 Re: Beginning of the letter followed by a comma or colon? American or British English?
I can only speak about American English (and Southern English, at that,) but in my opinion,
In American business letters a colon is always used, and used after the following openings, in decreasing order of use:
Dear Sirs:
Dear Sir or Madam:
To whom it may concern:
(In the American South I often open letters to Dear Folks:... it is the language we use and is very friendly-sounding.) |