So I got into this discussion with my German colleague about what’s the proper way to write a particular sentence in an internal work email. I would really appreciate it if you could explain why any particular approach is correct or incorrect.
Her email had two attachments. One with and one without mark-ups.
What she had initially written:
I attach a clean version and a mark-up of the document
What I thought was correct
I’ve attached a clean and a marked-up version of the document
What I also thought was correct
I’m attaching a clean and a marked-up version of the document
What she finally wrote
I’ve attached a clean version and a mark-up of the document
Here are my questions:
- Which of these sentences are correct?
- What’s the appropriate tense when it comes to attachments? Attach/Attached/Attaching
- Is “mark-up of the document” correct or is “marked-up version of the document” correct?
- Can you please explain why?
Answer
“I attach” seems an awkward construction. Many people (especially Indians) use “I am attaching” but I think the best option is “I have attached” because you have already attached it! Both ‘mark-up’ and ‘marked up version’ mean the same though mark-up is simpler and ‘marked up version’ is more formal. In any case, even work related emails offer great flexibility of language, and the main intention is to make yourself understood clearly!