Although I'm dating myself, I'll acknowledge that this was way before the days of email. When I was first entering the job market, I sent out my well designed cover letters with a note that read: Enclosed please find my résumé.

 

One of these mailings led to a job interview. There I was in the tastefully decorated office of a lawyer. He sat at his desk, tapping the top of his pen, while I waited impatiently in an enormous leather wingback chair, while he looked over my resume and cover letter. He suddenly looked up and pointed at the letter with a smile. "I adore letters that say, 'Please find attached' I had no idea that your resume had been misplaced.

 

It was a cringe-worthy situation. Not to mention every other business letter I had read or received, I had imitated the business letter style that I had been taught in high school typing class. But this interviewer made clear how stilted and inane business jargon can be. Please find enclosed again as I never utilised it.

 

Although we now prefer to draw attention to attachments rather than goods enclosed with addressed letters, the phrase "please find attached" is still frequently used. Is this leftover from business writing still required?

 

Is there any justification for using the accompanying document?

 

Nope! This phrase is unnecessary. And there are many excellent reasons to get rid of it.

 

It sounds stuffy and outdated to begin with. Your aim should be to communicate in a plain, casual manner without using jargon or excessive wordiness, even in formal correspondence. The wordy language you'll find connected is at its worst. Additionally, stating that something is attached and then asking the recipient to locate it is a bit redundant.

 

The fact that attached please find is a command when it isn't necessary is another peculiarity. Separated by a Common Language, a well-known English-language blog, explains it this way:

 

The statement only conveys "please find attached" thus there's no need to order the other person around to discover stuff. It would even be strange to include this in another request form, such as Could you kindly locate the paper attached? Alternatively if you could discover the document provided, that would be very appreciated. This demonstrates how insignificant a request it is to say "please locate attached." Instead, it is an imperative set phrase that performs a merely request-like function.

 

Does "please find attached" have to be used in legal documents?

 

You might question whether the language in the document I've included, which reads like legalese, is required in a legal document. A writing expert says no; please see attached.

 

In letters, you frequently see stock language like enclosed, please locate, and as per. They sound great but don't deliver. Without them, your letters will be far more engaging and clear.

 

Please check the enclosed document for grammar errors.

 

Technically, expressing anything like "Please find the accompanying document" is acceptable. Find can refer to both recognising or learning that something is present, as opposed to just coming across something by searching for it (thus the smart-alec lawyer's claim that my resume must be gone). Please locate works since you want the recipient to see what you've attached.

 

You're still better off avoiding it for the reasons I just stated above, though.

 

Please see the list of choices in the attachment.

 

This sentence can be easily avoided. Just speak plainly and avoid using formal terminology. Here are some substitutes:

 

[Item] is attached.

 

Please review the [item] that is attached.

 

I've attached the [thing] you requested.

 

For more information, please see the [item] that is attached.

 

The connected [item] contains.

 

Attachment protocol 

 

When using attachments, there are a few conventions to observe.

 

1 If you're sending an unexpected attachment, let the recipient know beforehand.

 

It's polite to let your recipient know when you send an attachment. Since attachment-transmitted infections have made us cautious about opening unexpected attachments, (This is probably not necessary if emailing attachments back and forth frequently as part of your job.)

 

2 Bring attachments to your attention.

 

Tell the recipient about the attachment. People frequently overlook these, so giving a little warning (using the alternate expressions mentioned above) will help you prevent confusion.

 

3 Remember to include any attachments you mention!

 

We've all engaged in this. (I refer to it as "attachmentitis"). Don't forget to include the attachment if you mention it in your email. If you do make a mistake and realise it only after you've sent the message, quickly reply to the thread with the message "Here's the attachment. That should work: "Sorry about that.

 

4 Avoid including large files.

 

In addition to email programmes having file size restrictions, downloading huge files might take a while, especially on mobile devices. (Do you wish to use up all of your recipient's mobile data allowance?) Use a service like Dropbox or send a link to a large file using an online document like Google Docs if you need to communicate a lot of data.

A word of advice: Do you want your writing to stand out? Grammarly may help you avoid grammar and punctuation errors while also checking your spelling. Your writing is even proofread, making it extra polished wherever you write.