comma or semi-colon with salutation (letter): Dear, / Dear;

[mafalda172]

Good afternoon - can someone tell me if in English, when beginning a letter, we use a semi-colon or a comma... ex: Dear, or Dear;

Thanks for your reply.

 

[Sallyb36]

We use a comma.

Dear Mr. Smith,

................

 

[aztlaniano]

If it's a formal letter it could be a colon:
Dear sirs:
Informal with a comma, as Sally says. A semi-colon; never.

 

[riscman]

Agreed a comma is the most usual form, but it is acceptable to omit the comma in informal letters.

 

[Sallyb36]

We never use a colon or a semi-colon in English, always a comma. It looks very strange to see a colon in an english letter, it is Spanish punctuation, not English.

 

[aztlaniano]

We never use a colon or a semi-colon in English, always a comma. It looks very strange to see a colon in an English letter, it is Spanish punctuation, not English.

Name of Receiver
Address

Dear Mr. X:

This is a typical business letter. Although there are many different styles, ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_letter


If you know the person and typically address them by their first name, it is acceptable to use only the first name in the salutation (for example: Dear Lucy:). In all other cases, however, use the personal title and full name followed by a colon. Leave one line blank after the salutation.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/653/01/


See also:
http://esl.about.com/cs/onthejobenglish/a/a_basbletter.htm

 

[Lagartija]

We never use a colon or a semi-colon in British English, always a comma. It looks very strange to see a colon in an english letter, it is Spanish punctuation, not English.

Not really, SallyB. As Aztlaniano says, it is standard American English to use a colon in a business or formal letter.

 

[zumac]

Agreed a comma is the most usual form, but it is acceptable to omit the comma in informal letters.

Well, that depends just how informal your letter is. You might just omit all punctuation, capitalization, grammar, etc.

Saludos.

 

[riscman]

Well, that depends just how informal your letter is. You might just omit all punctuation, capitalization, grammar, etc.

Saludos.

There is a "how to write letters" reference section in the middle of my Oxford Spanish Dictionary (2003 edition)
It covers most types of correspondence, for examole personal letters, booking hotels, business letters, job applications and replying to invitations.

About one in three of the letters has no punctuation following the opening salutation. This applies as much to the Spanish letters as to the English ones.

 

[panjandrum]

It depends on where you are and the level of formality.

There are different styles in different countries and in different contexts.

For a great deal more information, see the threads listed at letter opening

I have closed this thread to avoid the need to repeat what has been said there - though most of it has probably been said above