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    Formal Letter Writing

    This may seem like a bit of a basic thing, and something I should already know, but I'm always extremely cautious with things like this.

    I am writing a letter to a university in Japan, where I will be going from October. This letter is going to go with my application, so has to be quite formal. I am awful at judging this kind of thing, whether something is too formal, not formal enough etc.

    How should I begin and finish such a letter? Would 'Dear sir/madam' and finishing with 'Yours Sincerely' suffice? I am sending a scholarship application too, so I'm quite keen to make a good impression.

    #2
    If you start with Dear Sir/Madam you should finish with Yours faithfully. You use Yours sincerely when addressing someone by name. Other than that try to avoid slang/colloquialisms.

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      #3
      Have you got some business cards printed yet Paulos?

      Paul Glen
      Righter, Hippy, Layabout
      I Cuss You're Grammer Bad

      He's right, btw, Shakey.
      Faithfully if you don't know their name.
      Avoid words like 'skank' and 'dizzler' in your letter.

      Comment


        #4
        Which uni is it?

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          #5
          Originally posted by prinnysquad View Post
          Have you got some business cards printed yet Paulos?

          Paul Glen
          Righter, Hippy, Layabout
          I Cuss You're Grammer Bad

          He's right, btw, Shakey.
          Faithfully if you don't know their name.
          Avoid words like 'skank' and 'dizzler' in your letter.
          SNORT!

          Comment


            #6
            Dear sir OR Madam, slashes can appear informal. Always try to address by name if you know it. If it's a unisex name, don't guess which sex.

            Remember to properly format the to and from addresses at the top.

            Do not use any short hand, only use apostrophes for possesives.

            Sign your name and type it out (full first name, initial, surname) below.

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              #7
              And the obvious question: are you writing it in English?

              Comment


                #8
                Thanks guys, that definately all helps!

                Thankfully it has to be in English. It's for Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, as part of a student exchange with my existing university. I intend to do my MA in Japan though, and Ritsumeikan is always a possibility, so I'm trying to do this properly.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by Paulos G View Post
                  If you start with Dear Sir/Madam you should finish with Yours faithfully. You use Yours sincerely when addressing someone by name. Other than that try to avoid slang/colloquialisms.
                  I thought that used to be the rule but now it was acceptable to use Yours sincerely in both cases

                  Comment


                    #10
                    No. It's always been the same, and it still is.
                    Kept you waiting, huh?

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