Tips Tuesday

Here are excerpts from the most recent tips on SlawTips, the site that each week offers up useful advice, short and to the point, on research, writing, and practice.

Practice

Talking to Lawyers About Words
Sandra Bekhor

Accountants are trained in numbers. Architects are trained in design. And lawyers are trained in words. As a lawyer, when you speak or write, you choose your words judiciously. Am I right? Every. Single. Word. Means. Something. Very. Specific. That is all well and good when it comes to serving clients as a lawyer. Not as well or good when it comes to developing a marketing program (and, yes, I am intentionally taking creative license with my words here for effect). …

Research & Writing

Singular or Plural?
Neil Guthrie

It’s surprising that people routinely get things wrong here. Alternative subjects: If there are two subjects to your sentence, separated by or, the verb should take the number of the subject that is closest to it: Mother or children are to die BUT Is the mother or the children to die? You could also rewrite the sentences to avoid the issue: Mother or children must die, Must mother or children die? …