Cover image for Writing sentences that work : essentials for law students
Writing sentences that work : essentials for law students
Title:
Writing sentences that work : essentials for law students
Author:
Boelzner, David, author.
ISBN:
9781531024307
Personal Author:
Physical Description:
xix, 142 pages ; 22 cm.
Contents:
To the student : the importance of effective sentences (and what I mean by "effective") -- Orientation : a few necessary concepts -- Problem 1 : misplaced modifiers and other faulty syntax -- Problem 2 : mishandled clauses -- Problem 3 : neglect or misuse of verbs/verbals -- Problem 4 : inexact word choice -- Problem 5 : misuse or non-use of pronouns -- Problem 6 : punctuation -- Problem 7 : incorrect or ineffective sentence structure -- Problem 8 : often-confused word/phrase pairs.
Abstract:
"Lawyers (and future lawyers) do not have to be poets or novelists, but they must be able to construct prose that is clear, accurate, and concise. Law students often lack a sound understanding of how the English language operates in the functional way that is necessary to construct good sentences. They also often lack understanding of key concepts of grammar and mechanics. Writing Sentences that Work: Essentials for Law Students targets these common deficiencies. Based on the author's more than fifteen years of teaching experience and thirty years of law practice, the book focuses on the most common problems students have and explains why they are problems-i.e., why these errors interfere with the reader's immediate comprehension, thus impeding the lawyer's mission. The book then explains how to correct the errors and provides related practice exercises. Key concepts of grammar and mechanics are explained to provide students the conceptual understanding and the vocabulary necessary to comprehend the solutions to common problems"-- Provided by publisher.