How to Write Letters (Formerly The Book of Letters) | Page 8

the sheets.
This letter should never run over to a second sheet if there are less than
three lines of the body of the letter left over from the first page.
In the formal official letter, that is, in letters to or by government
officials, members of Congress, and other dignitaries, the most rigid
formality in language is observed. No colloquialisms are allowed and
no abbreviations.
[Illustration: Specimens of letterheads used for official stationery]
5. THE COMPLIMENTARY CLOSE
The complimentary close follows the body of the letter, about two or
three spaces below it. It begins about in the center of the page under the
body of the letter. Only the first word should be capitalized and a
comma is placed at the end. The wording may vary according to the
degree of cordiality or friendship. In business letters the forms are
usually restricted to the following:
Yours truly (or) Truly yours (not good form) Yours very truly (or) Very
truly yours Yours respectfully (or) Respectfully yours Yours very
respectfully.
If the correspondents are on a more intimate basis they may use
Faithfully yours Cordially yours Sincerely yours.
In formal official letters the complimentary close is
Respectfully yours Yours respectfully.
The informal social letter may close with
Yours sincerely Yours very sincerely Yours cordially Yours faithfully

Yours gratefully (if a favor has been done) Yours affectionately Very
affectionately yours Yours lovingly Lovingly yours.
The position of "yours" may be at the beginning or at the end, but it
must never be abbreviated or omitted.
If a touch of formal courtesy is desired, the forms "I am" or "I remain"
may be used before the complimentary closing. These words keep the
same margin as the paragraph indenting. But in business letters they are
not used.
6. THE SIGNATURE
The signature is written below the complimentary close and a little to
the right, so that it ends about at the right-hand margin. In signing a
social letter a married woman signs herself as "Evelyn Rundell," not
"Mrs. James Rundell" nor "Mrs. Evelyn Rundell." The form "Mrs.
James Rundell" is used in business letters when the recipient might be
in doubt as to whether to address her as "Mrs." or "Miss." Thus a
married woman would sign such a business letter:
Yours very truly, Evelyn Rundell (Mrs. James Rundell).
An unmarried woman signs as "Ruth Evans," excepting in the case of a
business letter where she might be mistaken for a widow. She then
prefixes "Miss" in parentheses, as (Miss) Ruth Evans.
A woman should not sign only her given name in a letter to a man
unless he is her fiancé or a relative or an old family friend.
A widow signs her name with "Mrs." in parentheses before it, as (Mrs.)
Susan Briggs Geer.
A divorced woman, if she retains her husband's name, signs her letters
with her given name and her own surname followed by her husband's
name, thus:
Janet Hawkins Carr.

and in a business communication:
Janet Hawkins Carr (Mrs. Janet Hawkins Carr).
A signature should always be made by hand and in ink. The signature
to a business letter may be simply the name of the writer. Business
firms or corporations have the name of the firm typed above the written
signature of the writer of the letter. Then in type below comes his
official position. Thus:
Hall, Haines & Company (typewritten) Alfred Jennings (handwritten)
Cashier (typewritten).
If he is not an official, his signature is preceded by the word "By."
In the case of form letters or routine correspondence the name of the
person directly responsible for the letter may be signed by a clerk with
his initials just below it. Some business firms have the name of the
person responsible for the letter typed immediately under the name of
the firm and then his signature below that. This custom counteracts
illegibility in signatures.
In circular letters the matter of a personal signature is a very important
one. Some good points on this subject may be gathered from the
following extract from Printers' Ink.
Who shall sign a circular letter depends largely on circumstances
entering individual cases. Generally speaking, every letter should be
tested on a trial list before it is sent out in large quantities. It is
inadvisable to hazard an uncertain letter idea on a large list until the
value of the plan, as applied to that particular business, has been tried
out.
There are certain things about letter procedure, however, that
experience has demonstrated to be fundamental. One of these platforms
is that it is best to sign the letter with some individual's name. Covering
up the responsibility for the letter with such a general term as "sales
department" or "advertising department" takes all personality out of the

missive and to that extent weakens the power of