How to sign an official letter in English. How to end a business letter. These rules must be followed

Correspondence is compiled according to its own special rules in each language. Since writing a business or personal letter is included in the list of tasks of the Unified State Exam in English and many international exams, it is important to know how to correctly compose English letters. We would like to invite you to familiarize yourself with several final formulas of the letter, which usually precede the signature. Once you understand the nuances of their meaning, you will be able to use them accurately and always appropriately.

Regards,

Word regard comes from French regarder- look. The modern meaning of the word is connected with these roots: “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 denote a favorable relationship, respect. In this case, "regards" is often accompanied by adjectives kind, warm, or best.

Expression warm regards ideal for completing a letter to a business partner with whom you have a warm, almost friendly relationship, or want to count on one.

Cheers,

This term in England gained its popularity as a toast in the early twentieth century. Interestingly, today it is quite often used as a final formula in English letters. The original word "cheer" in English meant "face", coming from the Latin "cara" (which had the same meaning). Gradually, the word began to acquire a metaphorical meaning and mean “mood,” a little later the meaning of the term narrowed to the exclusively positive “joy.”

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

Cordially,

When the English began using the word "cordially", it had a more sensual meaning than it does today. This expression could be interpreted something like this: “with sincere love,” “with all my heart.” Today, this word has acquired a more official connotation.

Be careful when using this wording, it sounds a little outdated today and is not suitable for ending letters to a correspondent with whom you want to maintain lively and relaxed communication.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 point (thanks!) or additional expressions (thanks so much).

Sincerely,

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

This wording is more suitable for ending paper letters rather than electronic ones.

Best,

Surprisingly, the word “best” is also often found as a concluding structure in English letters. This is an abbreviation for a number of expressions, such as: "all the best," "best wishes," or "my best." They all mean a wish for prosperity and good luck.

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

Yours,

Variations on the word yours were especially popular in Dickens's day. Charles himself cleverly played with expressions including "yours truly", "heartily yours" and "faithfully yours"

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

Respectfully,

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

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

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

Sincerely yours,

Dmitry Nikitin School

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

An official letter requires increased attention to politeness. If successful business communications 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 be no intrusiveness, excessive emotionality, flattery, bias, and especially rudeness and ill will. Therefore, in business correspondence it is customary to use impersonal speech clichés. The table below presents standard phrases often used to end 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... Not a single letter in English is complete without a signature. Usually this short remark is used to express respect or wishes for success. The translation of many of these phrases into Russian is the same, and when switching to English they are used almost interchangeably, perhaps with very slight emotional differences.

A business letter in English can end with a signature like this:

• Yoursfaithfully*– with sincere respect;
• Respectfully yours* – Sincerely;
• Sincerelyyours-Yours sincerely;
• With appreciation– sincerely grateful;
• With gratitude– sincerely grateful;
• Thanks and regards– with gratitude and good wishes;
• Bestregards – With Best wishes;
• 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.

Having paid tribute to the accepted norms of politeness, 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 official messages and learned how to end them beautifully. But another important question remained unanswered: how can you complete a letter to a friend in English or an address to foreign relatives? We'll talk about this in detail in the next section.

English farewell phrases in friendly correspondence

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

Let's start with the fact that an informal text must also have a logical conclusion: a kind of final note or final line. And sometimes it’s at the final stage that the stupor happens: you’re writing about latest news and events, but a beautiful conclusion 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 end 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: Cover letter in English for submitting your resume

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

All that remains is to put the polite formula and your initials. There are simply a ton of signature options for an informal letter, but we have selected the best and most frequently used examples. So you won’t have to think long about how to sign the letter.

If the recipient 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– invariably yours;
• Your loving brother– Your loving brother;
• Your friend – Your friend;
• Your very sincere friend– Your devoted friend;
• Bestwishes – Best wishes;
• Give my regards to… – Send greetings...;
• Allthebest – Best wishes.

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

• Affectionately- With tenderness;
• Lots of love- I love it very much;
• Lots of kisses – Kiss;
• Hugs- Hugs;
• With love and kisses- Love and kisses;
• With all my love- With all my love;
• Passionately yours – Passionately yours;
• Always and forever - Yours forever and ever;
• Missingyou – Miss you;
• Sendmyloveto… - Say my regards...;
• Takecare – Take care of yourself;
• Tillnexttime– Until next time;
• Seeyousoon – See you soon;
• Seeya- See you;
• Cheers– Bye ;
• Ciao- Ciao!

And after expressing our feelings, don’t 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 letter once than to read a theory abstracted from practice several times. To conclude the material, we invite you to view examples English letters of various natures with Russian translation.

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

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

Letter of congratulations

Dear Daniel and Sarah,

Please accept our heartiest congratulations on your silver wedding anniversary!

It seems like you connected your destinies just yesterday. But 25 years have already passed since that wonderful day.

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

Best wishes on your anniversary,

Jonathan and Elizabeth Livingston.

Letters to a friend

Hello Emily!

I'm still waiting for that book that you promised to send me the last time we met. You haven’t written to me since then; apparently, you’re very busy right now.

Anyway, I'm going to visit you in a week and we can meet. What do you think about that? Drop a few 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 earlier. I worked a lot and didn't have a minute of free time. But now I can tell you about my news.

I've been on vacation since yesterday. My boss allowed me to go on vacation for a whole month. I'm very happy, now I can go to Spain, finally! I’ve been saving 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 St. 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 to you all my impressions.

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

Love and kisses,

Excerpts from business letters

Please accept our sincere apologies for the issues you have recently encountered. Rest assured that we will accept everything necessary measures so 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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English culture is unthinkable without the art of correspondence. For centuries, English ladies and gentlemen exchanged elegant messages, written according to strict etiquette - it determined what to write, when and why, in what terms, at what time of day, and on what paper. Letters played, and still play, a vital role in people’s lives: they make people laugh, surprise, intrigue, fall in love, offend people to death and fill them with happiness.

7 Basic Types of Informal Letters

IN personal letter You can

1. Appeal: by first name, last name or using the words “ Sir/Madam”:

2. Opening sentence. This is where you explain the purpose of your letter. This could be a complaint, agreement or refusal to accept an invitation, or a response to a letter received.

3. Body of the letter: one or two paragraphs covering the topic.

4. Final paragraph in one or two sentences. Summarize what you have written and express your readiness to continue the correspondence. You can also thank the recipient in advance for the favor or prompt response.

5. Final wording:

6. Date and signature(not necessary).

What to pay attention to

• Informal writing allows you to use expressions from different styles, both business and informal, depending on the situation. You can even use colloquial style, slang, abbreviations and abbreviations. Just don’t overdo it with vernacular so that your letter doesn’t look cheeky or impolite. Some expressions sound acceptable in conversation but are inappropriate in writing, even if the letter is informal.
• Idioms and colloquialisms will enrich the language of your letter - feel free to use them.
• Follow the structure of your letter, do not overload your sentences with complex structures, and develop your thoughts consistently.
• It is customary to leave a blank line between paragraphs for visual convenience. For the same reason, it is advised to start each paragraph with a small indent at the beginning of the first line if you are writing by hand.
• Use the tense when you want to communicate your expectations (“ I am looking forward to hear from you…” - “I look forward to your response...”) or about the purpose of your letter (“ I am writing to you on behalf of/with regard to…” - “I am writing to you at the request / occasion...”). Use or when reporting news or describing recent events.
• Try break the body of the letter into at least two or three paragraphs instead of trying to fit everything you want to say into one big paragraph. Information is perceived much better when divided into logical parts.
• You can end the letter with a question to the recipient to initiate further correspondence. This way you will show that you are interested in communication and are waiting for his response - and this will be the logical conclusion of the letter.

1. Letter of invitation

There are unofficial, semi-official and... Such a letter should contain additional information about the event (address, date and time, dress code of the event) and, if necessary, clear directions on how to get to the venue.

Opening phrase:

Final phrase:

2. Letter of acceptance of invitation

There are informal, semi-official and business. Contains clear and unambiguous consent to attend the event.

Opening phrase:

Final phrase:

*Stylistically, in this case, the definition of “reception” rather than “party” is more suitable for translating the word party, since the construction of the phrase is quite formal and we are most likely talking about an official and semi-official reception.

3. Decline letter

There are informal, semi-official and business. Expresses refusal to accept an invitation.

Opening phrase:

Final phrase:

4. Letter of apology

There is also business and informal. The letter should include an apology and an explanation of why anyone was inconvenienced or why responsibilities or promises could not be kept.

Opening phrase:

Final phrase:

5. Letter responding to an advertising offer

There is business and semi-formal.

Usually contains a request for additional information or a request to clarify and supplement information received previously.

Opening phrase:

Final phrase:

​

"Yes" and "no" of a personal letter

These rules must be followed:

• No matter how informal your letter is, always remain polite.
• Communicate the purpose of the letter from the beginning.
• Use adverbs and conjunctions to connect your thoughts into a logical chain: then(then), later(Later), but(But), at the same time(in the same time), finally(finally).
• Start a new thought on a new line: text that is not divided into paragraphs is difficult to perceive.
• Be restrained in expressing emotions, especially in semi-formal letters (complaint, congratulations, invitation, etc.).

And this should be avoided:

• Do not overuse exclamation marks, even if you are writing to a friend or close relative.
• Don't forget about opening and closing phrases - if the letter has a clear logical structure, it is easier to read and understand.
• Don't jump from thought to thought, don't write haphazardly. Thoughts must be arranged in a logical sequence.
• Do not use long ones with numerous minor members and . The purpose of a letter, including an informal one, is to convey your thoughts to the addressee the first time, and not to force him to re-read every sentence in order to understand the meaning of the message.

Now that you are familiar with the basic rules for writing informal letters, we offer you some interesting example informal letter in English. Such letters have become a real flash mob on the English-speaking Internet: actors, singers, and famous bloggers write them to themselves. Write yourself a letter like this too: it’s a great way to tap into your inner self (even your sixteen-year-old self) and take stock of a certain period of your life:

To be highly respected action, object to be highly respected action, object to be generally respected action, object to be respected action, object to be deeply respected action, beginning... Verbal compatibility of non-objective names

Sincerely- adverb Does not require punctuation. Wardrobe keepers look at them with respect. L. Cassil, Conduit and Schwambrania. You must respect authorities. A. Chekhov, Man in a Case. @ In case the words “respectfully” are used... ... Dictionary-reference book on punctuation

Sincerely- respectfully, respectfully, reverently Dictionary of Russian synonyms. with respect adverb, number of synonyms: 8 reverently (6) ... Synonym dictionary

respected- adj., number of synonyms: 3 held in high esteem (4) venerable (30) respected (31) ... Synonym dictionary

treated with respect- adj., number of synonyms: 1 showing respect (6) ASIS Dictionary of Synonyms. V.N. Trishin. 2013… Synonym dictionary

treated with respect- adj., number of synonyms: 2 respectful (3) respectful (10) ASIS Dictionary of Synonyms. V.N. Trishin. 2013… Synonym dictionary

respectful- adj., number of synonyms: 2 considered (58) valued (34) ASIS Dictionary of Synonyms. V.N. Trishin. 2013… Synonym dictionary

respectful- adj., number of synonyms: 3 respectful (2) respectful (30) ... Synonym dictionary

imbued with respect- adj., number of synonyms: 1 respectful (19) ASIS Dictionary of Synonyms. V.N. Trishin. 2013… Synonym dictionary

Sincerely- adv. qualities circumstances 1. By expressing respect, deference, or testifying to them. 2. Used as an inconsistent definition. Ephraim's explanatory dictionary. T. F. Efremova. 2000... Modern explanatory dictionary of the Russian language by Efremova

respect- noun, p., used often Morphology: (no) what? respect for what? respect, (see) what? respect, what? respect, what about? about respect 1. Respect for people is an attitude towards them that is based on recognition of their merits, positive... ... Dmitriev's Explanatory Dictionary

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• Let's grow together. From infancy to adolescence with love and respect, Carlos Gonzalez. We continue to grow with our children through the books of Dr. Carlos Gonzalez, in which he advises how to become real parents who can help our young children. In his…

Everyone knows that the “knowledge” column foreign languages"is on the resume of any serious company. And if you write “free possession” in such a column, then the chances of getting a sweet spot 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 look into the dictionary. Secondly, there are so many standard expressions that a person who speaks English from the Pre-Intermediate level and above will have almost no difficulty writing a decent letter and sending it to business partners.

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

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

Greetings

As befits all polite people: any communication begins with a greeting. And in the same simple way, the structure of a business letter also begins with a greeting.

Dear Sir or Madam- addressing a person if you do not know their name, title, or even whether they are a man or a woman. Important: there is no exclamation point after this greeting! And there’s not even any punctuation at all, just the next sentence starts on a new line. You can put a comma if you really want.

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

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

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

Dear Nick- addressing the recipient by name in a very old, almost friendly business acquaintance

It is important to focus on appeals to women. Nowadays the universal address Ms (both married and unmarried) is very common. Therefore, in business letters they often write 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, oddly enough, this offends some people.

After the greeting, you can remind yourself. More precisely, about the last communication: by email, by phone, in person, etc. Even if the recipient’s memory is not that of a girl 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 dated (date)...

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

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

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

In compliance with your request…- In fulfillment of your request...

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 publication 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 sending him this letter in the first place.

We are writing to inquire about…- We are writing to make inquiries about...

We apologize for...- We apologize for...

We confirm that…- We confirm that...

We would like to clarify…- We would like to make it clear...

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 find out 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 notify you...

Completing the letter

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, do not hesitate 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 me (literal translation).

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

Thanking 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 politeness formula

The final touch remains. In Russian official letters, everything ends in the standard way: “With respect, …”. In English it is customary to say “sincerely yours.” But in accordance with etiquette, it will still have to be translated into Russian as “with respect.”

Yours faithfully,
Sincerely, ... (if the person's name 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 (can be translated as “with best wishes”):

Best wishes
kind regards,
Warmest regards.

For this, I say goodbye.

Kind regards,
iLoveEnglish.

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

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