Core Grammar for Lawyers

Block quote format

-MUST be used with quotations that are longer than 49 words or with testimony (regardless of length) -CAN be used to draw attention to shorter quotes or to preserve special formatting in any quotation (such as poetry) -should be indented from the left margin and from right (one tab indent should be good) -should be justified -single space -leave a blank line above and below the quote -no quotation marks (unless inside the quote and then start with double quotation marks)

Introductory terms

set off by a comma (Therefore, he walked out.) Can also be a dependent clause (again, include a comma after the clause and before the independent clause).

hyphen

shorter than dashes used to join a compound word usually a matter of spelling, not style

quotations and capital letters

Capitalize the first word of a quotation if you are quoting material that begins a full sentence. You may have to alter the quoted material by capitalizing the first letter with a bracketed capital letter. If not quoting material that begins a full sentence - do not capitalize the first letter.

Compound modifier (after noun)

Do not hyphen i.e. the witness was only five years old. alt. the five-year-old witness...

"So-called"

If you use the term "so-called" in front of a word, do not use quotation marks around the following word. USE CAUTIOUSLY..just don't use

punctuation and quotation marks

Period and commas fall WITHIN quotation marks. Semi-colons and colons fall OUTSIDE quotation marks. Dash, Question Marks and Exclamation points fall WITHIN the quotation when they refer to the quoted matter only. They fall OUTSIDE if referring to the whole sentence.

Joining two independent clauses

Semicolon: join two independent clauses together. Colon: connect two independent clauses when the second clause casts a light on the first clause OR when you want to draw attention to the ideas contained in the first clause. Comma + conjunction (cats meow, but dogs bark)

Pair of Dashes

Use a pair of dashes to set off an interruption when you want to draw attention to the interruption in a dramatic way. Do not add spaces between the words and the dashes. Do not overuse.

Terms of Art & Colloquial or Casual Phrases

Use quotation marks If the terms originates in an outside source, include a citation to that source the first time you use the term of art.

Parentheses

Use to set off interruptions when the interrupting text is merely supplementary to the meaning of the sentence. Use sparingly

Quotations and Independent Clauses

When you introduce a quotation with an independent clause that does more than merely identify the source of the words you are quoting, insert a COLON between your introductory clause and the beginning of the quotation. (Ex. Most Americans blah blah blah: "If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you."

Quotations

When you pair a quotation with a phrase that identifies the speaker or source of the quoted material, separate the phrase from the quotation with a comma or a pair of commas. (ex. The bailiff said, "All rise."

Markers for Lists

can be bullets, letters, or numbers (1), (2)....never include a period within the parentheses

Nested Quotations

don't forget about them

independent clause

expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence. Has both a subject and a verb.

Embedded Lists

horizontal, work well for short and simple items; needs an introductory stem

block quote citation

place your citation to the source of the quotation on the next line of text immediately following the material contained in the block quote, but put a blank space line between the quote and the cite.

List Lead in Stems

try to use a complete sentence so you can follow the lead-in stem with a colon (as to cue your reader that a list is coming. Do not draft a stem that would cause you to separate a preposition or a verb from its objects. If the lead in is the start of a paragraph, make sure to indent. Indent items listed below the lead in stem by one tab. The second line should begin directly under the preceding line of text in the item (not under the marker)

Compound modifier (before noun)

two words that function together to modify another word. A hyphen should be inserted between compound modifying words that come before the word they modify. Exception: do not insert a hyphen between a word that ends in -ly and another modifying word, even though together they create a compound modifier. (ie. a badly needed vacation.)

Tabulated Lists

vertical, work well for more complicated items or when you want to draw attention to the list. Think of as a long sentence so set up punctuation accordingly. Insert a line between the lead in stem and the listed items. Single space the items in the list and single space the listed items. If you need a cite, skip a line, then add the citation and keep going with the paragraph on that line.

block quote lead in stem

with a lead in stem that is an independent clause, end that sentence with a COLON and then add a line of space between the lead in and the quote.