Small letter after Good afternoon,

[Pepek]

When starting an email message, do you write a small letter or a big one after "Good afternoon," (comma is important)

I personally believe that once there is a comma, it is considered as a standard sentence and therefore a small letter should be used. This is how it works in my native language.

Is it the same way in English language?

Would you please share with me some link where is this confirmed?

 

[rj1948]

When starting an email message, do you write a small letter or a big one after "Good afternoon," (comma is important)

I personally believe that once there is a comma, it is considered as a standard sentence and therefore a small letter should be used. This is how it works in my native language.

Is it the same way in English language?

Would you please share with me some link where is this confirmed?

After a comma or semicolon, it's always 'small letter'.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/comma
Regards,
rj1948.

 

[tedtmc]

"Good afternoon,...."

You use the comma if you wish to address the person's name eg. Good afternoon, Mr Brown. If you wish to continue with the sentence, you use the word 'and' eg. 'Good afternoon and welcome to .....'

If not, I think it is better to just write ' Good afternoon.' and start a new sentence.

not a teacher

 

[bhaisahab]

You use the comma if you wish to address the person's name eg. Good afternoon, Mr Brown. If you wish to continue with the sentence, you use the word 'and' eg. 'Good afternoon and welcome to .....'

If not, I think it is better to just write ' Good afternoon.' and start a new sentence.

not a teacher

In normal letter writing we would write, for example;

Dear Jim,
I am writing to you...

When I am writing an email I tend to use a similar format, for example;

Good afternoon/morning Jim,
Did you receive my letter...

 

[Soup]

When starting an email message, do you write a small letter or a big one after "Good afternoon," (comma is important)

Would you please share with me some link where is this confirmed?

The rule is and always has been to capitalize the first word of a sentence (http://www.cabrillo.edu/services/writingcenter/290/capitalize.pdf).


For letter writing, even email writing, the rule of thumb is as follows. If the salutation and the opening sentence are on the same line, then use lowercase to begin the opening sentence; if the salutation and the opening sentence are on different lines, then use a capital to begin the opening sentence:

Line 1: Good morning, how has your day been so far?

______________________________

Line 1: Good morning(,)

Line 2: How has your day been so far?
​

________________
Note that, it is now increasingly common to omit the comma after the salutation. (open vs closed punctuation)