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Tag Archives: Concise writing
Grammar Can Be Funny, But Not All Grammarians Are
By Linda Kruschke, Director of Legal Publications This book review was originally written for the ACLEA (Association for Continuing Legal Education) newsletter called In the Loop. We are sharing it here today in celebration of National Grammar Day. _________________ If … Continue reading
Editorial Sloth, Lists, Etc.
By Yasha Renner, Attorney Editor It was a Friday, almost lunch time, and I was nearing the end of a chapter I was editing for the 2016 revision of Damages. I couldn’t figure out why the chapter’s author decided to … Continue reading
OSB Looking for an Attorney Editor
Are you passionate about the Oxford comma? Are you a stickler for correct citation format? Can you clearly distinguish the holding of a case from mere dicta? Do you wince when you see that sign in the grocery store that … Continue reading
Grammatical Mistake Leads to Animal Neglect
By Dean Land, Legal Publications Attorney Editor By my own unscientific methods, I’ve determined that “comprise” is the most misused verb in the English language. That kind of pervasive grammatical error has serious ramifications for an editor like me. When … Continue reading
Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day? Probably not.
by Ian Pisarcik, Legal Publications Attorney Editor The writer David Foster Wallace was so fond of words that he used to lie awake for hours reading the dictionary and circling the ones he liked best: Maugre, Tarantism, Ruck, Sciolism, Primipara. … Continue reading
30 Years of Legal Editing
By Cheryl McCord, Legal Publications Attorney Editor I am a legal editor. For over 30 years, I have edited legal resources used and relied upon by Oregon lawyers. Over the years, I have seen a lot of mind-boggling changes in … Continue reading
And/Or
By Ian Pisarcik, Legal Publications Attorney Editor Lodged somewhere between income disparity and climate change on the list of greatest threats facing the nation is the use of and/or. I am kidding of course. But on any given afternoon you … Continue reading
Is Your Writing Verbose and Redundant?
By Ian Pisarcik, Legal Publications Attorney Editor If you were to assemble together people from the general public, most would agree that lawyers are not very concise. Further, they would likely agree that the verbosity found in most legal texts … Continue reading
Posted in Writing and Style Tips
Tagged Clarity, Concise writing, Legal writing, Redundancy, Style matters, Writing tips
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Kill Your Darlings
By Ian Pisarcik, Legal Publications Attorney Editor The phrase “kill your darlings, kill your darlings” has been attributed to numerous writers, including William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, and Anton Chekhov. The phrase, however, likely originated with British writer and University of … Continue reading
Posted in Writing and Style Tips
Tagged Concise writing, Fluff, Glue words, Legal writing, Style matters, Working words, Writing tips
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