“Good morning”...”Good afternoon”...”Good evening”...”Good night...” How much longer are we going to put up with these ancient forms of etiquette? This is 2017, not 1917. Why not just say “Hullo” or “Hi” and “Bye”? Moreover it makes the “Good...” greeting sound ridiculous if it’s raining or snowing, prompting the observation: “What’s ‘good’ about it?”
Also, in correspondence, “Dear Sir” and “Yours faithfully/truly/sincerely” are equally outdated. Nothing wrong, in these time-conscious days, with starting a letter using the person’s name – “Tom” or “Mr Smith” and signing off with “Bye”. Here’s an example of what a typical business letter or email these days should be: “Tom, Our order No.456 dated 17th August 2017 hasn’t arrived. The boss is furious. Bye, Joe.”
What do readers think?
Rudy Otter
By email
