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Beginning Body Ending

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Ending a letter

• The last line
• The closing salutation
• Under the signature
• The envelope

The last line of a letter is very often a reminder that you are expecting a reply. The following phrases are among those that may be used for personal letters or informal business correspondence.
Note that ''to look forward to" is followed by a gerund:

Hoping to hear from you soon
I hope to hear from you in the (very) near future
Looking forward to hearing from you
I look forward to hearing from you

On a slightly more formal level:

Hoping for an early reply
We look forward to an early reply
We would appreciate a reply by return of post
We await your confirmation

If you have requested something and want to thank someone in advance, the following may be used:

Thank you in advance
Thanking you in advance
Thank you (in advance) for your kind attention

And to express a hope that your request may be granted:

Hoping for a favourable reply
We hope you will give this your kind consideration

The "close'' in English is much shorter than it is in French. The old English formulae such as "I remain, your obedient servant,...'' have almost disappeared from business correspondence although the expression "I remain" is occasionally seen. The following are the most frequent closes:

Yours faithfully (a formal ending that goes with Dear Sir/Madam)
Yours sincerely (if you know the reader s name)
Yours truly (a commonly found alternative to the above)
Very truly yours (often seen)
Sincerely yours (often seen)
Cordially yours (American usage, gradually disappearing)
Best wishes (a more amicable way of ending)
Best regards (in common use in telexes)

It should be noted that "Yours faithfully" may be used even when you know the addressee's name, in order to add a certain formality to the letter.

Similarly "Yours sincerely" may be used with ''Dear Sir/Madam" to introduce a more friendly tone at the end.

With personal letters, endings can be very varied. "Yours sincerely'' is too formal between friends
"Best wishes'' frequently used as is "All the best"
"Yours" is a popular alternative

Note that "Your friend'' is not used, and that ''Yours friendly'' is NOT POSSIBLE. Do not be afraid of using the word ''Love'': this is often used between people who are just good friends!

When writing a greetings card (for a birthday, Christmas, etc.) it is quite usual to find ''Best Wishes from..." or "Love and Best Wishes from..." or "Love from?"

Immediately under the signature on a business letter figures the sender's name, typed. Under this, the position he or she holds in the company. This may or may not be underlined:

John Harrison
Managina Director

The abbreviation "pp'' is used for someone who is signing on behalf of another person.

If there is another document included in the same envelope or attached to the letter, the abbreviation "Enc" or "Encs'' (enclosure[s]) is used:

Enc: photocopy of birth certificate

Reference will have been made to this in the body of the letter by a phrase such as:

Please find enclosed...
We enclose...
We are enclosing...

When a document, or other material, is sent separately and not enclosed, the following expression is used in the body of the letter:

We are sending... under separate cover.

A post scriptum is indicated by the abbreviation "P.S.":

P.S. We hope to have news of Beatrice for you very soon.

In personal letters, when the sender has written on both sides of the paper, the instruction to turn over "Please Turn Over'' is abbreviated to "P.T.O."

The following words may appear on the envelope:

Private (personnel)
Confidential (confidentiel)
Urgent
Express
By air mail
c/o (= care of, "aux bons soins de")
To be called for (poste restante)
Please forward (faire suivre)

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