Questions tagged [letter-writing]
Questions about writing letters (that is, a written communication between people, not the writing of individual alphabetic characters).
192
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Confusion between full stop and comma usage while writing a letter
I was writing a letter that ends as follows:
Awaiting to hear from you.
With Regards,
(My name).
Now, my question is whether I should use a full stop or a comma after the "awaiting to hear from ...
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23
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What is the meaning of two letter initials written after name initials at the end of a letter. E.g.: Warren Buffett ends a letter with WEB/gk [duplicate]
I have often been puzzled by this and I have tried to search for an explanation using various keywords on Google but unable to get a proper explanation for this.
Here's an example letter where Warren ...
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1
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Should the salutation when addressing a principal be 'Dear Principal' or 'Dear Sir'? [closed]
Write a letter to the principal of your school, giving him at least two reasons why he should allow you attend your elder sister's wedding.
Question: Should the salutation be 'Dear Principal' or 'Dear ...
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What do you call Copybooks for learning to write cursive
Special printed copybooks, pages are lined, sometimes with diagonal lines too, there is a printed model of a cursive letter, maybe dotted outlies and empty lines to practice further.
Is there a ...
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4
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When addressing an envelope, should I repeat "cousin"? "Cousin John & (Cousin) Jane"
John (my cousin) & Jane (cousin-in-law)
When sending a letter and writing their names on the envelope, which is correct?
Cousin John & Cousin Jane
Cousin John & Jane
I would think #2 is ...
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5
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118
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What's the word for pictures in a letter that are not attached but rather pasted after the text?
I am writing a letter with pictures, and I have used before the following sentence: "Please refer to the attached photos."
However, I have been wondering if this is normally used in English ...
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How to explain to a five year old why certain words are spelled this way [closed]
My five-year-old is learning phonics. I give him spelling test time to time. I asked him to spell "Hair" and he spelled it as "Her" & then I told him this is incorrect spelling....
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Why dj instead of j?
I have seen multiple times that in English texts there is a dj to sound /dʒ/ instead of just a single j (If J is at the beginning of the word). Even if those aren't native English words, we already ...
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"Practical writing" or is there a name for this type of essay?
I find that the English exam for Chinese College Entrance Exam always likes to ask the examinee to write a specific type of essay, around 100-150 words, mostly in the form of letter, but sometime ...
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"Yours sincerely" or "faithfully" if I address the name of a company? [duplicate]
When I write a formal letter to a company or so, I usually go with "Dear Company Name" instead of "Dear Sir/Madam". In these cases should I end my letter with "Yours sincerely&...
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What's a proper greeting to use when writing a formal e-mail to a university? [duplicate]
I think the preferred option is to use "Dear Professor XYZ", but what should one use when the identity of the recipient is unknown?
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Is there an abbreviation for "Professors" plural, in a greeting at the top of a formal letter?
I am writing a letter to two professors. Normally I abbreviate "Professor" to "Prof." in the greeting. Is there a way to do that when I need the plural? Or do I have to write ...
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What does it mean for someone to say "I've read something with interest" [closed]
Is there any positive or negative connotation attached to this phrase?
Suppose I sent someone something by email, and the reply begins:
"I've read your email with interest."
Is that good ...
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Need Some Clarification on Signing Off a Letter [closed]
Can you sign off a letter with the following:
Dear Joe,
I appreciated the cake you sent me.
Thank you,
Bob
But doesn't the above sound like you're thanking yourself (Bob) instead of Joe? "Thank ...
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2
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Is there a word for a 'letter that should not be opened until after a specified date?'
I'm looking for a word that could be used for a letter that should only be opened after a specified date or time.
For example a letter written for an 18th birthday, the letter could be written years ...
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Using 'Signed' as a Closing
When writing letters, there are closings that people usually use like "sincerely" or "best" or "thanks", etc. I have sometimes heard people (when reading letters) say &...
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An alternative valediction for sailors to “fair winds”
I'm looking for an alternative to signing emails to sailors instead of "fair winds" or "following seas".
"Fair Winds and Following Seas” is a gesture of good luck to those we ...
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What is the slash before a signature name?
I sometimes have seen a signature like these:
/Fred
Why is this slash in a position here? What is it signify? More common is the simple
Fred
or maybe the
-Fred
. Alternate form here with a slash is ...
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1
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924
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What do you call someone who studies letters?
I recently asked a question for nouns pertaining to people who write letters. But is there a word to call someone who studies letters (academically)?
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What do you call a person who writes letters?
I found, from my search, that epistolary is an adjective which could refer to the writing of letters. But is there noun of this to call someone who writes letters?
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Is "Mr. Last Name + First Name" correct in formal writing?
I'm translating a formal letter to English.
With my previous knowledge of English, I translated names from Singapore and China using the format "Mr. First name + Last Name".
For example:
(1)
...
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How to start an official letter to a company (not an individual)?
When you send a letter to a person in a company, you start with dear ...,
But how do i start the letter when I'm writing to a company itself, not an individual in there? I don't even know which ...
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What does the valediction "Ever yours" mean?
A friend of mine recently said they think it sounds romantic, but I have seen it used in platonic situations. What does this valediction actually mean? I would also be interested in knowing this ...
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Terminology for the part of a business letter with the author's and typist's initials
What term, if any, is used to describe the initials of the author and typist seen together at the end of a letter at the left margin, such as AB/xyz?
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How do I address a query letter to a publisher?
I want to write a letter to an independent publisher. Enclosed with the letter is a partial manuscript of my book, which I want to mention. Here is the beginning of the letter I recently wrote to an ...
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What function does the comma serve in the salutation of a letter, and when did it come about?
In a letter, we say "Dear Alexthecampbell," before starting the body. We then capitalize the first letter of the next sentence.
Since the salutation functions like a header and isn't part ...
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765
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Something like P.S. but before the text?
I wrote a letter (electronic) to someone yesterday but could not send it and fell asleep. Now if I want to send it today it will make less sense as it was written in context of yesterday. So I have ...
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1
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112
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Can I say this "your ... is impressive" to my professor? [closed]
I am writing an email request for a reference letter to one of my professors. I would like to address her kindness in my email because she was always very patient when I asked her questions.
My ...
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0
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23
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How do you title a letter to a family surname? [duplicate]
I am writing a letter to some family members and it is a thank you to a whole family. Would it be written as
Dear Smiths,? Do I need an apostrophe, so it is Dear Smith's? What if it ends in an s like ...
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'Due shortly' collocation
I would like to ask a question whether provided below sentence is correct or not:
'As the deadline for registration is due shortly,(...)'.
Main issue here is the phrase: "...is due shortly". I am ...
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1
answer
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Meaning of “Dear” in context [closed]
is there any difference between the meaning of the word "Dear" in the letter as greeting?
For example:
Dear Dr. Tse,
Dear Mom and Dad,
I think there might be a difference in the meaning of ...
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Should I end with "Yours sincerely" or "Yours faithfully" when writing to editor? [duplicate]
I've read from other questions here that we should use "Yours sincerely" when we know the name of the recipient and "Yours faithfully" if we're writing to "Sir/Madam". Then what about "Dear Editor" ...
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Can I use alma mater before graduating?
I'm currently writing cover letters for my next position, and I want to refer to the institution I will graduate from. Can I use the term alma mater despite not graduating yet?
Thanks!
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How to greet two person in the beginning of a letter/email? [closed]
Dear Prof. Hartman,
Dear Prof. Dore,
Thank you very much for letting me know about the result of my
application.
or
Dear Prof. Hartman and Prof. Dore,
Thank you very much for ...
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3k
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"a couple of things" in a formal letter?
Is it inadequate to use "a couple of things" in a formal letter? If so, what word or phrase would work better?
Example:
I`m writing to inquire about a couple of things regarding my new job ...
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0
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Are email salutations regional?
Best wishes is very popular ending for emails and replaces best regards in almost all emails I've received from academics in Cambridge (UK).
At the same time I've never seen this used by American ...
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2k
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Subject of an email [closed]
So my native language is Spanish and I'm about to write an email to a colleague in English asking about several stuff. While doing so I started wondering about the subject of the email I was writing ...
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The usage of Formal Words in writing - interested [closed]
I was writing a letter and I wonder whether the usage of interested in a formal letter could be considered as a formal word. Also if there are synonyms which are more appropriate to use in formal ...
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Can I use 'Yours sincerely' when I write 'Dear Parent'?
As a teacher can I sign off a generic letter to the parents of my class 'Yours sincerely' if I have addressed them as 'Dear Parent'? Or should it be 'Yours faithfully'?
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When to use mid-sentence commas when adding a formal name
Where is it appropriate to insert a comma when putting a persons name in the middle of a sentence, such as when writing an email or letter. Is it really before AND after?
Examples:
Thank you for ...
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How can I say I am unable to attend in a professional way? [closed]
How can I say "I cannot attend to the award ceremony since Im in abroad" in a professional way.. to ask how can I get my certificate if I unable to attend..
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Letters as Words [closed]
When two letters or glyphs are joined into one glyph as a ligature, is this glyph considered two letters or one, as letters on their own are considered words as D and S, when two letters are joined as ...
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2
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When is it appropriate to send Seasons Greetings?
During what time of the year is it appropriate to close semi-formal written conversation with "Season's Greetings"?
Obviously sometime around December 25th, but how much in advance and how much past ...
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"While I'm here", but in writing
Sometimes, there are little things that we would like to write to somebody, but they seem too little to deserve an entire new email.
So we wait for a more important communication to "piggyback&...
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Pronunciation of PhD
Why is PhD read as /piːeɪtʃˈdiː/ (from Oxford Dictionary) and not, for example, like /fˈdiː/ , while diagraph ph is read as /f/ in Latin and Greek words? Why do we write Ph if not to represent the /f/...
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203
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Letters vs. Ligatures [closed]
I have come across some typography ligatures involving “f” and other letters as one glyph, I was wondering whether a ligature glyph is considered one alternate letter or still two letters after they ...
2
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1
answer
3k
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Opening and closing a letter - is there a name for this style?
Sorry if this isn’t the right place for this question, but I’ve Googled high and low and found nothing.
I’ve noticed that some letters start and close with handwriting, e.g. “Dear Mrs Smith” and “...
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988
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Use of encl. at the bottom of a cover letter where the body of the text already explains this
I am submitting a grant request. The package will include four copies of the grant request, an executive summary, and a cover letter. The cover letter is very short and says in part "I have included ...
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Address a group, then direct a message to a particular person
Example:
To all whom it may concern, (this is a letter to a group)
Body of the message directed to the entire group here
Concluding that, direct a message to a specific person, for an ...
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1
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27k
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Appropriate response to Best wishes [closed]
I always feel uneasy about letter endings. I sometimes use (1) Yours
sincerely, (2) Yours faithfully, and (3) Yours &c. But none of these seem an
appropriate response to a correspondent's Best ...
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