English · Short communicative messages

Choosing a greeting and ending for the reader

You use Dear and Yours sincerely for every reader, even a close friend.

The greeting and ending show the reader how you see them. Choose both by asking: who is reading, and how well do I know them?

This lesson follows answering every point in an email task in the short communicative messages section.

Which greeting and ending suit which reader?

Reader	Greeting	Ending line	Sign-off
Close friend or cousin	Hi Amir,	Write soon.	Best wishes, / Take care,
Teacher or principal	Dear Mr Hassan,	Thank you for your time.	Yours sincerely,
Unknown reader at an organisation	Dear Sir or Madam,	I look forward to your reply.	Yours faithfully,

A named reader takes “Yours sincerely”. An unnamed one takes “Yours faithfully”. Both sign-offs are followed by your name.

Worked example: one request, three readers

The message is a request about a school event, written three ways.

To a friend.

Hi Hana,

Can you save me a seat at the talent show? I will be there after football.

Take care, Aina

To a teacher.

Dear Puan Salmah,

I would like to ask if a seat could be kept for me at the talent show, as I will arrive after football practice.

Thank you for your time.

Yours sincerely, Aina

To an unknown organiser.

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to ask whether a seat can be reserved for me at your talent show. I will arrive at about four o’clock.

I look forward to your reply.

Yours faithfully, Aina

The content is the same. The tone changes through the greeting, the choice between “Can you” and “I would like to ask”, and the closing.

The mistake that costs marks

The slip is to write “Hi Sir” to a principal or “Yours faithfully” to a named teacher. The content may be perfect, but the tone does not suit the reader.

The repair is to decide who the reader is first, then check that reader’s row in the table before you write the first line.

Check yourself

You are writing to the school librarian, Mrs Lim, to ask about an overdue book. Write the greeting, one closing line and the sign-off.

Answer

Greeting: “Dear Mrs Lim,”. Closing line: “Thank you for your help.” Sign-off: “Yours sincerely,” followed by your name.

A named reader takes Yours sincerely. A friendly “Hi Mrs Lim” would be too casual for a school librarian in a formal task.

What to study next

With the tone settled, work on the middle of the message. Continue with giving a reason and suggestion concisely, or try the short messages practice.

If you would like a teacher to check the tone of your messages, see online one-to-one English tuition.

Tools for this page

Common questions

When do I use Dear Sir or Madam?

Use it only when you do not know the name or title of the reader, such as a letter to an organisation. If the task names a person, use their title and surname instead.

Is Hi acceptable in an email?

It suits a friend or a relative when the task sets an informal situation. Use Dear with a teacher, principal or stranger, where a more formal tone is expected.

Do I need a long closing sentence?

No. One short line such as Thank you for your help or Write soon is enough. A long closing adds words without adding meaning.

Which sign-off goes with Dear Sir?

Yours faithfully goes with Dear Sir or Madam. Yours sincerely goes with a named reader, such as Dear Mr Hassan.

Keep going

If your tone is too casual or too stiff for the reader, one-to-one English lessons let a teacher read your messages aloud with you and show which phrase did not fit.

Online one-to-one lessons for your child with an experienced teacher.
Your first class is a one-hour trial, from RM50. The fee is agreed before you book.
Happy with the teacher? Continue with lessons of about 1.5 hours. If not, ask for another teacher.

Find your child's English teacher See how English tuition works One-hour trial (from RM50)Student? Send this to your parent