Business Dear Abbreviations Formal Means Emails Letters Writing

In American business "correspondence" (written communication), there are many common "salutations" (greeting) and "abbreviations" (small groups of letters that represent other words or phrases). It's important to use the correct salutations and abbreviations in formal business writing.

If you are friends with the reader, you might use his or her first name: "Dear Jennifer." If you know the person's name, but don't know him or her (or at least not very well), use the last name: "Dear Mr. Drake." If you are writing to a woman and do not know whether she is married (Mrs.) or single (Miss), it is best to use "Ms.," which can refer to either a married or single woman.

Sometimes we don't know who will read the letter we're writing. In that situation, some people like to start their letters with "To whom it may concern." Other people prefer "Dear Sir or Madam." Both of these are very formal salutations. Occasionally businesses will use "Dear friend" or "Dear client," but these aren't as professional as the other "options" (choices).

In formal business correspondence, the salutation should be followed by a "colon" (two dots, one on top of the other; ":"). In informal business correspondence, the salutation can be followed by a "comma" (a short, curved line normally used to separate words; ",").

At the end of the letter, below the writer's "signature" (hand-written name), abbreviations may provide additional information about the letter. For example, "cc:" means "carbon copy" and is used to show that a copy of the same letter was sent to another person. For example, "cc: Bill Warren" means that a copy was sent to Bill Warren. Another abbreviation, "encl" means "enclosure" and "indicates" (shows) that other pieces of paper, like receipts or proposals, have been placed in the same envelope.