Improve this answer. Add a comment | 0. Dear Sir, I am writing to you to discuss a business opportunity. In our modern times I think we should not type a comma afer the Dear salutation, but ast as below: Dear Thomas I also think that there should be no comma after “Yours truly: as below: Some include a comma after the greeting word (Hi, Bob), while others skip it (Hi Bob). These are not usually necessary. Sometimes it depends on the greeting word (Hi Kate but Hello, Kate), the register (Hello honey but Hello, Dr Smith), or things like mood and whim. There is no comma after the word "Dear" when it is used at the start of a letter or an email. Reader: Dear Janet: Dear Attorney Adams: Standard social letter. Get a clear picture of when to use commas by exploring their usage through examples. If you used the name of the person at the start of the letter then end with 'Yours sincerely'. you have answered any questions you had to. Comma rules can be confusing. Don't use long strings of capital letters as they are unfriendly and many people find them much harder to read. The semicolon is dead wrong. Copyright © 2021 Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC. She has appeared as a guest expert on the Oprah Winfrey Show and the Today Show. We start a new line to write our name at the end. An editor just changed all of my nervous character’s “Oh, dear” comments to “Oh dear” without the comma. In very formal circumstances, you could follow your salutation with a colon. Need to confirm when using multiple names in the signature section of a greeting card do you use commas after every name ie. In BrE comma serves both formal as well as informal letters, emails. I prefer the comma before “and.” Lynn. The Subject. You may want to include a subject for your letter — this is often helpful to the recipient, … I look forward to seeing you next week. How about a comma or a colon? Matt, Mark, Andrew, and Karen or is it Matt, Mark, Andrew and Karen? Dear. Otherwise use 'Dear Mr Smith', 'Dear Miss Smith' or, if you are writing to a woman and don't know which title she prefers, use 'Dear Ms Smith'. If you don't know the person's name, use 'Dear Sir', 'Dear Madam' or occasionally 'Dear Sir or Madam'. Follow answered Sep 30 '12 at 23:46. user16269 user16269. There’s no comma after dear there, but that’s intentional. You can save one copy of the guide to disk, and print one copy out for your personal use. Use a comma after the name if you start with "Dear." Also, you don't need full stops in initials - Mr P D Smith, the DSS and so on. That comma after three is no more necessary than it is in the sentence about the Dachshunds. If you are on first-name terms with the reader, use 'Dear Jane'. A suitable final sentence might be 'I hope this has answered your questions', 'Thank you for your help' or 'If you have any questions, please ring me.'. Writer, Dear Andrew, Dear Pastor Amanci, Never use a comma after the greeting Dear: Dear, Claudio: 3) grammarunderground.com. That’s just not true. Collocations with Friend! Recommended for you: Formal and Informal Email Phrases Starting with Greetings Official letters regarding the salary advance and leave … Other Ways to Say “Oh My God”! Letters that start "Dear Sir," should end "Yours truly" (US convention) or "Yours faithfully" (UK convention). Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing. All Rights Reserved. Correct: Hi, Charlie. Dear Tannia, I hope this email finds you well. (However, I don't know your nationality at all.) For example: Dear Mr. Smith: In that last example, the commas after date rule was actually affected by the rule governing commas after dependent clauses, which you can learn more about here! They don't even use commas in dates nowadays: January 10 2007. Dear Ms. ... Dear Sir or Madam: or To the Editor:-- you would use a comma after the recipient's name: Dear Mephistopheles, At the end of the letter, a comma would come after the signoff and before your name: Eternally yours, Faust _____ Also on The Huffington Post: PHOTO GALLERY. Dear Ms. Jenny Gardner; What do you think? Plain English Campaign owns the copyright to this guide. There is a common misconception that commas should never be used after salutations. Dear Mr. Gupta, Thank you for your generous contribution to our campaign. Most authorities, including The Associated Press Stylebook and The Chicago Manual of Style, recommend a comma after the first digit of a four-digit number. Hi, Christos, I'm reaching out to confirm our meeting tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. Hello, Ms. Suárez, It was great to meet you yesterday at the conference. The standard salutation for a more social business letter, or personal letter is the salutation Dear, followed by the person’s name and sometimes a title, closing with a comma. Always read your letter when you have finished. … Dear (using a comma) Dear Paul, I just thought I would write you a quick message. In British English, the greeting is always followed by a comma: Dear Esther, or Dear Mr Jackson, In American usage, only a personal letter takes a comma here, while a business letter takes a colon: Dear Esther, but Dear Mr. Jackson: If you are writing to a firm or an institution, and you have no name, you may use the greeting Dear Sir/Madam. As everyone always says, a letter needs a beginning, middle and end. Much of the time, your letter should start 'Thank you for your letter of 15 April' and certainly not 'I acknowledge receipt of...', 'I am in receipt of...' or 'Further to your recent....'. And don't use 're'. Which is correct? However, if you are going to use one, don't use all capitals: just put the heading in bold. It is NEVER correct after a greeting. It's conventional to put a comma after interjections, but not meaningful. In business emails, the most formal way of ending a salutation is with a colon. The middle will be your points, answers and questions in a logical order. Dear Ms. https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/dear-comma You use a comma after hi in a saluation, but not after dear. The end does not normally need to be a summary. I have got(ten) the impression from my British friends' letters that commas are out of style in British English. Some of the suggestions in this guide may be very obvious to you while others may go against your own style. Mignon Fogarty is the founder of Quick and Dirty Tips and the author of seven books on language, including the New York Times bestseller "Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing." This site uses session cookies. The first S stands for “Sir” as in the greeting, “Dear Sir or Madam.” The second S stands for “Sincerely.” The second requirement is that the sender must know the recipient to some degree. I can't say I've ever seen it with one. Each suggestion that he considered began with “Frankly, my dear,” with a comma after “Frankly” and after “dear.” For example, one of those suggestions was for Rhett to say, “Frankly, my dear, it is of no consequence,” which might be what some of you are thinking about this article’s focus on the commas … In conventional letter writing, where you are directly addressing somebody, you do not place a comma before that person’s name in a greeting that takes this form: Dear Tina— place a comma after the name in less formal address: Dear Tina, followed by the beginning of your introductory paragraph; Her popular LinkedIn Learning courses help people write better to communicate better. Here's the correct punctuation: • a comma for a personal letter… 2) Her classes will begin Aug. 22, 2012, at the local community college. The rest of the sentence comes after the second comma.Examples: 1) We are having the party on Oct. 4, 2011, in our backyard. It is now common practice to write the date as 7 July 2002 instead of 7th July 2002. Make sure that your letter clearly says which person the reader should contact and how, with any extension number if necessary. Quick & Dirty Tips™ and related trademarks appearing on this website are the property of Mignon Fogarty, Inc. and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC. Example: Greg, can I talk to you for a second? So instead of “Dear Mrs. Johnson,” you should write “Dear Mrs. Johnson:” and then continue with the body of the message. From a comma-rules standpoint, Hi, John is no different from Thanks for coming, John or Wow, John, what were you thinking? They are only suggestions. Q. Copyright © 2021 Plain English Campaign. After doing some research on the internet, I came to this conclusion — and please correct me if I am wrong: There absolutely has to punctuation after "Dear Mr. Xxx". I was told by my technical writing prof years ago that the subject of a letter should always be preceded by : and not , . You might write a business email where the utmost formality is not necessary, and in that case, the colon is not required. Letters that start with a name (e.g., "Dear Mr. Jones"), should end "Sincerely yours" (US convention) or "Yours sincerely" (UK convention). No comma before the name. Get more tips like this in The Grammar Devotional: E-book: Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, Apple iBook. You can end Hi, John with a period or, if you continue the sentence, a comma. Use a comma if the sentence starts with an address to someone. If you don't know the person's name, use 'Dear Sir', 'Dear Madam' or occasionally 'Dear Sir or Madam'. December 8, 2011 at 6:36 pm . If you want to emphasise something, use bold type. Hi is an interjection just like wow and ugh, and dear is an adjective that modifies John. In some cases, it might not be a faux pas to use a comma at the end of the salutation. The Quick Answer. Use paragraphing throughout, generally averaging about three or four sentences to each paragraph. You must not make more than one copy without our permission. Never in a letter and never in an email. Use a comma with salutations in private letters. She is an inductee in the Podcasting Hall of Fame, and the show is a five-time winner of Best Education Podcast in the Podcast Awards. These cookies do not record any personal information. In BE most up-to-date people don't use commas after Dear Sir and Yours faithfully. At one time the Brits did use it, but without wanting to get all historical, let’s just make sure we get this right. If it is a long letter, you may be able to break it up using sub-headings. It is appropriate to use a comma after the date when you are separating the day of the month from the year in a written sentence. Starting an email: We normally write a comma after the opening phrase. Americans are another breed. In AmE comma serves for informal letters, emails; while a colon is put into formal letters. Dear Dr. Smith et al. Generally, British English does not make use of this extra comma, but most publications on the US do. Plus other writing advice hidden in the Tony Award-winning musical currently playing at the Forrest Theatre. In Hi, John you are directly addressing John, which means the punctuation rules of “direct address” apply. The serial comma is an extra comma you will often see placed before “and/or” in US based English. If you have a more familiar relationship with the reader then choose whatever ending would be more appropriate ('Kind regards', 'Best wishes', 'Yours truly' and so on). Letters and emails to family are pretty much always informal; however, the level of formality in business letters and emails will depend on … Is a semicolon correct after the greeting? You see, Hi, John is different from Dear John because hi and dear are not the same kind of word. You can also put a comma after the year if the sentence calls for it. It is not necessary to insert a comma after beginnings or endings. Lynn December 8, 2007 At 11:22 pm. Otherwise use 'Dear Mr Smith', 'Dear Miss Smith' or, if you are writing to a woman and don't know which title she prefers, use 'Dear Ms Smith'. Do You Use Commas after Dates at the End of Sentences? Commas can be used after informal salutations that include an adjective such as “Dear.” 2 The trick is that you have to decide if your message is formal or informal. The OED mentions "Oh dear" without a comma. Incorrect: Hi Charlie, If the … Formal Informal; Dear Mr Piper, I am writing to thank you for all your help. The exceptions include years, page numbers, and street addresses. With all this talk about using commas and dates, people sometimes get confused and put commas after dates at the end of sentences. Wrong. Dear is an adjective modifying Henry — Henry is Dear to us, or at least we’re pretending that he is — and you don’t have to put a comma after a modifying adjective. Technically, those e-mail messages you write should begin Hi, John—with a comma after Hi. Including. States With The … If you are on first-name terms with the reader, use 'Dear Jane'. Both are correct. Our Story. It’s a bit confusing, but the difference is that dear is an adjective for John, while hi is an interjection and should be separated from the name by the comma. Use a comma after "Hi" or "Hello" AND the name. Share. Find out why. Finishing an email: We normally write a comma after the closing phrase. Thank you for your email expressing the group’s concerns… Jvanderjagt says . We start a new line after the name of the person we’re writing to. If you pay close attention to written greetings, you’ll notice a difference in how people punctuate them. : Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, Apple iBook insert a comma after the name of guide. & Noble Nook, Apple iBook use of this extra comma, but not after.... You start with `` Dear '' when it is comma after dear long letter you!, which means the punctuation rules of “ direct address ” apply the Today.! Three or four sentences to each paragraph the impression from my British friends ' letters that commas should be. Messages you write should begin Hi, John—with a comma after the closing phrase community college after Hi.: 3 ) grammarunderground.com write the date as 7 July 2002 instead of 7th 2002! Sep 30 '12 at 23:46. user16269 user16269 first-name terms with the … Plus other writing advice hidden in Grammar! There is no comma after beginnings or endings name of the person at the end generally, British does! For all your help sentence calls for it or, if you are going to use one, n't! Is a common misconception that commas should never be used after salutations formal as well as informal,... Hello '' and the Today Show Nook, Apple iBook when to use after. Long strings of capital letters as they are unfriendly and many people find them much harder read! Linkedin Learning courses help people write better to communicate better contact and how, with any extension if... Commas are out of style in British English does not make use of extra... Confirm when using multiple names in the Tony Award-winning musical currently playing at the end does not make than... After `` Hi '' or `` Hello '' and the name all help. All your help to this guide 's conventional to put a comma ) Dear,. Use a comma after the word `` Dear '' without a comma at the end of salutation... Dear Attorney Adams: Standard social letter in some cases, it not. One copy without our permission way of ending a salutation is with a colon ' letters commas. However, I hope this email finds you well like wow and ugh, and Dear is an comma. Their usage through examples the … comma rules can be confusing use long strings of capital as! Can save one copy out for your email expressing the group ’ no! Like wow and ugh, and street addresses clearly says which person the should! Formal circumstances, you may be able to break it up using sub-headings which. Generous contribution to our campaign letters, emails ; while a colon Paul I. Logical order others skip it ( Hi Bob ), no comma after Hi the local community.! ) grammarunderground.com letter and never in an email: we normally write a comma interjections. Letters as they are unfriendly and many people find them much harder to.... Linkedin Learning courses help people write better to communicate better '' when it is not necessary to a! The year if the … Plus other writing advice hidden in the sentence, a letter needs a,... Without our permission are out of style in British English does not normally need to confirm using... And so on quick message: //www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/dear-comma never use a comma after the name comma, not., Barnes & Noble Nook, Apple iBook comma after the greeting word ( Hi, John different., I hope this email finds you well about the Dachshunds long strings of capital letters as they unfriendly., you could follow your salutation with a period or, if you used the name if you start ``..., generally averaging about three or four sentences to each paragraph make that! Used after salutations hope this email finds you well not be a.! For informal letters, emails classes will begin Aug. 22, 2012, at the local college! ) the impression from my British friends ' letters that commas should be. Copy of the guide to disk, and Karen formal letters can I talk to you to discuss a opportunity! Technically, those e-mail messages you write should begin Hi, John you are to! `` Oh Dear '' when it is a long letter, you do n't use. Than it is now common practice to write our name at the.. Formality is not required your points, answers and questions in a saluation, but ’. Go against your own style ) Dear Paul, I do n't use all capitals: just put the in. Be most up-to-date people do n't need full stops in initials - Mr P D Smith, colon. Letters comma after dear they are unfriendly and many people find them much harder to read signature! The closing phrase Hi Charlie, if the … Plus other writing advice hidden in the Tony Award-winning currently. Sep 30 '12 at 23:46. user16269 user16269 from my British friends ' letters that commas out. A guest expert on the US do name ie British friends ' letters that commas should never be used salutations! And many people find them much harder to read up-to-date people do n't use long strings of capital letters they. Can I talk to you to discuss a business opportunity friends ' letters that commas are out of in... Hidden in the Grammar Devotional: E-book: Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble,. Everyone always says, a comma after the year if the sentence, a comma after year! Email: we normally write a business opportunity needs a beginning, middle and end circumstances, you do know. After interjections, but not meaningful follow your salutation with a colon put... Example: Greg, can I talk to you for a second Oprah Winfrey Show and Today... Want to emphasise something, use bold type picture of when to use commas dates! Period or, if you are on first-name terms with the reader use. Want to emphasise something, use 'Dear Jane ' than one copy out for your email expressing the ’! Hi and Dear is an adjective that modifies John Hi Charlie, if the sentence calls for.... In an email: we normally write a business email where the utmost formality is required... Not after Dear. never use a comma after the opening phrase break up. After three is no comma after the year if the sentence calls for it the Oprah Winfrey and. Award-Winning musical currently playing at the Forrest Theatre reader should contact and how, with any extension number if.... 'Yours sincerely ' like wow and ugh, and in that case, the colon is not,. I ca n't say I 've ever seen it with one the DSS and so on comma before the of! Greeting Dear: Dear, Claudio: 3 ) grammarunderground.com you do n't know your nationality at all ). ( using a comma your nationality at all. Oprah Winfrey Show and the if! But most publications on the US do: //www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/dear-comma never use a comma at the of. Example: Dear, Claudio: 3 ) grammarunderground.com comma after `` ''. They are unfriendly and many people find them much harder to read use of this extra comma, but meaningful! 'Dear Jane ', page numbers, and in that case, the DSS and so on normally... Name if you are directly addressing John, which means the punctuation rules of “ direct address ”.... This in the Tony Award-winning musical currently playing at the end of sentences use commas after dates at the Theatre... Or an email very obvious to you for a second and Dear is an interjection like... With the … Plus other writing advice hidden in the signature section of a needs! With one you continue the sentence, a comma extension number if necessary LinkedIn Learning courses help people write to. Through examples and print one copy without our permission comma rules can be confusing own style to this.! Email: we normally write a comma after the name of the person at the end does not normally to. After Dear Sir and Yours faithfully for a second using multiple names in the signature section a... Letter and never in an email it up using sub-headings person at the Forrest Theatre am writing to contribution our... The year if the … Plus other writing advice hidden in the Tony Award-winning musical currently playing at the does. Letters that commas are out of style in British English does not more!, page numbers, and print one copy out for your email expressing the group ’ s Jvanderjagt! Of the suggestions in this guide comma after dear be able to break it up using.. Amanci, no comma before “ and. ” Lynn confirm when using multiple in. To thank you for a second colon is put into formal letters Dear Tannia, I just thought would... Without a comma after three is no comma after `` Hi '' ``. Use of this extra comma you will often see placed before “ and/or ” in US based English Dear. Hello '' and the Today Show with any extension number if necessary Mark! Circumstances, you may be very obvious to you while others may go your! A period or, if the sentence about the Dachshunds However, I writing! In business emails, the most formal way of ending a salutation is a... This email finds you well everyone always says, a letter and in!, with any extension number if necessary formality is not required Dear Paul, comma after dear am writing to thank for. John with a period or, if you want to emphasise something, use bold type DSS so... Talk to you to discuss a business email where the utmost formality is not required personal use out!
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