How to Close a Letter in American English

How to Close a Letter in American English How many times have you spent considerable thought and effort writing a letter, only to reach the closing and then wonder how you should end it? And does it really matter whether you choose sincerely or best or thanks to close out your message?While much of letter closing choices are based on personal style and attitude, there are slight differences in how different letter endings come across to the recipient of your writing. For this post, well discuss several common letter closings, more formally known as a valediction from the Latin vale dicere, which means to say farewell. We will also discuss the situations for which each are best used, the connotations each might bring, and how to choose which one fits your overall intent or is complimentary with the letter youve written.Sources weve usedKeep in mind that as with much of the advice youll read online, ours might differ from that of another source. However, since it is important in business or formal communication to follow best practices set by respected organizations, we have used two American authorities- Barrons Educational Series and American Management Association- as our primary sources.Closings for formal and business correspondenceYours truly,According to Barrons, this is a formal closing and AMACOM states that this should be used when there is no personal connection between writer and recipient. Another version of this youll see often is Very truly yours, which again denotes a lack of personal connection between the writer and recipient of the letter. Despite the seemingly intimate associations with this phrase, it is very commonly used in business communication as a formal closing, whether you know the recipient intimately or not.Respectfully yours,Barrons also lists this as a formal closing and AMACOM suggests that it should be used when the letter is sent to someone either with acknowledged authority or when great formality should be used. Again, as with Yours truly, this is a commonly used clo sing that connotes formality and can be used with formal business communication that is written to associates- whether they are typically on your contact list, or not.Sincerely (yours),Often shortened to just Sincerely, Barrons suggests that this is a less formal closing while AMACOM states that it should be used when there is both a personal and business relationship between the writer and recipient. In general, this is a commonly used closing in American business correspondence that covers both well-known associates and those who are not well known. It is also a great choice for letters such as cover letters for a job posting, introductory letters for academic admission, or complaint letters in which the sender wishes to close with a conciliatory yet polite tone.Cordially (yours),Often shortened to just Cordially, Barrons lists this as another less formal closing while AMACOM takes issue with Cordially yours, stating that it is often used but incorrect.So, in essence, consider thi s a great choice for closing business communication as long as the yours is not added. It works for both well-known acquaintances (in business) as well as recipients who are not regularly on your contact list. It is considered to be proper in both situations.Regards, Personal regards, Kindest regards,AMACOM doesnt list either of these choices in its preferred business letter closings, but Barrons lists them as potential personal closings. What this means is that if you plan to use them as business communication closings, or closings of letters written as cover letters or letters to admissions committees, they are acceptable yet slightly less formal than Sincerely or any of the versions of Sincerely (such as Sincerely yours,).This closing is an example of using your own attitude and personality to determine which closing to use in a letter.Best, Best regards,While not as formal as closings like sincerely, best is a polite, semi-formal letter ending that could work in both a business context and when writing to acquaintances or friends. It is a polite way to let your letters recipient know that you wish the best for them. Best regards makes the closing a bit more formal if you feel that Best is not quite formal enough for the situation.Thanks,While not overly formal or overly informal, Thanks is a closing that works well for business letters across the board- whether you are writing to someone not on your contact list, or to an acquaintance or peer within your organization. However, compared to how the other closings weve listed sound to the recipient, Thanks can fall a little flat or seem abrupt. To avoid this, choose Best regards or Sincerely.You should also hesitate to use Thanks if youve made a request in your letter, and rather choose Thanks for your time, since the former assumes that the request will be granted, and the task will be accepted. Again, as with all the letter closings we have mentioned in this article, choose the best considering the type of relationship you have with the recipient and how formal or informal you want the letter to be.Informal closingsYour friend,Obviously, this is not the best closing to choose for a formal business letter or cover letter. Your friend, should be reserved for letters written to friends, as the closing implies. Putting this closing at the end of a letter to someone who is not your close friend will seem overly informal and assumptive.Cheers,While Cheers, or Cheers! might be a light-hearted and casual way to end a letter in British English, for American English, make sure that you only use it for close friends or business associates that you know on a deeply personal basis. The primary reason for this is it is an expression used in relation to alcohol, or imbibing alcoholic drinks, so it can be interpreted as too informal by many American business associates unless you know them on an informal basis.With love,As with Your friend, ensure that any time you use this closing, you are only doin g so in a letter that is written to someone with whom you have an intimate and familiar relationship. Using this closing in a business letter or letter written to anyone else will be off-putting and potentially offensive to your reader. Therefore, ensure that you reserve this closing for only the most intimate recipient to avoid any confusion or misinterpretation.

A Few Obvious Grad School Essay Mistakes To Avoid

A Few Obvious Grad School Essay Mistakes To Avoid A Few Obvious Grad School Essay Mistakes To Avoid Failing To Answer The Essay Question This is perhaps one of the most common mistakes that students will make when they are composing an essay. The point of an essay is to address and expound upon a certain proposition. The mistake that students will often make is to generalize the proposition and prattle on about the general thoughts that they have. This is a problem because essay questions are very specific and nuanced. Professors notice that sort of thing. They are trained and can deduce if the essay questions have been answered. So, when you are preparing to rough draft of your essay, ensure that you are being very specific and respond to the question that the essay is posing. Proofreading After you have spent all night writing an essay, you have finally finished and all you want to do is go to bed. It is time to shut your brain down and get ready for the next day. But despite the effort that you have put into the essay, you could still receive some negative feedback because there are a few glaring errors. Of course, these are errors that you would have noticed had you read through the essay. This is why the process of proofreading is so important. You will catch the mistakes that you made before you submit it. Further, if you have somebody else to proofread it for you, then they can give general feedback about the essay so that you can edit it. Do Not Procrastinate If you have a week before the essay is due, you might tell yourself that you will spend the last few days working on it. If you have two days, you will say that you will spend tomorrow working on it. If you have one day, you will tell yourself that you will stay up all night working on it. When night comes, you will wish that you did not procrastinate so that you could sleep. If you procrastinate composing your essay, it will be of much lower quality than it would have been if you had taken the time to think about it. Rushing through the essay will leave room for a lot of errors and could result in your missing the central premise of the essay question. Fluff If you are trying to reach the word count without worrying about the quality of the content, then you are likely to add fluff to your essay. This will manifest in different ways, including long and drawn out quotes from outside sources. Quotes generally should be paraphrases and should only be supplementary. Second, repetition is another maneuver that students will take in an effort to fill the word count. Anybody who is trained to grade essay papers will see through these tactics. If you want to write a high-quality paper, you will have to sit back and think about the topic at hand so as to provide legitimate insight. If you struggle with writing essays, perhaps you should consider contacting for actionable solutions to your writing problems. They will provide a hand when you are overwhelmed.