Forget what you’ve heard about first impressions; it’s the last impressions that count. Last impressions — whether they’re with customer service or a date — are the ones we remember. They’re the ones that keep us coming back. But there’s one kind of final impression that people seem to forget.
Were this 1904, according to A Dictionary Of Etiquette: A Guide to Polite Usage For All Social Functions, standard conclusions were: I remain sincerely yours, or, Believe me faithfully yours.
The email signoff — that line that you write before you type your name — has been all but forgotten. Go take a look at your inbox: you might be astonished at how little attention people pay to the closing lines when writing email. This underrated rhetorical device is so frequently disregarded that many people have the gall to simply attach an automatic one to their email or mobile signature.
Closing lines vary from the possibly self-conscious (“My warmest regards,”) to the often charmless (”Best,“). They, at least in my inbox, revealed the following:
Tnx
Best
Word
Later
Laters
Thanks
Cheers
Cheery
Take care
Feel better
All the best
Safe travels
Love you all
Super great
Best regards
Get well soon
With gratitude
Thanks family
Your weary friend
Thanks in advance
Thanks, all the best
Don’t work too hard
Hope to see you Thursday
Hope to hear from you soon
Warm regards right back at ya
It seems there are patterns in closing line types. If ordered another way, they look like this:
Expressing gratitude
Tnx
Thanks
Thanks family
Thanks in advance
Thanks, all the best
Expressing general sentiment
Best
All the best
Best regards
Word
Later
Laters
Cheers
Cheery
Expressing affection
Love
Love you
Love you all
Expressing state
Your weary friend
With gratitude
Imperatives
Feel better
Take care
Safe travels
Get well soon
Don’t work too hard
Wishes
Hope to see you Thursday
Hope to hear from you soon!
Warm regards right back at ya
Lastly
You may want to peruse notes on “notes and shorter letters” from 1922, including a personal favorite, How to Address Important Personages.
With all of these, the intensity and — dare I say — sincerity varies depending on punctuation. A warm “Thanks!” can have quite a different sentiment than a flat “Thanks,”. We can’t be expected to neatly tie up every email every time. But once in a while, it would be delightful if we applied the same sincerity to the last impression that we do to the first.
Yours.
Old posts in transition. This original post written in 2007.
