Letters which begin 'Dear Sir(s)' or 'Dear Madam' usually finish 'Yours faithfully'

[kadioguy]

In Practical English Usage 3rd, it says:

146.7

Letters which begin Dear Sir(s) or Dear Madam usually finish Yours faithfully in British English. Formal letters which begin with the person's name (e.g. Dear Miss Haiokins, Dear Peter Lewis) usually finish Yours sincerely.
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Why not '... usually finish with Yours faithfully in British English' and '... usually finish with Yours sincerely' (just like begin with above)?

 

[Tdol]

You could use with, but it isn't necessary.

 

[kadioguy]

You could use with, but it isn't necessary.

'... usually finish Yours faithfully in British English'

Is 'Yours faithfully' the object of the verb finish?
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[FONT=Tahoma, Calibri, Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif]◆ The symphony finishes with a flourish.[/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, Calibri, Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif]◆ A cup of coffee finished the meal perfectly.
[/FONT]
I can understand the two sentences, but cannot understand 'finish Yours faithfully'.
How can we finish 'Yours faithfully'?
[FONT=Tahoma, Calibri, Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif][/FONT]

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

'... usually finish Yours faithfully in British English'

Is 'Yours faithfully' the object of the verb finish?
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◆ The symphony finishes with a flourish.
◆ A cup of coffee finished the meal perfectly.

I can understand the two sentences, but cannot understand 'finish Yours faithfully'.
How can we finish 'Yours faithfully'?

I understand your confusion.

It's a different use of the word "finish." In the phrase you're looking at, it doesn't mean that "Yours faithfully" is being finished.

In the sentence Letters finish "Yours faithfully," the words finish, finish with, end, and end with all mean the same thing.

"Yours faithfully" is the way letters end or finish. It's how they end. It's how they finish. They finish "Yours faithfully."