Just Writing : Grammar, Punctuation, and Style for the Legal Writer

by Neumann, Richard K.

• ISBN13: 9780735549555
• ISBN10: 0735549559
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-03-01
• Publisher: Wolters Kluwer

Summary

The new edition of Just Writing concentrates on the fundamentals of writing, including grammar, punctuation, and style. Concise and student-friendly, this updated paperback helps both the novice and experienced. the authors designed their book to be efficient and effective: tailored specifically For The legal writer, this complete handbook covers the full range of principles of good legal writing, including style, grammar, punctuation, and other mechanics of writing short length and focused content make Just Writing an appropriate supplemental text for any legal writing course presents tips and techniques for every step of the writing process, including planning, drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading adapted from the Legal Writing Handbook the highly praised text from Oates, Enquist, and Kunsch clear explanations and excellent examples help students grasp concepts quickly and easily an excellent chapter on Legal Writing for English-as-a-Second-Language Writers addresses the special needs of these students a glossary of usage gives helpful hints on word choice Just Writing: Grammar, Punctuation, and Style For The Legal Writer, Second Edition, now offers: practice exercises, included on a separate CD with the book, help students build specific skills as they are discussed the same structure and coverage that was so popular in the first edition, polished and refined in light of class experience

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. xv
Introduction	p. 1
A Guide to Effective Writing	p. 5
Effective Writing--The Whole Paper	p. 7
The Psychology of Writing	p. 7
Outlines, Writing Plans, and Ordered Lists	p. 9
Drafting the Document	p. 12
Revising	p. 15
Editing	p. 17
Proofreading	p. 18
Myths About Writing	p. 19
Connections Between Paragraphs	p. 23
Headings	p. 23
Roadmaps and Signposts	p. 25
Effective Paragraphs	p. 31
The Function of a Paragraph	p. 31
Paragraph Patterns	p. 32
Unity and Coherence in Paragraphs	p. 33
Paragraph Length	p. 37
Topic and Concluding Sentences	p. 40
Paragraph Blocks	p. 46
Connections Between Sentences	p. 53
Generic Transitions	p. 53
Orienting Transitions	p. 58
Substantive Transitions	p. 59
Effective Sentences	p. 71
Active and Passive Voice	p. 71
Concrete Subjects	p. 76
Action Verbs	p. 78
Distance Between Subjects and Verbs	p. 80
Sentence Length	p. 82
Emphasis	p. 87
Effective Words	p. 97
Diction and Precision	p. 97
Conciseness	p. 110
Plain English v. Legalese	p. 126
Gender-neutral Language	p. 136
Bias-free Language	p. 141
Eloquence	p. 145
Purple Prose	p. 145
Common Features of Eloquent Writing	p. 147
A Guide to Correct Writing	p. 159
Grammar	p. 161
Basic Sentence Grammar	p. 161
Fragments	p. 171
Verb Tense and Mood	p. 176
Agreement	p. 183
Pronoun Reference	p. 195
Modifiers	p. 199
Parallelism	p. 204
Punctuation	p. 211
The Comma	p. 211
The Semicolon	p. 230
The Colon	p. 234
The Apostrophe	p. 236
Other Marks of Punctuation	p. 239
Comma Splices and Fused Sentences	p. 255
A Guide to Legal Writing for English-as-a-Second-Language Writers	p. 259
Legal Writing for English-as-a-Second-Language Writers	p. 261
Grammar Rules for Non-Native Speakers of English	p. 261
Rhetorical Preferences in Writing	p. 290
Glossary of Usage	p. 303
Index	p. 311
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

"From the authors of the widely praised Legal Writing Handbook, this concise guide focuses on the basic principles of legal writing. Clear, readable text and numerous examples promote student understanding. New practice exercises, on a CD with the book, develop specific writing skills. Just Writing covers style, grammar, and punctuation and offers tips and techniques for effective drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading."--BOOK JACKET.