JOSE A. CARILLO
TWELVE years ago, a Philippine foreign service officer in London wrote me to express concern over what he felt was the loose and inconsistent way official correspondence was being done even by high-ranking government and business officials. This prompted me to write a column on the proper and improper forms of address, which I think is as relevant as ever today. That essay having not made it to any of my three English-usage books, however, I’m taking the opportunity to recompose and update it for today’s users and learners of English.