Core Grammar
_____________ ___________ are two or more words that function together to modify another word.
compound modifiers
You may use a comma, plus a ____________ to join two independent clauses.
conjunction
Do you use quotation marks to distinguish colloquial or casual phrases?
YES
Do you use quotation marks to distinguish unique nicknames?
YES
If possible, you should draft your lead in stem as a ________________ so that you can follow it with a colon.
complete sentence
What is the possessive form of "it"?
its
What is the noun that a pronoun refers to?
its referent
Block quotations should be ___________ on both the left and the right sides of the quotation.
justified (lined up with a straight edge)
What do you use to indicate an error in the original material that you are quoting?
"[sic]"
________ introduces essential information and does not take a comma
"that"
_________ introduces non-essential information that interrupts the main idea of the sentence.
"which"
What is the proper spacing for ellipses to indicate omissions of an entire word or an entire group of words from quoted material?
(^.^.^.^)
Do not insert a hyphen between a word that ends in ____ and another modifying word, even though (together) they create a compound modifier.
-ly
Lawyers use numerals for numbers _____ and higher and for all numbers containing ____________.
100; decimals
What is the correct use of the ordinal for "second"?
2d
What is the correct use of the ordinal for "third"?
3d
If a quotation is longer than ___ amount of words a block quotation must be used.
49
Plural form of: Alumna
Alumnae
Plural form of: Appendix
Appendices
________ quotation format may also be used to draw attention to a shorter quotation or to preserve special formatting in any quotation (such as poetry or a statute).
Block
if you use the words "so-called" in front of a word, do you use quotation marks around the word or words that follow "so-called"?
NO
Are ordinals with dates allowed?
NO "May 31" not May 31st"
What do you do if you have omitted material from the beginning of a sentence?
Do NOT use ellipsis. controvert the first letter of the first word into a capital (in brackets)
__________ space between the lead-in stem and the listed items.
Double
____________ (horizontal) lists work well with short, simple items.
Embedded
Plural form of: Focus
Foci
A __________ can be used to join a compound word, two or more words that function together as one word to express one thought.
Hyphen
REMEMBER: IF/______, then/_________.
If/were; then/would
What can you use to distinguish the items included in your list?
Markers
___________ can be bullets, letters, or numbers.
Markers
Plural form of: Memorandum
Memoranda
Are superscripts for ordinals allowed in legal writing?
NO
Do you place quotation marks around a block quotation?
NO
Do you put another "s" after the apostrophe for the plural possessive?
NO
Do you use quotations marks to distinguish common shortened versions of longer names?
NO
Do you include the citation of the block quotation in the block quotation itself?
NO because it is not part of the quoted material
Are there periods at the end of ordinals?
NO, unless it's the end of a sentence
___________ ___________ is the use of the same part of speech (and the same grammatical form of that part of speech) when creating a list of items.
Parallel structure
How do you distinguish a term of art?
Quotations
___________ space the items within a list.
Single
Which type of list should be used to achieve the following? (1) simplify complex concepts that might otherwise overwhelm the reader and (2) draw emphasis to the items in a list by setting them out in vertical format that is visually distinct from the remaining text.
Tabulated
____________ (vertical) lists work well with more complicated items or when you want to draw attention to the list.
Tabulated
What is "a word or group of words with special meaning to a specific audience or under specific circumstances?
Term of Art
Do lawyers write out monetary amounts and percentages in words for numbers under 100 and accompanying terms like "dollars"?
YES
Do you capitalize the word "court" if you are naming any court in its full, proper name?
YES
Do you capitalize the word "court" if you are referring to the United States Supreme Court?
YES
Do you capitalize the word "court" if you are referring to the court in which you are filing the document that you are writing?
YES
Do you italicize procedural phrases like "in re" in a case name?
YES
Use a comma to modify two or more __________ that modify the same noun.
adjectives
If you place the compound modifier ______ the word it modifies, then the compound modifier should not be hyphenated.
after
A _________ clause can be used to set aside facts that are unfavorable to your client.
although
Using "[sic]" draws attention to the error and is a slap on the wrist to the original author. Its use can be interpreted as _____________.
arrogant
A hyphen should be inserted between compound modifying words that come __________ the word they modify.
before
Use __________ to indicate changes to a word, to indicate omissions of a single letter or group of letters within a word, and to insert new words or replacement words into quoted material.
brackets ([ ])
If you are quoting material that does not begin a full sentence, do not ____________ the first word of the quoted material if you incorporate it into the middle of your own sentence.
capitalize
What is separated from the surrounding text with commas when the authority cited supports only part of a sentence?
citation clause
What type of sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a period when the authority cited supports the entire preceding sentence?
citation sentence
A __________ noun is a noun that represents one thing that is made up of many things.
collective
When the subject is a _________ noun, make sure that you have conjugated the ver in the singular.
collective
You can use a _______ to connect two independent clauses when the second clause cases a light on the first clause, or when you want to draw attention to (point at) the ideas contained in the final clause.
colon
In an embedded list, separate listed items that are simple with a _________.
comma
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 ________ or a pair of ___________.
comma; commas
if you interrupt a quotation in the middle with a phrase that identifies the speaker or source of the quotation, include _________ on both sides of the interrupting phrase.
commas
Insert a ___________ conjunction at the end of the next-to-last item in your list to let your reader know whether the items are inclusive or in the alternative.
coordinating
Use a set of _____ quotation marks around the primary quotation and ___________ quotation marks around the internal quotation.
double; single
When working with deeply nested quotations, alternate the used of ___________ quotation marks, __________ quotation marks, and then back to ___________ quotation marks to cue your reader when you shift to the words of a new speaker.
double; single; double
Use dashes to set off an interruption when you want to draw attention to the interruption in a ____________ way.
dramatic
Only when adding _____ to a signal, do not separate an introductory signal from its companion citation with a comma.
e.g.
Lists can be ________ or ___________
embedded; tabulated
trick to keep pronouns straight
he-who him-whom his-whose
Insert a __________ between compound numbers.
hyphen
Where do you put citations if you need to acknowledge the source of the info in your list in a practical legal document?
include the citation to your authority on the next line of your main text after the last item in the list.
If your lead-in stem begins a paragraph what should you do?
indent the sentence as you would any other paragraph
An _______________ clause contains a subject, verb, and a complete thought.
independent
You can use a comma, plus a ____________ such as "and" or "but," to join two independent clauses.
independent
What do you do when you omit a full sentence in the middle of a long quotation?
insert a properly spaced ellipsis (^.^.^.^)
What do you do when you omit material from the end of a quoted sentence?
insert an ellipsis to indicate the omission, then add a final punctuation mark if you end the sentence there. Ex: (^.^.^.^.")
State names or abbreviations, when you give a city and state should be treated as an ____________ and set off with a pair of commas.
interruption
When you give the full date the year functions as an _______ and should be set off by a pair commas.
interruption
All lists are composed of a _____________ stem followed by items that all relate to the lead-in stem in the same way
introductory
What is the contraction of it is?
it's
When introducing a block quotation with a _________ stem that is an independent clause, it is correct to end that sentence with a ________ and a ___________ space between the stem and the quotation.
lead-in; colon; double
Separate the items in a tabulated list from the preceding text (including the lead-in stem) with a _________ of space. Do not add a line of space between each listed item.
line
If you lead-in stem is followed by a colon, then each item should begin with a ____________ letter followed by a semicolon, with the last item being followed by a period.
lowercase
do you interrupt and adverb-adjective pair with a comma?
no
Avoid verb forms that turn verbs into _______ in favor of simple, strong, active verbs.
nouns
If you have a series of related numbers, some of which are under 100 and some of which are over, write them as ___________.
numerals
Indent items listed below the lead-in stem in a tabulated list by _______ tab.
one
Block quotations should be indented from the left and right margin. An indentation of _________ is a safe formatting decision.
one tab (.5 inches)
Lawyer traditionally write out numbers from _______ to _________
one to ninety-nine
What are numbers that indicate placement in a series?
ordinals
If you have an unusual quotation (such as poetry), you may preserve the _________ line spacing within the quotation. You should still keep a _______ line space above and below the quoted material.
original; blank
an interruption should be separated with a ______ of commas.
pair
If numbers are used as your marker they must be enclosed in _______________ on both sides.
parentheses
If you want to draw attention away from an action use ________ verb forms.
passive
The use of a _________ verb form is acceptable to show deference or to avoid giving directions to someone in a position of authority.
passive
To turn most singular nouns into the __________ _______________, first add an "s" to make the word plural, then add an apostrophe to make the word possessive.
plural possessive
If the subjects are joined with the word "and," the subject is _________ and calls for the _________ form of a verb.
plural; plural
When creating the ______________ form of a singular noun, always use the apostrophe plus "s," even when the singular form of the noun ends in "s."
possessive
Periods and commas go inside closing __________ ________.
quotation marks
Semicolons and colons go outside of closing _________ _________.
quotation marks
Capitalize the first word of a ____________ if you are _______________ material that begins a full sentence.
quotation; quoting
In a tabulated list, separate listed items with ________________.
semicolons
What type of spacing should be used in a block quotation?
single spaced
For __________ nouns that end in "s," first make the noun plural by adding "es," then add an apostrophe to make the word possessive.
singular
Treat indefinite pronouns that start with no-, some-, every-, and any- as ___________ nouns.
singular
An independent clause contains a __________, a ______, and a ___________ thought.
subject, verb, complete
Construct conditional sentences (if-then sentences) using the ______________ mood.
subjunctive
Verbs in the ____________ mood indicate something imagined or wished for.
subjunctive
If there is a ______________ reason to draw attention to an error with "[sic]" (ex: there is a relevant error in a document that is critical to your case), use of "[sic]" is perfectly appropriate.
substantive
Use parentheses to set off interruptions when the interrupting text is merely __________________ to the meaning of the sentence.
supplementary
Introductory signals are ________________.
underlined
If your list contains more than one complete sentence, begin all items in the list with a ____________ letter, still following each with a semicolon and the last with a period.
uppercase