How To Use Commas In A Greeting
The associated press ap stylebook doesn t ban the oxford comma but the guide recommends using it only when necessary for clarity.
How to use commas in a greeting. The one with the comma is less formal. This one always has a colon and is ultra formal. Casual salutations between friends and family. In this situation a comma follows the interjection and a period or exclamation point follows the recipient s name. But see exceptions below the reason is direct address we use commas to show that we are talking to the reader not about the reader.
It is also standard practice to put a comma after the name of the person you re addressing. Yes you need to use a comma between the person s name and the greeting. When an adverbial phrase begins a sentence it s often followed by a comma but it doesn t have to be especially if it s short. They want a comma between hi and the name hello julie. Begin the message on the following line to whom it may concern.
Commas can be a particularly tricky punctuation mark. Best wishes mark mary sally and sam. Hi julie english teachers don t like this choice. Snodgrass or dear ms. While there s some degree of flexibility in how commas are used it s important to have a clear grasp of the rules.
Julie thanks for the. If your email has an informal tone insert a comma between the greeting and the name and use either a comma or a period at the end of the greeting. If you want to sound friendly with a stranger try these. The oxford comma is an infamous example. Hello kathy followed by your message or hi.
Best wishes mark mary sally and sam. There are some cases where you know you should use a comma such as when separating items in a list but there are other times when you might be unsure whether or not a comma is needed. When signing off you always want a comma between your sign off aka your complimentary close and the name s of the sender s. A comma with hi or hello. You can also use a comma with a shorter phrase when you want to emphasize it or add a pause for literary effect.