4. The salutation

This is the greeting with which every letter begins. The usual greeting in a business letter, if you don't know the name of the person you are writ­ing to. is: Dear Sir/Madam, or Dear Sir or Madam. If you know the name of the person, put: Dear Mr [surname] (fora man) and Dear Ms [surname] (for a woman). Dear [first name and surname] is less formal but is becom­ing more common, for example Dear Mary Cook.

5. The message

This forms the part of the letter that is really important. Before you begin to write or dictate, ask yourself the following questions:

• What is the purpose of this letter?

• What do I hope to achieve by sending it?

• What is the best way to write it?

Don't waste words on unnecessary remarks. Keep your sentences and paragraphs short and start a new paragraph for each new point of your letter. Short sentences and paragraphs provide easier reading and are easy to understand

6. The complimentary close

The complimentary close is a matter of tradition and a polite way of ending a letter which must suit the occasion and reflect the relations between the parties.

Depending on the salutation, the following complimentary closes can be used in a formal business letter:

complimentary close

You re faithfully — С уважением

Yours sincerely — Искренне Ваш

comment

Formal, used as standard practice.

Less formal, used between persons known to each other, orwhere there is a wish to be a little less formal.

Yours truly is less formal than Yoursfaithfully, but it is not used very often.

Do not end letters with lam, we are, I remain, Yoursfaithfully etc. These phrases are old-fashioned. Less formal ways of ending the letter are: With best wishes, Best wishes. Regards.

The organisation's name stands two spaces below the complimen­tary close and is often typed in capitals.

7. Signature

Always sign your letters by hand, in ink and in the same style. One must not sign Eric Castle on one occasion and E. Castle on another.

A signature must not carry a title. Do not, for example, sign as Mr J. Platter Professor R. Butter. There is one exception to this: a woman writing to a stranger should indicate whether she is married or single and may do so by adding (Mrs) or (Miss) in brackets:

Alice H Brooks (Miss)

Because many signatures are not clear, it is good modern practice to type the name of the signer and to place his signature immediately above it.

If the person signing has any particular position, this is indicated under his signature:

Yours faithfully Brown & Pink, Li mi led

W.fbt

W. Pink Director

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Unit 5

I. Business Communication

181