Jose Carillo's English Forum

Joe Carillo's Desk => You Asked Me This Question => Topic started by: afridi4455 on August 27, 2011, 04:42:30 PM

Title: "Self-explaining" or "self-explanatory" letter?
Post by: afridi4455 on August 27, 2011, 04:42:30 PM

Is it proper to use the word "self-explaining" when you are referring to an attached letter? e.g. "Please find attached self-explaining letter for your information and action." While in other letter, It is written like this.."Please find attached letter for your information, which is self-explanatory. Or is there any appropriate way to tell this?

Thanks and best regards.

Title: Re: "Self-explaining" or "self-explanatory letter"
Post by: Joe Carillo on August 27, 2011, 05:54:55 PM

No, I don’t think “self-explaining” is a very apt word choice for referring to a letter attached to a transmission or forwarding message. Much more appropriate and widely used is the word “self-explanatory,” which means “explaining itself” or “capable of being understood without explanation.” In any case, the sample sentences you provided that use “self-explaining” and “self-explanatory” are wordy and stuffy bureaucratic clichés, and I really wouldn’t recommend their use. Specifically, I find the phrases “for your information and action” and “for your information” objectionable because they state what’s already very obvious—for indeed, what else is a letter designed for but to inform somebody and make that somebody act on that information? It actually insults the intelligence of the receiver of the letter! So I would suggest this much simpler version instead:

“Please find the attached self-explanatory letter.”