Ugh! I have never called anyone “Dude,” even though I am a Californian. Geezer just means I’m an old guy (another reason for the non-dude policy).
Actually, I ws looking for something imaginative and different. Some “formal” letters obviously need to be more formal than others. For example, I would use “Dear Sirs” to write the IRS, even though there are no doubt women working there. And of course business to business mail should follow the old forms. But I was thinking about mail from a private party to a business, especially a complaint. When I’m pissed off I don’t think of the recipient as “dear,” and I’d rather be informal, if not openly hostile. I was just hoping somebody with a better imagination than mine could make a suggestion. Guess it’s pretty much a non-issue. 'Sokay.
I’m not sure this is a good idea. “Dear Sir or Madam” is just as formal and less likely to offend.
I used to work at a TV show. One of my jobs was sending out transcripts. It used to annoy me a little bit when someone started with “Dear Sir” instead of something gender inclusive. No big deal. But I wouldn’t want to take that chance with the IRS. The woman opening the letter might be more sensitive to the issue than I, and you really don’t want to piss off the lady at the IRS.
A woman I know who lectures in commercial drafting practice for lawyers says it’s permissible to omit the salutation altogther. Just bold or capitalize the subject line of the letter and rip straight into it.
Personally, I dislike “Dear Sir or Madam” (btw, I think the Commonwealth spelling of “madam” is different to the American spelling). Better to address the letter to the position (eg, Dear Director of Public Works), if you can’t find out the person’s real name.
I’m sure that’s right, but there’s nothing wrong with dropping the “Dear” either if you don’t want to seem too cordial.
Do you have a cite for that? Merriam Webster has this:
One entry found for madame.
Main Entry: ma·dame
Pronunciation: m&-‘dam, ma-’, before a surname also 'ma-d&m
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from Old French ma dame
Date: 1674
1 plural mes·dames /mA-'däm, -'dam/ – used as a title equivalent to Mrs. for a married woman not of English-speaking nationality
2 plural madames : MADAM 3
<my bold>
That’s fine if you know their job title, but what if you don’t?
Naturally the suggestions of “Yo”, “Dude” or “Greetings” etc. have been made tongue-in-cheek, but if you really began a formal letter like that it’d just make you look like a jerk wouldn’t it?
I would say “Dear Sir or Madame” or (for some reason I always write) “Dear Madam or Sir” followed by a colon are perfectly fine.
People in these departments are used to getting impersonal correspondence. I doubt they shrug a shoulder at not being addressed by their names. “To Whom It May Concern” sounds outdated and stuffy to me, although I think it’s perfectly fine. Just not my style.
I find absolutely nothing shopworn about “dear.”
That said, if I have anything of any immediate importance to write, I do the homework and find out the name of someone, preferably higher up on the totem pole and address my correspondence to them. I once found the name and sent a letter to the Vice President of Operations at American Airlines because calls to customer service were getting me nowhere. Within a week, I received an emailed response from him, profuse apologies, vouchers for two airline tickets, and twice the money owed me. I had spent close to two months prior to this running in circles, trying to chase down my money. I’ve used this approach three times, all successfully.
So just a hint. Get a name if at all possible.
Otherwise, as far as complimentary closes go, I prefer “Regards,” “Best regards,” “Kind regards,” or even “Kindest regards,” to the old-fashioned “Sincerely.” It sounds slightly less stiff to me. Just a matter of taste, though, I suppose.
i’m afraid i was taught that there are only a few ways of adressing a letter correctly.
informal
if you know the name and how they prefer to be addressed
“Dear Mr/Ms/Mrs/Dr/Professor Jones”
signed “yours Sincerely”
formal
if you know the job title but not the name
“Dear Sir”
“Dear Madam”
“Dear Sir or Madam”
“Dear Sirs”
“Dear Sirs and Madams”
signed “yours Faithfully”.
to a Bishop, the Queen, an ambassador etc etc
“Your Majesty/Excellency/Grace etc”
signed
“your majesty’s/excelleny’s/grace’s faithful servant”
anything else was considered by our secretarial skills teacher as
“unprofessional, rude and UNLADYLIKE”
and by the way, i’m 20, not 70, so this is not advice from decades ago in the dark ages!
I was taught the same thing but I reckon “faithfully” makes you sound like a spaniel so I usually put “sincerely” on formal letters too. As far as mail for the queen are concerned, how come they never told us the correct salutation to accompany a dog turd in a shoe box?
help!
I’m submitting my resume to PBS for a position I’m eerily qualified for, and I know the contact person’s name, though not their title. The name? Pat :eek:
So now what do I do? Write “dear sir or madame” and make it obvious I have no idea if it’s a man or a woman; pick one and risk being wrong; or try some other option my brain isn’t awake enough to think of? suggestions, please!
Call somebody on the front desk and explain the situation to them. I can’t see why they wouldn’t tell you Pat’s gender (although this situation recalls my previous comment that it would’ve been more helpful for Pat to have told you this him/herself). Good luck with the job too.
