The complimentary closing consists of such words as _Yours truly_,
_Respectfully_, etc., and should be placed on the next line beneath
the last one occupied by the body of the letter, commencing a little
to the right of the middle. The signature should be placed underneath
the words of respect, and begin still a little farther to the right.
Thus the conclusion of the letter will correspond in position and
arrangement with the heading.
[Illustration:
Yours truly,
John Maynard.]
The language of the complimentary closing should be governed by
the relation between the parties, and should correspond with the
complimentary address. The first letter between strangers should
commence with _Sir_ and end with the word _Respectfully_. After the
exchange of a few letters and a sort of business acquaintance may be
said to exist between the correspondents, then _Dear Sir_, and _Yours
truly_, may properly be introduced. A little more cordial would be
such a conclusion as the following:
[Illustration:
Yours very truly,
Rinold, Constable & Co.]
The man of business is apt, however, to have one stereotyped beginning
and ending to all his letters, and seldom stops to discriminate
between strangers and old customers in this respect. Often the
conclusion may be connected to the closing paragraph with perfect
grace and ease thus:
[Illustration:
Hoping to receive the goods without delay,
I remain,
Respectfully,
Henry P. Bowen.]
In the signature of a letter, especial care should be exercised.
Bear in mind that names of persons are not governed by the rules of
spelling, and words which precede or follow, proper names will not aid
us in deciphering them if they are poorly written.
[Illustration: A MODEL BUSINESS LETTER.
146 S. Tenth Street,
Cincinnati, March 11, 1884,
Messrs. Arnold, Constable & Co.,
Broadway & 19th Sts, New York.
Gentlemen: Inclosed please find
New York Exchange in settlement of your
Invoice of the 1st inst. less Cash discount.
Amount of Invoice, $325.80
Cash discount 5% 16.29
------
Draft inclosed $309.51
The goods have been received, and are
very satisfactory in both quality and price.
You may expect another order soon.
Yours truly,
James Z. Wilson Co.]
The young person who would learn to write a good business letter,
should, with pen, ink and suitable paper, sit down and practice
faithfully after the above model. Write and re-write it a dozen times
or more, until your letter resembles it closely. Then take any of the
models for letters given near the close of this chapter, and with this
matter, write a letter which will conform with the foregoing model in
appearance and dress. Write the same matter over again, and improve
it in its defects. Criticise each line and word. See that no words
or letters are omitted, and that the punctuation is according to
the models in this book. Eliminate all ungainly letters, shorten the
loops, see that each letter rests on the line, and that, withal your
page is clean and regular.
The person who will thus devote a little earnest study and practice,
may early acquire the valuable accomplishment of writing a pleasing
business letter, so far as the mechanical structure goes.