Yours sincerely
I've send a formal business email to my supervisor who I've never met. I end my letter by "Yours sincerely".
Now, I've just heard some people saying that yours sincerely is not good to end a formal letter with as "yours" may indicate intimate relationship.
I read before that it's a polite way to end your formal letter.
I don't know if I have made a terrible mistake or if it's okay!
Please, help me.
Search from various English teachers...
Answers · 2
2
These are the rules:
1. If you begin a letter with Dear Sir or Dear Madam, you MUST end with Yours faithfully.
2. If you begin a letter with Dear Mr. White (or whatever surname), you MUST end with Yours sincerely.
These are the classic rules for educated people, and no variations are considered acceptable.
Having said that, many rules are broken in today's world, and those who break the rules are often the loudest in proclaiming how correct they are.
In Britain, among the educated and social elite, these rules are still strictly observed, and people are still judged accordingly.
1
I guarantee you it is fine, you're okay. I have never heard of 'yours sincerely' since I don't believe it is a commonly used closing, nor can I gather any innuendos connotations from it. The word sincerely alone is very formal and I am positive your supervisor won't look at it twice despite the 'yours'. You're good so no more freaking out haha.
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