the letter, you can’t just cut it off. For this, we also have some blanks, traditional phrases.

Say why you end the letter:

Unfortunately, I need to / have to go.- Unfortunately, I have to / I have to go.
It's time to finish.- It's time to finish.
Anyway, I must go and get on with my work!“Anyway, I have to go and get the job done.

Say hello or tell me about your next meeting/letter:

Give my love / regards to... / Say hello to... - Give my regards to...
Anyway, don't forget to let me know the dates of the party."Anyway, don't forget to let me know the date of the party."
We must try and meet up soon.- We should try to meet soon.
I can't wait to hear from you.- I can't wait to hear from you.
Look forward to seeing you again.- Looking forward to seeing you again.
Hope to hear from you soon.- I hope to hear from you soon.
See you soon.- See you soon

And in conclusion, do not forget about the traditional wish from a new line

Love,/Lots of love,- With love,
All the best- All the best,
take care,- Take care,
best wishes,- Best wishes.

Useful Linking Words

then- then
after it/that- after this/that
though- although
so- so, therefore
that's why- therefore, that's why
besides- Moreover
still- Nonetheless
anyway- anyway, anyway
fortunately- Luckily
unfortunately- unfortunately

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The origin of writing in Sumer, Egypt and China led to the development of a special system of thinking that helped to convey emotions and feelings. Today, almost everyone can write.

But not everyone can boast that they know 100% how to do it right.

We cannot imagine life without email. Carrier pigeons are a thing of the past, we only read about carriages and wagons in books, but the Internet helps us communicate. By the way, the first person to write an email was Ray Tomlinson. He worked as a programmer and in 1971 made a breakthrough in writing letters to global network the Internet.

With the advent of writing, the rules for writing a letter arose. Of course, in many countries they differ from each other. But do not forget that when writing a letter in English, you need to know some features, otherwise you may be misunderstood.

personal letter may contain various phrases, each of which has its own meaning, for example:

Always- always (your, yours)
best wishes- with best wishes
your friend- your friend (your girlfriend)
Affectionately- with love
Yours always- always yours (your)
Much love- with love
see you soon- see you later
All my love- with all love
Eternally yours- always yours (your)
see ya(ya is short for you) - see you
Cheers- while (used in Britain)
Hugs and kisses or common XOXO

The history of the origin of HOHO began in the Middle Ages. When signing contracts, the sign X was a necessary phenomenon, which testified to the validity of the signing of the contract. Later in the UK, letters began to be signed with a “laughing” sign, which denoted hugs - hugs (indicated by the letter O) and kisses (as indicated by the letter X, reminiscent of two kissing people).

If you need to constantly communicate with foreigners using e-mails, we advise you to refer to the section where you will find a lot of interesting things.

Almost every person who is somehow connected with the Internet knows what Email. Old friends, colleagues, relatives love to keep in touch with mail, because this is a really convenient service. True, some still prefer the 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 on who it is intended for, the text itself is already being compiled.

How to end a letter to a friend

Before thinking about the end of the message, check the text already written. It is important to correct all errors, both grammatical and stylistic. After that, think about the completion of your letter. Letter to the in electronic format compiling is much easier because you can always delete or add a new piece of text anywhere 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 the response to the letter to be quick, then add special notes or write it directly in the letter. If you have a little time to wait for a response, then leave it as it is.

The letter should end logically, the main idea must be transferred in full. 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 do not 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!
Kiss, "Name"
Come soon
Be happy!
Good luck!
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 do business with you. The text should be written in plain text, no need to make huge sentences with different turns, get by with basic descriptions.

Watch your speech, do not use common words and expressions: “Che”, “Yes, no problem”, etc. Treat the interlocutor with respect, in no case do not insult him, otherwise you can 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 bring the reader to the essence of the issue and only at the end fully open 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, type full list key documents, if any. Be sure to number each document, do it in chronological order.

I look forward to further cooperation.
Thank you for your attention.
Sincerely, Name.
Respectfully, Name.

How to finish a letter in English

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

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

To complete a letter in English, it is also necessary to carry out preliminary preparation. Check the entire text for errors, add the necessary notes, and then proceed 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 - we'll talk after.
Truly yours - with respect!

Now you know how to finish the letter. Use these tips to appear literate.

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

Yours sincerely

Possible options: Sincerely yours (American English), Sincerely.
The most common way to complete a business (formal) letter in English. It is used when the recipient's name is indicated at the beginning of the letter, for example: "Dear Ms. Paula Hill".

Yours faithfully

The turnover is considered a little outdated, although it can still be found in business correspondence, especially in British English. It is rarely used in American English (cf. Yours Truly). The peculiarity of using this expression is that it should be used if there is no indication of the recipient's name in the appeal at the beginning of the letter, for example: "Dear Sir" or "Dear madam".

Yours truly

American analogue 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. It is recommended to use them only when the letter is NOT strictly official and is addressed to a person with whom you have a more friendly (and not just business) relationship. It should be noted, however, that these expressions are often used in electronic business correspondence.

Summary

Dear Ms Paula Hill, => Yours sincerely(British English), Sincerely yours(Amer.English), Sincerely.
Formal style, the name of the recipient is indicated in the appeal.

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

The article offers you clichés and phrase templates to help you write a letter in English.

AT modern world few people do not know English, because it is international and compulsory for studying 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 networks swallowed up the whole world and no one is surprised by the letter that came from "the other end of the world." To start a conversation with a person and write a letter correctly, the tips proposed in this article will help you. 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 are talking to, to a girlfriend, a friend, a guy or a girl you like, distant relative the main thing is to know common address, which are like universal cliché, suitable for any letter.

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

Welcome and Introduction
Main (main) part
Final part, farewell

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

It does not matter what the essence of your letter will be, whether it will be a letter of recognition, greeting, farewell or invitation. You should fill it with general phrases that will allow you to clearly state all thoughts and words. Take advantage of the established clichés suggested in this article.

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

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

How to write a letter to a friend, girlfriend in English: a template for a finished letter

Ready-made examples will help you write a correct and beautiful letter, where you can trace the use of all introductory phrases and for this example, use your own.

Examples of prepared letters:

How will "Respectfully" in English in a letter to a friend, girlfriend?

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

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

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