“I remain” and “we remain” are phrases that you don’t see very often anymore. They work to close letters out (in a way), and this article will help you understand more about how to use them correctly.
What Does “I/We Remain” Mean?
“I/we remain” means that we are waiting for a response or thing to happen. Usually, we write it toward the end of a letter, where we would have established what we are “remaining” for from the recipient. It’s a very formal way to close a letter.
You might benefit from checking out the following examples to help you understand it:
- Hoping to hear from you again soon, I remain
- I remain hoping to hear from you again soon.
As you can see, “I remain” is most commonly written at the end of the phrase rather than the beginning. You might think that the second example looks more plausible, but it’s much more common for people to sign letters with “I remain” at the end.
This is known as a participial closing. It’s not common practice anymore, and some people think it weakens the overall effect of the letter. However, it’s still possible to see, and it would help to know how to write it.
What Is The Correct Syntax For “I/We Remain”?
So, let’s briefly touch on the correct way to write “I/we remain” when we’re using them in our own letters.
The correct syntax for the phrases applies when we include them as a participial closing. In this way, we have to place them at the end of a sentence rather than at the beginning where they might be expected.
So, you might see a letter that looks like this:
- Dear Mr. Smith,
- I hope this letter finds you well, and here is the remaining body of text for this letter.
- Hoping to hear from you about this, we remain
- Yours sincerely,
- Marcus Flint
As you can see, we include “we remain” at the end of “hoping to hear from you about this.” In most English situations, you would write:
- I remain hoping to hear from you about this.
However, in this letter format, it adds emphasis to the fact that we are waiting for something to happen. Again, it’s not the most effective thing to do, and some people think it takes value away from the letter.
It’s also not necessary to include a comma after “we remain,” though some people like to do it. If you do place a comma after it, it will be treated like another salutation (but we’ve already said “yours sincerely” as a salutation).
Examples Of How To End A Letter With “I/We Remain”
Perhaps some more examples might help you to understand it:
- Dear sir,
- Here is the body of this letter that I think will be important for you to read.
- Thanking you for your time on this project, I remain
- Yours faithfully,
- Thomas
- Dear Mr. Jenkins,
- Thank you for reading this letter all the way through to the end.
- Hoping you have a pleasant day regardless of what happens, we remain
- Your sincerely,
- Mr. and Mrs. Pablo
- Dear Sarah,
- I hope this letter finds you well and you interpret the body of text as you see fit.
- Hoping to hear from you again soon, we remain
- Kind regards,
- Tom and Jones
As you can see, “we remain” and “I remain” look strange when written in this way. Some people don’t like to use this in their letters because it takes away from the effect, but it’s still something that you might see.
Is “I/We Remain” Formal?
“I/we remain” is a very formal phrase to use. However, it has died out of popularity for a while now, and it’s not likely that you’ll see any formal letters using this today.
It is believed that the phrase actually takes away from the value of the letter more than anything today.
For Which Types Of Letters Is “I/We Remain” Appropriate?
It’s appropriate for traditional letters or business letters to use “I/we remain.” However, it is not very common in business letters anymore because there are plenty of better choices out there that most people prefer to use in their writing.
Martin holds a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Read more about Martin here.