Passive: The [recipient] settlement was written by the author [actor]. Active: The author [actor] wrote [verb] the [recipient] settlement. Passive constructions are confusing when used in regulations. Active sentences must have actors, but passive sentences are complete without them. 19. Write short sentences. Readable sentences are simple, active, affirmative and declarative. The more a sentence deviates from this structure, the more difficult it is to understand. Long sentences are a fundamental weakness of legal documents.
Legal documents often contain conditions that result in complex sentences with many clauses. The more complex the sentence, the more likely it will be to determine the intended meaning of the sentence. They are called “nominal” – nouns with verbs inside. They are difficult to read and make longer sentences. Action verbs are shorter and more direct. 3. Use “shall” instead of “should”. While many other states have slowly taken steps to legalize marijuana, Amendment A would make it the first state in the country to simultaneously legalize medical and recreational marijuana. This would mean legalizing the disorder of all monetary transactions and depriving each creditor of one-fifth of its debt. The law would apply to adults 21 and older, just like in the other 15 states and the District of Columbia that have already legalized the drug. To make your writing more lively and effective, focus on your verbs. For those who did not learn the parts of the language in school, the “subject is the part of a sentence about which something is said” and the verb “says something about what the subject is [a state of being] or [an action] does”.
1 Despite the obvious appeal, there`s a good chance Arkansas will legalize alcohol nationwide in 2014. 16. Don`t use words that are disturbing. Words can attract or repel readers. It is possible to choose words in our writing that do not give a bad impression or annoy our readers. Use words that people respond positively to, not words they don`t like. 2. My thanks to Martha Faulk, J.D., M.A. for reminding me of the derivation of the word “verb,” something I first learned in basic Latin. In the first paragraph of this article, we found that a verb can either express actions or describe a state of existence. The forms of the verb “to be” (am, are, is, was, were) describe a state of existence and are only appropriate if the purpose of the sentence is to focus on the fact that something exists.5 When we use the verb “to be” as the main verb of a sentence that concerns the plot, the reader`s attention is diverted from the key information in the sentence.
By burying the actual action in a noun or adjective, we weaken the sentence. In New York City, recently legalized battery-powered two-wheelers were most often used by delivery people. Often we lawyers hurt our potential ally the verb. We tend to weaken the power of our verbs by turning them into long nouns with verbal roots called nominalizations. Basic verbs are underlined in the following examples of nominalizations: 1. Write in the active voice. The active voice eliminates confusion by forcing you to name the actor in one sentence. This construction clearly indicates to the reader who must fulfill the duty. The passive makes sentences longer and heavier. Who is responsible for this is much less obvious. Passive verbs have a form of the verb to be more the past participle of a main verb. This conviction or claim tends to increase their power in an astonishing way and contributes no less to the legalization of their measures.
Arkansas residents will decide Tuesday whether to legalize the sale of an intoxicating substance nationwide. 3. Verbal phrases are commands such as “Look” or “Come”. In some cases, a verb may be derived, for example in the following sentence: “Here”. The verb “come” is derived so that the full sentence would be “Come here.” The origin of Promulgate is somewhat murky, or perhaps we should say “milky”. It comes from the Latin promulgatus, which in turn is derived from pro-, meaning “forward”, and -mulgare, a form probably related to the verb mulgÄre, meaning “to milk” or “to extract”. MulgÄre is an ancestor of the English word emulsion (“mixture of mutually insoluble liquids”), and it is also related to the Old English word, which itself became milk. As its synonyms explain, announce and proclaim, to promulgate means “to make public.” It includes the promulgation of a dogma, doctrine or law. The recent proliferation of sports betting is not surprising, as state governments have long turned to legalizing gambling to solve financial problems during the economic crisis. The law could legalize the king`s inclination, and who dares to challenge his decrees? Putting the actor before the verb forces you to become aware of responsibility. 12. Prefer simple words.
The government`s letter should be worthy, but it does not need to be pompous. Writing can be dignified if the language is simple, direct and strong. To make your writing clearer and easier to read, and therefore more effective, prefer the word simple. Check your writing for words with the suffixes forming nouns or endings illustrated in the examples: -al, -ment, -tion, -ity, -ance or -ence and -ancy or -ency. Consider whether your sentence could be stronger if you convert one of these nouns into the main verb of the sentence. Like many terms used in the legal profession, “fix” has its roots in Latin. It derives from “stipulatus”, the past participle of “stipulari”, a verb meaning “to demand security (as from a potential debtor)”. “Stipulate” has been part of the English language since the 17th century. In Roman law, oral contracts were considered valid only if they followed an appropriate question-and-answer format; The term “whole” was sometimes used specifically for this process of drafting contracts, although it can also be used more generally for any means of entering into a contract or agreement. The meaning of the word “indicate as a condition or requirement” also dates back to the 17th century and is the meaning most commonly found in usage today.
To impose a legal obligation, use “must”. To predict future actions, use “will.” DO NOT SAY: Let the governor approve it. SAY: The governor must approve it. [Commitment] OR: The governor will approve it. [Future actions] 4. Be direct. Speak directly to your readers. Enjoy the imperative mood. Regulations are suitable for this style, especially procedures, instructions, and to-do lists.