Communication is one of the basic needs of a person, along with sleep and food. Modern people have several accessible and effective ways to chat with friends and relatives, colleagues and business partners. These include live chat, cellular and the Internet.
The last two methods have appeared relatively recently. For a long time it was possible to communicate at a distance only with the help of messages. They were written by hand and sent by mail. This type of communication has survived today. However, handwritten letters were replaced by emails.
We give a definition
The word "letter" has several meanings.
Firstly, it is a system of written signs, which is necessary for fixing oral speech.
Example: Scientists have deciphered the ancient Mayan script.
Secondly, this is the appearance of informational text printed on paper.
Example: Pupils asked their teacher how to complete a letter in accordance with Russian standards.
Thirdly, handwritten or electronic text that contains information intended for the addressee.
Example: A letter from home with important news from my father was received a week after it was sent.
How to finish the letter and how to start it? All people ask themselves these questions, regardless of what message they compose: electronic or handwritten. In this article we have to answer the first of them.
Types of letters
Before talking about how to better finish the letter, it is worth understanding its types. The general tone and the used expressions depend on it. So, messages can be:
- business;
- personal
- congratulatory.
A business letter is usually called a type of documentation that serves as a means of exchanging information between different organizations and institutions. It may also be called “official correspondence”. Some types of letters that fall into this category require an answer (for example, petitions, appeals, requests), others do not (for example, warnings, reminders, statements).
A letter written by one private person and addressed to another is called personal.
Letters that are intended to congratulate an unofficial person, organization or institution with any joyful event or achievement are usually called congratulatory.
Below we will figure out how to properly finish the letter, depending on its type and purpose.
General structure
Regardless of the type, all letters have approximately the same structure. It is worth paying attention that the first two points are characteristic only for official correspondence.
- Sender address
- The date.
- Greeting.
- Text containing basic information.
- Final phrases.
- P.S.
Business correspondence
The writing of this type of correspondence should be treated with particular attention, since spelling, punctuation or stylistic mistakes made by the sender can adversely affect the image of the company or institution that it represents. When making proposals, preference should be given to simple sentences and to avoid a large number of complicating constructions. The overall tone should be respectful. The main thing is that the essence of the letter should be revealed at its end, since people pay more attention to this particular fragment of the text.
How to finish the letter having the status of official? The most successful ending phrases are:
- I hope for further fruitful cooperation.
- I hope for continued cooperation.
- Thank you for your attention.
- Sincerely, Ivan Ivanov
- With respect, Ivanov Ivan Ivanovich.
How to beautifully finish a letter to a private person
This type of correspondence does not require increased attention from the compiler. However, in the process of writing, a person should not forget about literacy anyway. In this regard, it is much easier to write emails, since the detected errors are easy to fix. In the case of handwritten text, you have to rewrite the finished text.
Before starting the process, it is necessary to determine the main content and response of the recipient. If it is important for the sender to receive an answer as soon as possible, then in the final part it is better to make appropriate notes. The ending should be the logical conclusion of everything written above, otherwise you can put the recipient in an awkward position and make him think about what the sender wanted to say.
The most common phrases used at the end of the letter are:
- Your friend, Peter.
- See you!
- Waiting for an answer.
- Kiss, Maria.
- Come as soon as possible.
- All the best, your friend Peter.
The sender can invent the end of the letter on his own. In this case, it will have a unique character and will surely appeal to the recipient.
Answering the question of how to complete the letter of congratulation, you need to pay attention to its appearance. If officials are the sender and recipient, the final phrases should be neutral. In other cases, a certain liberty is allowed.
