Skip to content

CMA Foundation · Fundamentals of Business Laws and Business Communication · Writing and Drafting for Business Audiences

A manager dictates a letter to a customer, Mr. Iyer, to be signed by herself, and wants his name, Mr. R. Iyer, addressed in the opening as 'Dear Mr. Iyer' and closed with 'Yours sincerely'. A clerk drafts it as 'Dear Sir' ... 'Yours sincerely'. What is the error in line with accepted convention?

The error is a mismatch between salutation and close. 'Dear Sir' is impersonal and takes 'Yours faithfully', whereas a named salutation like 'Dear Mr. Iyer' takes 'Yours sincerely'. The clerk combined 'Dear Sir' with 'Yours sincerely', which breaks the accepted convention.

  1. A'Yours sincerely' pairs with a named salutation, while 'Dear Sir' pairs with 'Yours faithfully'Correct
  2. B'Dear Sir' should never be used in any business letter
  3. C'Yours sincerely' is used only for internal memos
  4. DThe complimentary close must come before the body

Explanation

Convention matches the close to the salutation: a named person (Dear Mr. Iyer) takes 'Yours sincerely', while an impersonal 'Dear Sir' takes 'Yours faithfully'. The clerk mixed the two forms. 'Dear Sir' is still acceptable, and the close always follows the body.

Did you get it right without looking?

One question tells you little. A timed set on Writing and Drafting for Business Audiences shows your real accuracy, how long you take and where you lose marks.

Practise Writing and Drafting for Business AudiencesFree diagnostic mock

More Writing and Drafting for Business Audiences questions