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Do not use quotation marks around terms of art. A term of art is a phrase that has become so well accepted and pervasive in a particular field that it is no longer considered proprietary to its original author. These terms also have meanings well known to everyone who practices in the fields in which they are used.
How are ellipses used in legal writing?
An ellipsis is a series of three points with spaces between them (. . .) inserted into a quotation to indicate the omission of material from the original quotation. Failure to use the proper form of an ellipsis could misrepresent the work of another person and result in legal liability for the writer.
How are brackets used in legal writing?
1 Answer. Use a pair of brackets in a quotation to enclose an editorial comment, correction, explanation, interpolation, substitution, or translation that was not in the original text. Use a pair of brackets around any character that you change in or add to quoted material.
What should always be italicized in legal writing?
In the main text, italicize case names; procedural phrases; and titles of publications (including statutory compilations), speeches, or articles. You also can use italics for emphasis.
How are hyphens used in legal writing?
HYPHEN: Hyphens can be used between two words that function together to modify a subsequent word in the sentence, as in “well-pled complaint.” Hyphens can also be used to connect some prefixes to words.
How do you signal an interruption in legal writing?
Use an em dash (the longer dash symbol) to indicate an interruption or an abrupt change in thought or to insert supplemental information. If the interruption or insertion comes in the middle of a sentence, add a closing dash to signal the end of the interruption.
How do you join compound words in legal writing?
Open compounds – school bus, living room – are commonly used together but are written with a space in between. Whether a compound word is properly open, closed or hyphenated may depend on whether it’s used as a noun, adjective or verb. Verbs are usually open.
What does id stand for in legal writing?
“Id.” always refers to the immediately proceeding cited authority, either in the same footnote or the previous footnote so long as it is the only authority cited in the proceeding footnote.
How do you indicate emphasis added?
To “emphasize a word or words in a quotation, use italics. Immediately after the italicized words, insert ’emphasis added’ within square brackets as follows: [emphasis added]” (APA, 2020, p. 275). For example, “They [the judges] were convinced that the swimmer had missed the two-handed [emphasis added] turn.”.
What does comma mean in law?
The Concise Oxford Dictionary Twelfth Edition states that ‘comma’ is a punctuation mark which indicates a pause between parts of sentence or which is used for separating items in a list. The Major Law Lexicon defines ‘comma’ as the smallest division of a sentence in language.
Should you italicize in legal writing?
The period at the end of Id. is always italicized. Id. cannot be used for internal cross references.
Is pro se italicized in legal writing?
italicizing legal terms of art – Many of these terms, such as “pro bono,” “guardian ad litem,” and “pro se” should not be italicized; they are generally accepted in everyday use. Here’s a rule of thumb: If the term appears in the Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary, do not italicize it. (There will be exceptions.
Are legal cases italicized?
Note: In court documents (briefs, motions) and legal memoranda, a full case name is usually italicized or underlined. In academic legal writing (i.e., a law review article), full case names are generally not underlined or italicized.
Is Oxford comma used in legal writing?
Lawyers should use the Oxford comma to help avoid ambiguity. Three ambiguities may arise without this comma: Whether the two final items in a list are one combined element or separate.
Why do lawyers use two spaces?
He explains that the use of two spaces between sentences derives from when everyone was writing on manual typewriters. Due to how typewriters handled proportionate spacing, it was easier to read typewritten documents which placed two periods between sentences.
What is the difference between en and em dashes?
The en dash is approximately the length of the letter n, and the em dash the length of the letter m. The shorter en dash (–) is used to mark ranges and with the meaning “to” in phrases like “Dover–Calais crossing.” The longer em dash (—) is used to separate extra information or mark a break in a sentence.
How do you indicate an interruption in dialogue?
To show an interruption of the spoken words, include an em dash inside the quotation marks, at the point where the dialogue is interrupted.
What is an em dash symbol?
The em dash (—) sets off a word or clause and adds emphasis. Or, it can signal an interruption (see our article on interrupting sentences for more on that!) or amplification (“expanding”) of an idea. It’s also the longest of the dashes (e.g., hyphen, en dash).
How do you use a semicolon in legal writing?
Semicolons are perhaps best used in legal writing to connect independent clauses in a list, such as elements of statute or analytical framework; case citations; or when a list has one or more items that includes an “and,” or an “or.” This applies both when the list is in an outline (or numbered) format on the page, and Mar 19, 2019.
What do em dashes do?
The em dash can function like a comma, a colon, or parenthesis. Like commas and parentheses, em dashes set off extra information, such as examples, explanatory or descriptive phrases, or supplemental facts. Like a colon, an em dash introduces a clause that explains or expands upon something that precedes it.
What are the 3 compound words?
There are three types of compound words: closed, open and hyphenated. Closed compound words are made up of two words without a space in-between. Examples of closed compound words are: moonlight, classroom, and sunflower. Open compound words have a space between the smaller words that make them up.
What are the 5 compound words?
Examples of Compound Words bullfrog. snowball. mailbox. grandmother. railroad. sometimes. inside. upstream.
