Yours faithfully or Yours sincerely?

You already know how important it is to speak good English in an international working environment. If you work for a company which does business abroad, you probably read and write a lot of English, too. Writing, just like speaking, is communication. In our letters and emails we need to express many things: authority, gratitude, dissatisfaction, etc. Expressing ourselves well and with the correct level of formality is a skill.

Do you have that skill? Ask yourself these questions:
Do you present yourself in a professional manner when you write? What image do you give to the people who read your letters and emails?

In short, you want to give a professional image when you write to your customers and business partners. To get you started, we've prepared some lists of standard phrases. Take a look at:
1/ Opening Lines
2/ Closing Lines
3/ Dear Sir and Yours Faithfully



Opening lines
Why do we need an opening line in a business letter or formal email?- to make reference to previous correspondence- to say how you found the recipient's name/address - to say why you are writing to the recipient.

10 Good Opening Lines:

With reference to your letter of 8 June, I ...
I am writing to enquire about ...
After having seen your advertisement in ... , I would like ...
After having received your address from ... , I ...
I received your address from ... and would like ...
We/I recently wrote to you about ...
Thank you for your letter of 8 May.
Thank you for your letter regarding ...
Thank you for your letter/e-mail about ...
In reply to your letter of 8 May, ...

Closing lines:

Why do we need a closing line in a business letter or email?

- to make a reference to a future event.

- to repeat an apology.

- to offer help.

10 Good Closing Lines:

- If you require any further information, feel free to contact me.
- I look forward to your reply.
- I look forward to hearing from you.
- I look forward to seeing you.
- Please advise as necessary.
- We look forward to a successful working relationship in the future.
- Should you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
- Once again, I apologise for any inconvenience.
- We hope that we may continue to rely on your valued custom.
- I would appreciate your immediate attention to this matter.

When 'Yours faithfully' and when 'Yours sincerely' in a business letter?

When the recipient's name is unknown to you:
Dear Sir ... Yours faithfully
Dear Madam ... Yours faithfully
Dear Sir or Madam ... Yours faithfully

When you know the recipient's name:
Dear Mr Hanson ... Yours sincerely
Dear Mrs Hanson ... Yours sincerely
Dear Miss Hanson ... Yours sincerely
Dear Ms Hanson ... Yours sincerely

When addressing a good friend or colleague:
Dear Jack ... Best wishes / Best regards

Addressing whole departments:
Dear Sirs ... Yours faithfully

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