Writing Greetings and Goodbyes
Start with Dear/Hi and end with Best wishes/Bye.
Examples
- Hi Sam,
- Best wishes, Anna
Key rules
- Use Dear or Hi at the start; the choice depends on how well you know the person
- End with a sign-off such as Best wishes, Love or Yours sincerely
- Put a comma after the greeting and sign-off in informal writing
Common mistakes
- Hi Sam → Hi Sam,
- Best wishes Anna → Best wishes, Anna
Use cases
- Writing a card
- Starting an email
- Ending a letter
💡 Tip: A comma after the greeting is common in British writing and an exclamation mark is used only in very casual notes.