Meaning & use
enclosed
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Shut in on every side by walls, a fence or some other barrier.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a verb: an enclosed garden, the garden is enclosed.
Patterns
- an enclosed space
- enclosed by something
The enclosed courtyard stayed calm even on windy days.
Some people feel anxious in an enclosed space.
The farm was enclosed by a high stone wall.
adjectivebefore a nounformal
Put inside an envelope or package together with a letter or main item.
Grammar: Often appears in business letters: please see the enclosed form.
Patterns
- the enclosed document
- please find enclosed something
Please sign the enclosed form and return it.
The enclosed brochure describes our new services.
Your receipt is enclosed with this letter.
Common combinations
- enclosed space
- Fire spreads fast in an enclosed space.
- enclosed area
- The playground is an enclosed area with a gate.
- the enclosed form
- Complete the enclosed form in black ink.
- enclosed in
- The tiny garden was enclosed in tall hedges.
- fully enclosed
- The pool is fully enclosed for winter.
- please find enclosed
- Please find enclosed a copy of the contract.
Synonyms and how they differ
- surrounded
- Surrounded only says something is around you and does not require a barrier on all sides, whereas enclosed does.
- closed in
- Closed in is more informal and often suggests a feeling of being trapped.
- attached
- Attached is used for a document fixed or added to a message, and it is the usual word for email, where enclosed is not.
- confined
- Confined stresses limited movement, often with a note of restriction, while enclosed describes the shape of the space.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: enclosed or included?
enclosed vs included
Included means counted as part of a whole, but enclosed means placed inside something or surrounded by it.
Practice
In a business letter, which wording correctly refers to a form placed in the same envelope?
Choose one answer.
The past participle 'enclosed' is used as an adjective for something placed inside. The other forms are not correct adjectives here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “enclosed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.