The opening salutation or greeting is written at the left-hand side of the sheet about one and a
Most commonly used salutations are: "Dear Sir", or "Dear Sirs", though occasionally (as, for
example, in a letter to a board of directors) "Gentlemen" may be used. In the case of a lady, "Dear
Madame" is used or "Mesdames" if there is more than one lady. "Sir" is sometimes used when a
junior is writing to a person occupying a much higher position. "Dear Mr Jones" or "My Dear Mr
Jones" may be used where appropriate, i.e. where a degree of intimacy exists between the writer and
60
In Great Britain the formal opening salutation (orgreeting): "Dear Mr Brown" is followed by a
comma, whereas in the USA the same salutation will sound as "My Dear Mr. Brown" and will be
followed by a colon.
The wording of the salutation will largely depend upon the position of the recipient. The
salutation may vary from: "Dear Sir", "Dear Madam" or "Dear Bill" to "Your Excellency", "Your
Highness" or "Your Majesty", etc.
(It must also be noted that in the USA the salutation "My Dear" is considered more formal than
"Dear", though in both cases they are, as a rule, translated into Russian in official correspondence as
«Уважаемый», «Уважаемая».)
The first word and the name of the person in the salutation are always capitalized. A lady is
addressed "Dear Madam", or very formally "Madam" or more officially: "Dear Mrs. Parkinson".
When writing to a woman, always address her as she signs herself.
Достарыңызбен бөлісу: