Even in writing emails, when it’s any sort of business setting I feel compelled to use the expression “attached please find” rather than “attached is”.
I know it’s a lingering formality from letter writing, but I feel like “Attached is a contract…” seems too casual and dismissive, while “Attached please find a contract…” seems more proper.
But if someone who wasn’t familiar with English asked me why it’s more polite, I’m not sure I could give a reason why.
ETA: Here’s an interesting article calling it “archaic deadwood”, and that apparently people have been trying to stop the expression since the 1880s!
When I went to community college to learn programming in the late 80s, I had to take a business writing course. I was convinced at the time that I was a great letter writer. The teacher of that class straightened me out. One of the things that she insisted on was replacing “enclosed (or attached) please find…” with “here is…”. She taught me the virtues of conciseness.
Now that emails have replaced letters in so many cases, there may be some benefit to referring to an attachment, as Jophiel notes. Remembering that teacher, if I have any concern that the recipient might miss the attachment, I either say “I have attached…” or paste the copy right into the email.
Reading the linked column, I disagree that it’s wrong because the attachment wasn’t “lost”. People use “find” as a synonym for “locate” all the time (“Can I get the soy sauce?” “Sure, lemme find it in the bag” – doesn’t mean it was misplaced).
Given the times I’ve sent an attachment only to have someone ask “What about so-and-so?” “Did you get the attachment?” “OH! Ok…”, I think “please find” is appropriate.
Yeah, I use “I’ve attached” or “The following documents are attached” and then a bulleted list.
Please find attached (the version I usually see) or Attached please find is precious but who am I to talk? I sent an email the other day that used the phrase “attendant documentation”.
I find your argument persuasive.
As to whether it is okay to say “attached please find…” in an e-mail: I’m surprised people have time to worry about this. I send and receive dozens of e-mails, primarily to colleagues, every day.
As a courtesy to the co-workers who receive my emails, I strive for brevity and clarity. However, I simply don’t have time to lavish attention on every turn of phrase in a minor informational e-mail that will be scanned once, then filed. Nor do I expect the people sending me e-mails to slave over their wording.
I save my efforts for writing that will actually see the light of day as a journal article, as an important letter to an external reader, and so forth.
yes - you can’t tell if someones spam/security filters might strip an attachment, so I really want thtem to “please find” - i’m damn near begging for it to go thru at times.
I work at a law firm. Formality is expected by both our clients and the other attorneys and courts we deal with.
People tend to get all weirded out if they get informal correspondence from their lawyer, even if it’s email (and the majority of our correspondence is email-only these days). We slap a little bit of extra formality onto correspondence just because it makes our clients feel better about things and doesn’t hurt us any.
Am I the only one who uses “Please find attached” instead of “Attached please find”? Have I been doing it wrong all this time? ::quick googling:: OK, it seems like one of those things that can go either way. Phew.
I’ve never used the construction. It’s overly formal and stuffy.
For an email, I usually write, “I’ve attached the document” or “The document is attached” or just “Here is the document you asked for.” It worth mentioning (so the recipient knows you meant to send an attachment), but do it in a natural manner.
When I wrote letters, I never used “Enclosed please find,” either. That just plain silly; it’s obvious that the envelope contains more than just the letter.
I recommend sticking with a version that includes some form of the word attached so that if your email client is set to warn you if you send an email with the word attached but no actual attachment, that functionality will still work.
I have NEVER used “attached please find” because I am very literal. I just say “included” or in the case of email, “attached.” None of this please find stuff.
If someone uses it on something they’re sending to me, it doesn’t bother me. I guess if I thought about it I would find it kinda quaint.
I don’t think I ever made a habit of using the construction in question. I usually start the email with “Here’s <the document you were expecting>” and then follow up with any pertinent information.