Is comma necessary

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Is a comma needed after 'regards'?

Dear Patrick

Smith is (of) the same height as Bob.

Is 'of' necessary or optional?

Many thanks.

With best regards

Yoong Liat

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A comma there would be customary and usual in a letter.

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colon after Dear Patrick

of is optional

comma after regards

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Intrepid wrote:

colon after Dear Patrick

of is optional

comma after regards

Hmmm....

Dear Yoong Liat

This is the customary UK way of writing a letter that I was taught. As you can see there is no colon after your name, and there will be no comma after 'regards' either.

With best regards

Contrex

Incidentally, UK business and formal letters have an ending that depends on the salutation. If you use the recipient's name e.g. "Dear Mr Smith" at the beginning, you end the letter "Yours sincerely". If you use "Dear Sir" or "Dear Madam", you end the letter "Yours faithfully".

If you are writing to someone whose name and title you do not know, use the greeting Dear Sir or Madam, and the ending Yours faithfully, signing yourself with your initials and surname.

If you are writing to a named person, address them as Dear Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms, and end Yours sincerely, followed by your first name and surname.

If you have met them or spoken to them by phone, or otherwise feel that you have some acquaintance with them, address them by their first name and sign yourself Yours sincerely, using your first name.

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Yoong Liat

Your English seems as good as most of us native speakers. (I'm sure there is at least one grammatical/punctuation error in what I have just written - can you find one?). Laughing

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Tigershark wrote:

Yoong Liat

Your English seems as good as most of us native speakers. (I'm sure there is at least one grammatical/punctuation error in what I have just written - can you find one?).

I can see three things I would change.

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Ticomaya wrote:

A comma there would be customary and usual in a letter.

In a non-UK letter, I should say.

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Tigershark wrote:

Yoong Liat

Your English seems as good as most of us native speakers. (I'm sure there is at least one grammatical/punctuation error in what I have just written - can you find one?).

Your English seems as good as most of us, native speakers. (I think you should use a comma after 'us'. I hope I'm correct.)

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Hi Contrex

The other members are teaching me the way Americans would punctuate.

Talking about the ending of the letter, do we have to insert a comma after 'sincerely'.

Dear Contrex

I thank you for guiding me all along.

Yours sincerely (Is it necessary to insert a comma after 'sincerely'?)

Yoong Liat

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Yoong Liat wrote:

Tigershark wrote:
Yoong Liat

Your English seems as good as most of us native speakers. (I'm sure there is at least one grammatical/punctuation error in what I have just written - can you find one?).

Your English seems as good as most of us, native speakers. (I think you should use a comma after 'us'. I hope I'm correct.)

It should really be "we native speakers". I would rewrite the sentence thus:

Your English seems as good as that of most of we native speakers.

-- or even better:

Your English seems as good as that of most native speakers.

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Yoong Liat wrote:

Yours sincerely (Is it necessary to insert a comma after 'sincerely'?)

Not where I come from. A rule I have heard is that if you start a letter with a comma after the recipient's name or title in the salutation you need to match it with one after the sincerely/faithfully at the end...

Either

Dear Yoong Liat,

(Body of letter)

Yours sincerely,

Contrex

and

Dear sir,

(Body of letter)

Yours faithfully,

Contrex

--- OR ---

Dear Yoong Liat

(Body of letter)

Yours sincerely

Contrex

and

Dear sir

(Body of letter)

Yours faithfully

Contrex

However in UK English business letters commas are not usually seen in those places.

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Hi Contrex

Dear sir (Should 'sir' be capitalized?)

Many thanks.

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A US business letter would have a colon ( Smile

following "Dear ___ ."

Example:

Dear John:

... with a comma after "Sincerely," at the end of the letter.

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Yoong Liat wrote:

Hi Contrex

Dear sir (Should 'sir' be capitalized?)

Many thanks.

In the US, the answer is yes.

At least in the letters I write.

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Yoong Liat wrote:

Hi Contrex

Dear sir (Should 'sir' be capitalized?)

Many thanks.

Yes.

Dear Sir

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contrex wrote:

Yoong Liat wrote:
Tigershark wrote:
Yoong Liat

Your English seems as good as most of us native speakers. (I'm sure there is at least one grammatical/punctuation error in what I have just written - can you find one?).

Your English seems as good as most of us, native speakers. (I think you should use a comma after 'us'. I hope I'm correct.)

It should really be "we native speakers". I would rewrite the sentence thus:

Your English seems as good as that of most of we native speakers.

-- or even better:

Your English seems as good as that of most native speakers.

"...as good as most of we..."?

Rolling Eyes

I beg to differ.

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contrex wrote:

Yoong Liat wrote:
Hi Contrex

Dear sir (Should 'sir' be capitalized?)

Many thanks.

Yes.

Dear Sir

Thanks, Contrex.

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McTag wrote:

"...as good as most of we..."?

I beg to differ.

So you'd write (or say) "Us can speak"?

Rolling Eyes

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I'd say:

Your English seems as good as that of most native speakers.

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contrex wrote:

McTag wrote:
"...as good as most of we..."?

I beg to differ.

So you'd write (or say) "Us can speak"?

Non sequitur, I think.

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Is comma necessary

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