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Tables of Contents for The Elements of Legal Style
The Letters of the Law
1
14
Fundamental Rules of Usage
15
38
Punctuation15
1
Always use the serial comma
15
1
Set off a dependent introductory phrase with a comma
16
1
Put a comma between two adjectives that modify a noun similarly
17
1
Put a comma before the second clause in a compound sentence
18
1
Avoid using a comma to combine two sentences into one
18
2
Form singular possessives by adding's to the singular form of the noun
20
1
Form a plural possessive by adding an apostrophe to the plural form of the noun:-s'
20
1
Use a semicolon to separate sentence parts calling for a stronger break than a comma
21
2
Set off incidental comments with paired marks of punctuation
23
1
Hyphenate phrasal adjectives
24
2
Otherwise, be stingy with hyphens
26
2
Slash out virgules (/)
28
2
Word Choice29
1
Strike out and replace fancy words
30
1
Toss out timid phrases
35
1
Discard empty dogmatisms
35
1
Be cautious about using neologisms
36
1
Tune the levels of usage with a fine ear
37
3
Grammar and Syntax40
1
Put pronouns in their proper case and number
41
3
Make the verb agree in number with its subject
44
1
Anchor modifiers to what they modify
45
3
Split infinitives warily, if at all
48
1
Don't be afraid to begin a sentence with And or But
49
1
End sentences with prepositions when you need to
50
1
Use conditional sentences instead of provisos
51
2
Fundamental Principles of Legal Writing
53
22
Simplicity of Structure
57
1
Constructing Paragraphs
62
4
Constructing Sentences
66
9
Alterations and Ellipses
86
3
Forms of Address and Reference
94
3
Words and Expressions Confused and Misused
99
50
Rhetorical Figures in Law
149
28
Comparison150
1
Wordplay154
1
Syntactic Arrangement160
1
Repetition168
1
Conclusion176
1
An Approach to Legal Style
177
44
Being Yourself177
1
Develop your own plain voice
177
1
When appropriate, invest your writing with some honest feeling
178
1
Establish your tone and stick to it
179
2
Exposition and Argument181
1
Assume an audience of well-informed generalists
181
2
Sharpen your reasoning by summarizing your analysis up front, with just the amount of particularity that a generalist would need
183
5
Take pains to be thorough, and then distill the essence. Get to the point
188
3
Speaking Legally191
1
Avoid jargon and beware terms of art
191
2
Instead of using doublets or triplets, use a single word
195
2
Understate rather than overstate
197
1
Expressive Tactics198
1
Put the action into verbs, not nouns and adjectives
198
2
Stress nouns and verbs, not qualifiers
200
1
Mind the cadence of your prose
201
2
Use cliches with caution. And avoid purple prose
203
4
Root out sexist language
207
6
Forgo commenting on your words
213
1
Use one word for one notion
215
2
Ferret out ambiguities
217
1
Revise, revise, revise
218
3
Appendix Eighty Classic Statements About Style
223
18
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