Exercise 1

Match the salutations A-I with recipients 1 – 9.

Salutation Recipient
A.    Dear Sir 1.       a company
B.    Dear Madam 2.      a man whose name you know
C.    Dear Sir or Madam, Dear Sir/Madam 3.      a person you know well
D.    Dear Sirs, Gentlemen
(Am. E.)		 4.      a woman whose name you don't know
E.    Dear Mrs Jones 5.      a woman, when you know her name but not her marital status
F.     Dear Miss Jones 6.      a married woman whose name you know
G.    Dear Ms Jones 7.      a man whose name you don't know
H.    Dear Mr Jones 8.      an unmarried woman whose name you know
I.      Dear Bridget/Dear Mark 9.      a man or a woman whose name you don't know

Exercise 2

Complete the rules below with the right complimentary close.

When you do not know the name of the person you are writing to and start the letter with ‘Dear Sir’, ‘Dear Madam’, etc., use ............................. at the end.

When you know the name of the person you are writing to and start the letter with ‘Dear Mr Jones’, ‘Dear Mrs Jones’, etc., use ................................. at the end.

When you know the person you are writing to and start your letter with e.g. ‘Dear Mark’, use .......................... at the end.