Questions tagged [salutations]
A salutation is a greeting used in a letter or other written or non-written communication.
78 questions
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"Dear Sir or Madam" versus "To whom it may concern"
When is it appropriate to use the terms Dear Sir or Madam and To whom it may concern? The rules I was taught state that Dear Sir or Madam should be used when you're writing a letter to a person about ...
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How should I address someone with a known name and unknown gender?
When communicating with foreign cultures, the gender of the addressed person is not always clear from the name. What would be a professional way to address someone in this situation. (Dear Mr or Ms ...
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Title in a letter to an unknown person
Many times when writing a letter asking to a department of my university, I'm hesitating for the appropriate title.
Say I want to email "Student Insurance Office" to ask about insurance coverage. ...
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Are greetings and salutations redundant in an e-mail?
Do I really need to write my email this way?
Hi John,
[My Message here]
Regards, Jane
The email header already includes the to and from. The recipient should not be confused by who the ...
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Using "dear", "darling", or "honey" to address a friend
As far as I know dear, darling, and honey are commonly used between lovers, but I suppose there are more words like that. What else is commonly used?
Which of these can be used to address a (close/...
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Greeting: "Cold enough for you?"
This morning at −32°C/−26°F whilst collecting firewood outside my house, I called to my neighbour (brushing snow off his idling truck): "Cold enough for you?" To which he replied with a nod.
Later on,...
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What is the best salutation to use in cover letter when I don't have contact information?
I prepare to write a cover letter to several banks. The application is online and I need to submit it to each employer.
So how could I write in the salutation of the cover letter. I don't have the ...
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Salutation for three or more professors
I need to send a letter/email to 4 professors. What is the correct salutation?
Professors Smith, Johnson, Lee & Chun
Professor Smith, Professor Johnson, Professor Lee & Professor Chun
...
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"Dear Sir (or Madam)" when gender unknown? [duplicate]
When writing a formal letter addressed to someone whose gender is unknown, how important is it to use "Dear Sir or Madam", instead of "Dear Sir"?
I was taught that "Dear Sir" is an acceptable gender-...
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"Sir or Madam" vs "Madam or Sir" in formal letter
In a formal letter addressed to one or more unknown recipients, "Dear Sir or Madam" is the customary salutation. As a German native speaker, who is used to "Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren", writing "...
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To whoever it may concern
I received a letter of confirmation for funding from an English native speaker. She started the letter with:
To whoever it may concern,
I am not a native speaker, but that sounds quite odd to me ...
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Grammar/case in a salutation/greeting
I have a simple question — in a greeting or salutation such as "Good Morning Jane", since I believe it is a contraction, is Jane the object (as in "Good Morning to Jane") or is it the subject (as in "...
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Should a note be addressed with "Hi all" or "Hi All"?
It is common to begin an email with the greeting "hi all" when the note is addressed to multiple recipients.
What, however, is the correct capitalization of "all" in this context? Does it become a ...
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How do I address a committee? [closed]
I need to respond to an e-mail sent to me by a committee (e.g. ABCD Organizing Committee). In the distant past, I would use something like "Respected Sirs" but that seems archaic now. How ...
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What are the connotations of the word "Greetings" when used as a greeting?
What are the connotations of the word "Greetings" when used as a greeting? I am British, and I have rarely heard "Greetings!" used as a greeting in the UK. I associate it in my mind with Commander ...
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An alternative valediction to "godspeed" wishing someone success in a venture
I am essentially searching for a well-wishing exclamation that does not imply divine intervention.
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E-mail greeting: "Dear Brice," vs "Brice," [closed]
I am somewhat sensitive to politeness and basic rules of courtesy, so (almost) all the e-mails that I write contain greetings and salutations, such as:
Dear Jane,
[...]
Best,
...
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Salutation for two doctors (not married)
Does use of the salutation
Dear Drs. Apple and Banana,
imply that Dr. Apple is married to Dr. Banana? That is, would it be better form to use:
Dear Dr. Apple and Dr. Banana,
when Dr. Apple ...
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Formal salutation to a group [duplicate]
I need to write a formal letter to a group of people consisting of two females and two males. One of the females is unmarried.
"Dear Sirs" must be out of the question. "Dear Madam / Miss / Sirs" ...
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Addressing a formal letter to multiple people with unknown names
What is the most appropriate way to address a motivational letter for a graduate program? Multiple people will read the letter. How should I address it if I want to avoid the "To whom it may concern" ...
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How should I address a letter to a married couple who are both doctors?
Dr. John and Dr. Jane Doe?
Drs. John and Jane Doe?
Other?
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The word "dear" in public speech
I am a member of a Toastmaster club in the Czech republic where people work on their public speaking skills. It is a usual to open a speech by
Dear fellow Toastmasters, dear guests,...
It is a ...
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The correct syntax for "I/We remain" at the end of the letter
I want to sign off a letter with the following:
Letter text.
We remain,
Sincerely yours,
Mr Person
Head of Accounting
Is this correct usage? Isn’t this like having 2 salutations? Is it ok to have 2 ...
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Addressing a senior female in formal mail
How should I address a female who is senior to me (in both age and rank) in an official letter?
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How to address letter to a company [closed]
I want to send a letter to a company (specifically Microsoft). I've read some things that say one should write "To whom it may concern". I really don't like this; it sounds pretentious. Other sources ...
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Should "brother" be capitalized in a letter salutation?
John Smith, a member of my congregation, would be addressed as brother in face-to-face conversation. If I write a letter to him, should I capitalize this word? For example, as in:
Dear Brother ...
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Can I put "Greetings" at the end of an email, and if so, how? [closed]
I am not a native speaker and I'm having trouble with formalities like opening and ending emails. In German, it is common to end an informal email with the phrase Viele Grüße, which means "Many ...
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Salutation punctuation: is "Hi!," okay? [closed]
A friend of mine uses both an exclamation mark and a comma in his letter salutations, like so:
Hi George!,
I have never seen this before, and was wondering if it's grammatically kosher. Thoughts?
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Capitalization for email greeting: Good morning OR Good Morning [closed]
In an email greeting "Good morning" does the word "morning" need to be capitalized? Is it Good Morning or Good morning?
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Is is more appropriate to salute the organization, or the members of the organization?
I am writing a thank-you letter for a scholarship I received from the AFCEA – Bethesda Chapter. I am not sure how to write the salutation though. Two alternatives I have considered are:
Dear AFCEA ...
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Official e-mail
How should I begin an official e-mail if I don't know who I am writing to? I mean, normally I would write "Dear x", but when I have to send an e-mail to an institution, what should I write?
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Shoud I use a new line after Hi (someone's name) in e-mail? [closed]
In an e-mail, suppose we start with Hi John. Should I follow with
Hi John, some content (i)
or
Hi John,
some content (ii)
Is there any etiquette behind choice (i) vs (ii)?
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Unremitting salutation
Even though I am all in favor of salutations and complimentary closes, when exchanging more than a couple of mails with the same person, I feel that starting yet another reply with Dear Mr. Smith gets ...
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What is the correct way to respond to sender with full name
I recently received an email I need to respond to, but I am unsure of the correct way to address the sender.
Dear Mr Sayse,
[ . . . email body . . . ]
Regards
Joe Bloggs
Is it correct to respond ...
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How do I address people who give feedback?
Do I call them 'Respondent' or are there better words to use?
Example of the feedback as follows:
====================================================================
| Question ...
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How to use title in salutation, when recepient's name is unknown
I'm sending a formal letter to an adjudicator but do not know his or her name. What would be the most appropriate salutation?
Dear Adjudicator:
Dear adjudicator:
Dear sir or madam:
To whom it may ...
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4
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Why do they address me "Dear (surname)"?
I have a little international business contact, and sometimes, some people write me a mail and address me as "Dear (my surname)", no "Mr", no nothing. Where is this common and how so? I never knew ...
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What is the etymology and the context of calling an unrelated woman "sister"?
For specific context, the question arose out of discussing Han Solo calling Princess Leia "sister" in "Star Wars" Episode IV.
What is the etymology and context of using the term "sister" in this way? ...
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Formal salutation of a servant to a child?
Let's say I have someone like Alfred Pennyworth. Such a person would obviously address the man and woman of the house as "Sir" and "Madam". (For example, "Would sir care for a beverage?")
How could ...
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Salutation for job application [duplicate]
I don't the know the exact receiver for the job.I don't even know the company's name because i found the job position online.I only know the email.How should i start the letter?
I read that for that ...
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I want to refer to Bill Gates on his blog with respect in the comments section
One way to address Bill Gates with respect would be to simply write Sir, but I don't want other readers to get confused about who I'm referring to. How do I refer to him with respect without creating ...
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Is a salutation necessary in an email to an unknown person? [closed]
I am submitting an unsolicited article to a magazine by email. The publication's website provides an email address but not a name. Rather than starting the email "To Whom it May Concern", "Dear Sir ...
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How to refer to several titled individuals, "Mr x,y,z PhD"? [duplicate]
How does one abbreviate "Mr Adams PhD, Mr Benson PhD, Mr Charles PhD" to use just one salutation and one title.
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Salutation/Professional Addressing "Dy GM", what does it mean? [closed]
Found the addressing "Dy GM" in New Delhi area in the IT domain.
What does it mean?
user9243
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1
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What style should I use in e-mail salutations to superiors, colleagues, or juniors? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicates:
Salutation in an Email
How do you greet multiple recipients in an e-mail?
How do I use the initial words while writing an e-mail, in particular, to my superiors?
Suppose ...
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Usage of “how is everyone”
When we ask about well-being when we meet other people, is this the correct usage:
How is everyone at home?
or are there any other ways to address this when talking to a person via email or face-...
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Comma usage in a letter opening [duplicate]
My colleague and I disagree on how to open a letter; he believes you should separate the salutation from the name, like so:
"Hi, John"
I think this is nonsense and that the comma should go at the ...
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1
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1850s English equivalent to "Ladies and Gentlemen" for introducing an act to a working class crowd?
I'm working on a script for a story set in 1850s London and in it my main characters visit a music hall.
I had originally been planning on including some background monologue to the effect of "...
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3
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What's the correct way to address someone in a letter when you know their name but not their gender? [duplicate]
I'm writing a formal appeal letter as a reply to a letter I got from a government agency. Unfortunately, the person sending it only put their name with an intial, e.g. "J. Smith" and no title. They're ...
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How etiquettical is it to start off a professional email with 'Hey'?
I've been wondering, why whould folks avoid the usage of Hey to greet someone/team as the mail starts, did that really read grotesque? What could be the alternatives other than the conventionals?
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