Hey Bob,
Here are the reports you asked me to send you.
Best,
Jane

If the greeting in this e-mail looks similar to your daily e-mails, you’re doing it wrong. You’re not the only one, though, so don’t give yourself too much grief (just a little). Every day, I receive e-mails that share this same mistake. Have you spotted it yet?

The opening of this e-mail, “Hey Bob,” is an example of direct address, and the mistake is the missing comma between “Hey” and “Bob.” Some will cry that “Hey, Bob” is too stiff and formal, but it is correct and will make you stand out among your colleagues. You can also use a colon after the name, but still use the comma before.

Greetings, Larry:
Attached is my sample cover for your book.
Regards,
Kate

If you start your e-mail or letter with “Dear,” then the comma isn’t needed. As with the classic “Dear John” letter, “Dear” serves as an adjective, just like if you started your letter or e-mail with “Sweet Jane,” “Lovely Anne,” or “Handsome Joe.”

But direct address isn’t just for letters or e-mails. Any time that you directly address (ah, the name makes sense now, doesn’t it?) someone, the comma is needed.

Examples:
“Barry, will you get the mail?
“Answer the phone, Ron.”
“I told you, Steve, that dinner was at seven.”

So, set yourself apart from and above the crowd by correctly using commas in direct address!

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