Full video

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hello guys so today we are going to look

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at some differences between different

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formalities that we use when we are

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writing now you're writing in the form

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of an email or in a letter we're going

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to look at structures for both to take

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know letter writing email writing what

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language do you use when you're writing

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to different people it's something which

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often causes confusion not only for

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non-native speakers like yourselves of

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English but also for native speakers

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many of my friends sometimes asked me

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okay Jonathan you're an English teacher

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tell me should I write your speech early

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or yours sincerely to disappear soon so

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this is a little bit of academic English

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as well as yeah fail today so let's cool

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from the very beginning it's a very good

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place to start so when you are writing

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to a stranger a person who you have

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never met before the best way to open

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your letter is dear sir or madam dear

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sir or madam you do not know the

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person's name and at this stage perhaps

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is not important you would then have the

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main body of your email or of your

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letter what you're writing about it how

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do you finish it the most polite way to

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finish when you are writing to somebody

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who you have never met before we sign

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off yours faithfully for example yours

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faithfully Jonathan don't know if you

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know who you are writing to perhaps you

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know the person's name you would begin

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with dear mister dunne for example or

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dear mrs. white or dear miss sturgeon

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you would put the person's second name

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their surname and the opening of your

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letter

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or

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I'm opening all your email showing that

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you recognize this person's name and

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perhaps even their position within the

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particular company when we're signing

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off a letter or an email to a person who

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we are aware of their name or position

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we write yours sincerely and again I

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would say in this option your surname is

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optional Soviet either jonathan done or

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only jonathan it's fine

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okay moving on to an acquaintance what

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is an acquaintance

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an acquaintance is a person they're

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they're not a friend as such you perhaps

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met a few times you know the person you

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know you maybe know their name where

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they come from a little bit of

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background information about this person

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but they're not one of your besties

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they're not your best friend by any

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means no if I was writing to an

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acquaintance this person that I've met

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before I'm on first-name terms with them

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I would open my letter or I would open

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my email with the person's first name

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dear Jonathan dear Danielle dear

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Margaret

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for example I'm signing off my letter to

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show that familiarity with that person I

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was finished with best wishes or with

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kind regards and the woof here is

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optional and that it shows a little bit

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of friendliness and a little bit of

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recognition of the relationship that you

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have established with this person

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already and the final one that I'm going

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to look at today a good friend or family

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member if you're writing to your aunt in

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Australia or you're writing to your

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grandmother

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in Japan how should you open the letter

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well dear sir/madam of course is not

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going to be appropriate something much

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more friendly any formal dear Danielle

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or for example hi Jonathan or

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granny or hey mom for example something

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much more informal and when you're

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signing off because they are a good

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friend or a family member you can be a

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little bit more emotive showing more

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emotion than you would if this was a

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prospective employer for example you can

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see love from Jonathan all the best from

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Jonathan Arctic here love Jonathan

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showing that familiarity showing that

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friendliness and showing that emotion

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just be careful not to confuse them so

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if you're writing to a stranger dear sir

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or dear madam don't sign off love from

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Jonathan it would be a little bit

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confusing and a little bit inappropriate

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if you were writing to an employer for

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example and you sign off with love but

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who knows maybe you love your boss

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anyway I hope this has been useful for

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you and I look forward to speaking to

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you again soon