1) Use exclamation points to show emphasis or surprise. For example: The judge brought his dog into court! Note: Stylistically, the use of an exclamation point is not recommended for formal writing except where it is part of a quote. 2) While common in some…
Hyphens between words 1) To check if a compound noun is two words, one word, or hyphenated, you must look it up in the dictionary. As a rule, if you can’t find the word in the dictionary, treat the nouns as separate words. For example:…
1) Use parentheses to enclose words or numbers for clarification. For example: We are expecting final payment in the amount of five hundred million dollars ($500,000,000). 2) Parentheses may be around numbers of items listed in a sentence. For example: We need a buyer with…
1) Use double quotation marks to set off a direct quote. For example: He specifically said, “Do not publish the report until after the meeting.” a) Use quotation marks to set off a direct quotation only. For example: “When will you be here?” he asked….
In order to avoid confusion on both sides of the Atlantic, write dates in the following format: e.g. 30 October 2003 Note that names of months and weekdays are capitalized in English.
1) Use a question mark only after a direct question. For example: Can you help negotiate the contract? But: I asked her if she can help negotiate the contract. 2) Use a question mark when a sentence is part statement and part question. For example:…
Titles of books and documents should be capitalized. e.g. Minutes of Meeting Honorary titles which appear before or after a name should be capitalized. e.g. General Counsel Hans Berggren or Hans Berggren, General Counsel A title of a specific person can be capitalized anywhere it…
Some lawyers use abbreviations in text much more than their Anglo-Saxon counterparts. As a matter of style, avoid using abbreviations in running text. Also bear in mind that Americans always use a full stop after an abbreviation, while the British frequently do not. Your spell…
Do doublets such as “null and void” and “due and payable” have distinctive meanings? The short answer is no. Using both words is an unnecessary lawyerism since both words mean exactly the same thing. The doublets came into being in England in the 11th century…