US and UK business letters
You'd think writing a business letter would be pretty much the same globally. Au contraire!
The differences between UK and US are quite significant.
Initially the UK and US are divided with the return address: in the UK it goes on the right, whereas in the US it can either go on the left or the right.
The recipient's address is left-aligned in both countries (phew, we agree on something!)
Date swiftly follows; the UK date would read: 25th December 2009 on the right or left of the page, and the US: December 25, 2009 always on the left.
Each starts with 'Dear ____'
If you're addressing someone whose name you know: in the US you'd add a fullstop/period after their title (i.e. Mr., Mrs., Ms.) where in the UK we've done away with the point leaving the title thus: Mr, Mrs, Ms
And so we jolly our way on past the surname and...come to a divergence again! In US business letters you'd now enter a colon (:) and in UK letters a comma (,)
i.e. (US) Dear Mr. Jones: / (UK) Dear Mr Jones,
(If you have a subject you want to add, much like the subject line in an email, add it under the salutation. To draw attention both US and UK prefer to use bold and/or upper-case letters)
As we enter the body of the letter, we all agree that, despite following a comma, the line should start with a capital letter . (This is a standard that seems to grate on some German writers composing English letters, who feel that the first letter of the body should be lower case.).
On we stroll though the body of the text where UK and US are in blissful harmony again. Single-line spacing throughout with a blank line (NOT an indent) between paragraphs.
Now you just have to close. In the US, your close should be aligned with YOUR address and in the UK it's always left-aligned.
In the UK, if you know the recipient's name 'Yours sincerely,' is standard, and 'Yours faithfully,' when you don't. 'Kind regards,' and his pleasant variants are acceptable, but they do prefer their cyber domain to paper. In the US, however (thank you, Karen!) the most common closings in a formal letter are 'Sincerely,' 'Sincerely yours,' and 'Very truly yours', ('Cordially' and 'Best regards' also make a show at times).
Leave a few lines (in which to add your signature after printing)... then add your name, and, if you want, your job title.
Job done.
Now, as a little post script, you may want to add ... a post script. In the US, 'PS' or 'ps' is the accepted norm, but in the UK 'p.s.' still holds true.
And there we have it. I hope that helps someone :)
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How do you remain gender neutral in your business communications?
Every day we write to a broad audience and while it's fine in a fictional piece of work to be gender-specific, in our business communications we often have to be more general. And, using the combination "him/her" is cumbersome.
It is so important these days to remain gender neutral, especially when compiling manuals, office policies and procedures, and employee handbooks. Using 'sexist language' can be a costly mistake - even resulting in missing out on a job a sexist tem is spotted in a resume/CV.
Traditionally we've used third-person masculine pronouns (he, him, his, himself). Many 'jobs for the boys' had the suffix '-man' (fireman, chairman, foreman), while women were indicated by '-ess' (stewardess, waitress, actress).
Jobs are now gender-neutral! My children talk of a 'postal worker', 'flight attendant' or a 'firefighter', and I'm trying hard to do the same!
It seems we're trying to wipe 'man' off the planet! 'Mankind', 'the average man', 'manned' are now replaced by words such as 'people', 'average person' and 'staffed'.
What are some options for ensuring that your writing is gender neutral? First, adopt the titles that are in use today:
» Postal worker/ letter carrier
» French (not Frenchman)
» Chairperson or Chair
» Spokesperson
» Flight Attendant
» Sales representative
» Police Officer
» Firefighter
» Host (no more hostess with the mostest!)
» Journalist, Writer
» Actor (no Actresses)
» Sportsperson
» Nurse
If using a sentence where the subject can be 'he' or 'she', or 'him' or 'her', try to find another way to write the sentence without using 'him/her' or 'he/she'.
For example, the sentence:
Before you invite him/her to interview, check his/her references.
You should change the wording to:
Before you invite the candidate to interview, check the references provided.
Public relation materials, advertisements or job applications are particular areas in which to be careful. Make sure your words are eunuchs! It is very easy to alienate new customers, clients or potential employees by using sexist language.
As a new mum, it tickled me to read 'baby' books that seemed to leap into panic every time they had to refer to 'the baby'. Obviously writing for their audience they had to acknowledge that babies are 'girls' or 'boys' - for no other reason than they ran out of words for 'the baby' sometimes!
One particularly delightful book opted to give male gender pronouns to one chapter, and female to the next and let them switch back and forth through the book.
Do you find this need to make a eunuch of language frustrating or necessary? Where do you find most problems using gender neutral constructions?
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To capitalize or not?
I've just had a very peculiar response to an English proofread I completed for a German speaker.
She had written a letter thus:
Dear James,
it was lovely to see you at the weekend....
Naturally I corrected the 'it' to read 'It'; she responded ardently stating that this should not be capitalized; I checked around to confirm I was correct, looking at business letter templates and so forth and found no version that wasn't capitalized.
But in fact grammatically speaking it's right, isn't it? There is no other time we'd capitalize after a comma, so why do we in a letter?
What do you think? Has anyone ever seen the rule that states the beginning of a letter should be capitalized?
More...
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Planner perfection?
Before visiting the gym this morning, I popped into the paper-shop downstairs to have a quick flick through their planner options again ... and at the bottom of the pile I found this incredibly little innovation.
http://www.thisnext.com/item/1F3849C0/82EE3657/Open-Design-Planner
You get a week view planner with times for appointments across bottom/top half of a double page AND day planner on the opposite half sheet on the same page. So you have plan your day and see the week at once. Believe me, describing this little beauty is not easy!
It's an A5 stroke of genius and completely fits the bill. I stood and flicked through it for a few moments because it really is difficult to get your head around, but when I'd decided how it would work I couldn't get enough of it. It's snuggled up next to me here now and I can't wait to get filling it in!
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Get it ‘write’
Wasn't it easy at school? You wrote a first draft, your teacher corrected it and told you how to make it better and that was that -- you got a good grade, (or you didn't!) but ultimately it didn't really matter ... not in the great scheme of things.
Now your words stand for you, they represent you in this massive cyber world that houses an infinite number of potential clients. It can be incredibly daunting to sit down and write, can't it? Have you written your website yet or is it lingering around awaiting the words to fall into the right place? Are you happy that your website's words create the image you want to project?
The wonder of words is that they can be shunted around, introduced to other words and make happy families; there's always a way to do it well, but it's not always an easy journey to get there.
One thing I learnt as a teacher was that working together on something (both with colleagues and with student) is a wonderful experience that often reaps rewards and enables you to thrash out ideas which may not even have occurred to you working alone.
Maybe it's writers' block that's hampering you, maybe you can write but the words aren't playing ball and are all barging in in the wrong order. There's always a way around it.
How do you write? Do you ‘compose’ or do you dash something off and make changes when you see them – do you even care about mistakes?
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Choosing rhymes
OK, whose turn is it? Playground laws dictate you have to have some sort of rhyme to choose who’s ‘it’, who’s hiding or who’s in the middle. Given that my brain recognised about 20 years ago that I no longer needed these rhymes, these once a daily requirements of my life shuffled off to somewhere in the back of my brain and I seem to have lost the key. Which rhymes did you use as a child and/or what do your children use today?
The only one I remember is:
Eeney meeney miney moe,
Catch a tiger* by its toe,
If he hollers let him go,
Eeney meeney miney moe.
[The rest of this post has been removed as it caused offence to one visitor. While the discussion focussed on language and its changing use over time based on society’s expectations, it contained words that are considered as offensive. Upsetting people is not part of my agenda.]
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Ooooh fudge!
I just spent the last couple of hours making a massive batch of fudge. And it’s glorious. Here’s the recipe
This is a simple fudge recipe using condensed milk, a can of Carnation condensed milk is 397g, but other brands can vary.
- 350-400g canned condensed milk
- 150ml (5fl oz) milk
- 450g (1lb) Demerara sugar
- 115g (4oz) butter
1. Grease and line an 18cm square baking tin. (I skip this step and just lay a sheet of baking paper out and push the fudge into shape (I tripled the ingredients though!))
2. Place all the ingredients in a large, heavy based, saucepan and using a low heat stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. It is very important to make sure all the sugar has dissolved.
3. Once all the sugar is dissolved bring to the boil, stirring continuously. Turn the heat down slightly and stir while it keep bubbling. The fudge mixture is ready when it reaches the soft ball stage. (This takes a good 40 mins or so)
4. Either take off the heat and beat the mixture OR leave it in a very cold place (winter balcony for example) until it thickens (it will have a grainy consistency). Pour mixture into your greased tin and allow to cool.
5. When cool, cut into pieces and serve.
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Tea break English
I was flicking through an old school book of mine earlier and stumbled across this little poem, the original was written by Cecil Hartley in 1818. I have a feeling I now know where this insane idea of having a comma when the reader should take a ‘breath’ has come from:
The stops point out the length of pause
A reader needs between each clause:
For every comma, a count of one;
The count for two at a semicolon;
Each colon prefers a count of three;
A full stop, four we all agree.
Marvellous. With that kind of received intelligence it’s no wonder there are generations of confused writers!
This dubious guide reminded me of another, slightly more useful poem (much of which I remembered all on my own *gold star).
THE PARTS OF SPEECH
Every name is called a NOUN,
As field and fountain, street and town;
In place of noun the
PRONOUN stands
As he and she can clap their hands;
The
ADJECTIVE describes a thing,
As magic wand and bridal ring;
The
VERB means action, something done -
To read, to write, to jump, to run;
How things are done, the
ADVERBS tell,
As quickly, slowly, badly, well;
The
PREPOSITION shows relation,
As in the street, or at the station;
CONJUNCTIONS join, in many ways,
Sentences, words, or phrase and phrase;
The
INTERJECTION cries out, 'Hark!
I need an exclamation mark!'
Through Poetry, we learn how each
Of these make up THE PARTS OF SPEECH.
Here are some other little mnemonics that may actually help you remember some of those fiddly little rules:
Another way to think of a colon (:) is to call it an explanation mark: you add more information that clarifies the point.
A semi-colon’s handy when and has been banned.
Hyphens hang words together – dashes divide them.
Apostrophes show possession and omission.
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What the ~*^%& ?
It’s undeniable, things happen every day that can drive you to distraction. However, should venting frustration, annoyance or pain not be coloured in shades other than blue? I was always told that swearing merely displayed one’s limited vocabulary or ability to manipulate language.
Oh deary me!
Between being a teacher and a mum to 2 little people, my relationship with expletives ended quite some time ago. I have an affection for the far quainter ‘Grandma’ versions of cursing: Crikey! Oh lorkes! By jiminy! Oh fudge cake!; and to hear a glorious insult, like this one by Henry James on Oscar Wilde, is something of a treat:
‘”Hosscar” Wilde is a fatuous fool, a tenth-rate cad, an unclean beast.”
Personally I think Oscar is/was fab, but you can’t deny the insult, while deeply insulting, is beautifully lyrical, showing a far better grasp of language than anything we get to revel in these days where swearing litters most spoken sentences. Some movie plots are impossible to follow riddled as they are with swearing that does little to explain what’s actually happening. With the official millionth word added to the English language in 2009, there are plenty of other words to draw on to replace those over-used, multi-meaning mini-words.
What of the worldwide 'texplitives’: OMG, WTF/H, PITA, FFS, and so forth? By not actually ‘saying’ the word, can you get away with it? After all, ‘Jiminy Cricket’, ‘Oh lorkes’ and ‘Crikey’ are all derivatives of blasphemous curses, which were far from acceptable back in the day.
Expletives seem to be losing the power they once had: they’re now catch-alls used to express a rainbow of emotions that are met in myriad moments of the day when an expletive is the natural reaction. What would you say if you slammed your finger in a drawer/ hit the send button on an email half way through composing it? Should four-letter words have the stigma removed maybe? Has it already been removed and only a few dinosaurs like me find them uncomfortable to say and hear? I’m not saying get rid -- far from it! A well-placed swear in a genuine rant that has purpose and structure adds power and punch, but in a professional setting this kind of rant really shouldn’t rear it’s head.
In a moment of extraordinary coincidence, halfway though writing this an email appeared in my inbox from Outshine Consulting regarding professionalism in the workplace. Faye Hollands’ words perfectly sum up my feelings about swearing and the impression it gives:
"…The way you communicate has a huge impact on how professional you’re perceived to be. It doesn’t matter what job you do, swearing will never be a prerequisite on a position description, nor will it help you in the professionalism stakes. Similarly, slang and inappropriate phrases along with general rambling and poor communication will do nothing other than damage your image. On the flip side, being able to communicate your ideas and opinions clearly, and with respect, will serve you much more positively. Again, it doesn’t matter whether you sit behind a desk, or work on a building site, being able to communicate appropriately is an important ingredient in the professionalism-mix!"
Hear, hear!
For more thoughts about expletives see:
http://www.springerlink.com/content/j784g6516g266222/
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=expletives
http://thestar.com.my/english/story.asp?file=/2009/9/25/lifefocus/4769154&sec=lifefocus
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/expletives/
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The great closing debate
For the last couple of months I’ve been using ‘Warmest regards’ to close my emails. With this phrase I was hoping to convey a warm and friendly, yet professional image. How can you get just a couple of words to speak for you when there are no physical signals to read as well?
This week I asked professionals on LinkedIn How do you close your emails? and got an astonishing response. My thinking behind this question was initially pretty selfish: I wanted to hear from the horse’s mouth, as it were, what the most acceptable and pleasantly received close is, so I could adopt it as my own!
For me Sandra Carden (http://www.cardenworks.com) summed the issue up best when she said: “I vary my closing depending on the content of the e-mail and my relationship with the recipient. But sometimes I get bored with my usual closings, so thanks, everybody, for your replies -- I'll add a few of these to my mental list.
Best wishes ~ Warm regards ~ Cheers,
Sandra“
After thinking more about it, I was also intrigued to know what the reasons were for people’s choices and how they reacted to the close on the emails they received. Is it a surprise to find that ‘Regards’ would be far and away the most popular choice?
I doubt it!
Instead of leaving it at that, breaking it down to specifics was also interesting. ‘Regards’ and all its variations won when grouped together, but even within that group, a simple ‘Regards’ still rules the r
oost.
Instead of including all of the types of close, I’ve tabulated those that were represented twice or more in the 56 responses. I was surprised, and pleased, to find that a fair number of senders believed it was important to consider the recipient and adapt their close accordingly. Several women mentioned they mirror the close that they receive from that person, although there were no men who admitted doing the same.
So let’s have a look at the most popular five phrases used.
‘Regards’ has its roots in handwritten communications. It is regarded by some as a less formal, yet respectful word and by others as the height of formality. Many add ‘Best’, ‘Warm/est’ or ‘Kind/est’, which can only suggest they are trying to convey more of a personal message to their reader.
‘Thanks’ in its various guises surprised me when it romped in second as it is something of a removal from ‘back in the day’ letters when you’d get a ‘Thanks for…’, as well as a close before the name. I like the sentiment, it shows real consideration for the person who is being thanked and offers a chance to reiterate the most important point of the message.
Well if ‘Thanks’ surprised me, ‘Cheers’ downright blew me away. For me, ‘cheers’ is what you say before a drink. It’s informal, but I like it. It suggests equal standing, and an easy confidence.
‘Sincerely’ had to show up, really, didn’t it? I’d feel sad for it if it’d disappeared entirely considering its long-standing history of closing letters when you know the name of the person you’re contacting. Interestingly, several people said they considered it to be fairly informal and would only use it when they know the contact personally. When I was growing up, ‘faithfully’ was used when you didn’t know the person’s name, and ‘sincerely’ when you did. It seems it’s moved a step closer in recent years.
Now ‘Best wishes’ I like, and find myself using from time to time, but it reminds me so much of birthday cards I had when I was a child. Nonetheless the sentiment is rather quaint, friendly and seems less wooden than some alternatives.
Google email close/signatures and there is a wealth of people, some confused, others confident, discussing the pros and cons of a massive variety of options. While some business writing books declare you must use a capital for both words, others are just as emphatic about only capitalizing the first.
Ultimately, you have to select a close that you feel best reflects you. For my part, I think I’ll stay with ‘Warmest regards’ in initial emails, then move into a spot of mirroring, chucking in an ‘All the best’ (which I was surprised didn’t make the cut) or ‘Cheers’ here and there when the moment seems right.
What do you use? How do you feel about these tiny little phrases? Which do you prefer to receive and why?
To see the responses in full, please go to:
http://www.linkedin.com/answers/marketing-sales/writing-editing/MAR_WED/593645-35572550?split_page=1&goback=%2Eamq
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