Signing off a business letter

[ColgateSmile]

Hi

When signing a formal business letter, should the professional tite, for example BDS (Sheff), be written after the person's name or underneath? If written on the same line and after the person's name, should a few spaces be left or just the one?

Example:

Mr Firstname Surname BDS (Sheff)

Mr Firstname Surname
BDS (Sheff)

Many thanks

 

[ColgateSmile]

Hi Piscean

Thanks for your reply.

When would I use Mr, or would I never? I always sign off as Mr Firstname Surname, so it is interesting to know.

Also when writing the addressee's address, would I write Mr Firstname Surname or Mr F Surname?

Many thanks

We don't use 'Mr/Mrs?Ms/Miss' with a first name under a signature, and we don't normally use postnominals. We may follow our name with our job title:

P Postule

P Postule
Managing Director

Percival Postule

Percival Postule
Managing Director

 

[ColgateSmile]

Thank you very much for your reply.

One more thing: would it be acceptable to use F Surname when signing off a letter, rather than Firstname Surname?

Many thanks

 

[konungursvia]

I don't see "Many thanks" so often, but rather, "Warm regards", "Best regards," or "Regards".

 

[emsr2d2]

I would find "warm regards" very unnatural in a business context. A formal business letter usually ends "Yours faithfully" or "Yours sincerely" depending on the opening of the letter.

 

[konungursvia]

I would find "warm regards" very unnatural in a business context. A formal business letter usually ends "Yours faithfully" or "Yours sincerely" depending on the opening of the letter.

Europeans who usually write "Je vous prie de bien vouloir recevoir, Monsieur, l'expression de mes sentiments les plus distingués" often write this to me in English. They have no problem going over the top with emotion in that one spot before their name appears.

 

[Rover_KE]

As a courtesy to those who will write back to you and want to know how to address you, you should add Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms in parenthesis after your signature in the following circumstances:

1. When you do not wish to divulge your first name:

R Soul (Mr)
T Strainer (Ms)
I P Knightley (Mr)

2. When your gender cannot be deduced from your first name:

Chris Pandeeven (Miss)
Bobby Dazzler (Mrs)
Jay Walker (Mr)
Robin Banks (Ms)