# Do you still use "attached please find"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 27, 2014, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-attached-please-find/696637 "2014-08-27T15:03:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![johnspartan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a183cd/32.png) [@johnspartan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnspartan)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-attached-please-find/696637/1 "2014-08-27T15:03:26Z")
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! > **["Enclosed Please Find" Means You Lost It](https://www.businesswritingblog.com/business_writing/2014/06/enclosed-please-find-means-youve-lost-it.html)** > > I this post, we give you alternatives to the redundant phrase "enclosed please find." It's time to retire this awkward phrase. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-attached-please-find/696637/2 "2014-08-27T15:06:46Z")
I regularly send out emailed proposals and still use “Attached, please find…” I figure it’s attached and I want them to look at it so it still applies. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-attached-please-find/696637/3 "2014-08-27T15:12:10Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Calatin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Calatin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calatin)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-attached-please-find/696637/4 "2014-08-27T15:14:12Z")
Whenever I send a work e-mail w/ a PDF or whatnot, I use “attached please find.” Seems to be commonplace around here. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-attached-please-find/696637/5 "2014-08-27T15:14:13Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-attached-please-find/696637/6 "2014-08-27T15:30:23Z")
I used to use it all the time, but I’ve been moving to “attached are…” followed by a list of the documents. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-attached-please-find/696637/7 "2014-08-27T15:33:50Z")
I usually use “Please see \_\_\_\_\_\_ (attached) for more details”. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-attached-please-find/696637/8 "2014-08-27T15:50:08Z")
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”. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-attached-please-find/696637/9 "2014-08-27T16:21:48Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Please find attached (the version I usually see) or Attached please find is precious but who am I to talk? Sure, but I make sure to counter its stifling formality by typing it in Comic Sans. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-attached-please-find/696637/10 "2014-08-27T16:25:59Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > 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. 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. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-attached-please-find/696637/11 "2014-08-27T16:30:06Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![tullsterx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tullsterx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tullsterx)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-attached-please-find/696637/12 "2014-08-27T16:33:14Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > 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”. That’s what I use, “I’ve attached. . .” or "A copy of the report is attached. . . " "Attached please find. . . " just seems awkward to me. I guess if I was being formal I might use that, but I usually go for the warm and familiar. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-attached-please-find/696637/13 "2014-08-27T18:06:21Z")
Enclosed please find. ---
**Author:** ![Aangelica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Aangelica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aangelica)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-attached-please-find/696637/14 "2014-08-27T18:26:06Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Wednesday\_Evening](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Wednesday\_Evening](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wednesday_Evening)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-attached-please-find/696637/15 "2014-08-27T18:51:56Z")
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. And yes, I use it all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-attached-please-find/696637/16 "2014-08-27T19:22:28Z")
I don’t use it but I see "Please find attached’ and its gawky cousin PFA more often, as well. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-attached-please-find/696637/17 "2014-08-27T19:22:44Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-attached-please-find/696637/18 "2014-08-27T19:24:06Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-attached-please-find/696637/19 "2014-08-27T19:48:23Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-attached-please-find/696637/20 "2014-08-27T21:44:32Z")
I don’t think I ever made a habit of using the construction in question. I usually start the email with “Here’s \” and then follow up with any pertinent information. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-use-attached-please-find/696637.md?page=2)