'Insufficient' or 'incomplete' documents?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Mehrgan

Key Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2009
Member Type
Other
Native Language
Persian
Home Country
Iran
Current Location
Iran
Hi there,

If the documents I was supposed to submit to a university does not include a paper/certificate demanded by that university, then are my documents "insufficient" or "incomplete"?

I'm looking for the formal term usually stated in letters and emails. Thanks a lot in advance.
 

emsr2d2

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
I would say the documentation was incomplete.
 

GoesStation

No Longer With Us (RIP)
Joined
Dec 22, 2015
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
American English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
In the phrase If the documents I was supposed to submit to a university does not include....,​ the subject is "the documents", which is plural. You should write "the documents do not include...."
 

Tdol

No Longer With Us (RIP)
Staff member
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
Japan
You could also say that the paper/certificate was missing.
 

Skrej

Key Member
Joined
May 11, 2015
Member Type
Native Language
English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
'Insufficient' would suggest that you submitted all the requested documents, but some of them weren't the correct ones, or weren't acceptable - perhaps they weren't notarized, or weren't official copies, etc.

'Incomplete' would suggest that some of the required documentation was simply missing.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top