Professional Documents
Culture Documents
EXERCISES
Writing for readability
Inflated phrases:
- There is a need for or it is important that: use must or should
Ex: It is important that we be there on time. 🡪 We must be there on time.
- is able to or has the ability to: use can
Ex: He is able to appeal. 🡪 He can appeal.
- it is possible that: use might or may or can or could
Ex: It is possible that he will be acquitted. 🡪 He might be acquitted.
- under circumstances in which: use when
Ex: Defendants might be acquitted under circumstances in which eyewitnesses have poor vision. 🡪
Defendants might be acquitted when eyewitnesses have poor vision.
- on the grounds that or for the reason that: use because
Ex: He was convicted for the reason that he lied. 🡪 He was convicted because he lied
- prior to or subsequent to: use before or after
Ex: Prior to the end of the trial, the defendant confessed. 🡪 Before the end of the trial, the defendant
confessed.
Subsequent to the end of the trial, the defendant confessed. 🡪 After the trial, the defendant confessed.
- the fact that: use although, even though, or because
Ex: He missed the trial due to the fact that he was late. 🡪 He missed the trial because he was late.
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Exercise 10-A
1. The inmate asked to use the prison law library. To research the grounds for his appeal.
The inmate asked to use the prison law library in order to research the grounds for his appeal.
2. Although the employer knew that sexual harassment in the workplace is illegal. She made sexually
3. The doctor asked his new partner to sign a restrictive covenant. To prevent unfair competition if the
partnership terminated.
The doctor asked his new partner to sign a restrictive covenant so as to prevent unfair competition if
Exercise 10-B
Rewrite the following sentences so that the modifiers refer to the correct word(s).
3. The evidence, a scarf, was introduced by the prosecutor checkered and torn.
The evidence, a checkered and torn scarf, was introduced by the prosecutor.
5. The defendant was distraught because the judge, sentenced to fifteen years in prison, showed no
mercy.
Because of the merciless fifteen-year-in prison sentence of the judge, the defendant was distraught.
6. The court reasoned, at the time the purse was taken, that the defendant acted with felonious intent.
The court reasoned that the defendant acted with felonious intent at the time the purse was taken.
Exercise 10-C
Rewrite the following sentences so that they have parallel structures.
1. When writing a legal memo, you should analyze the relevant case law and why certain facts are
important.
When writing a legal memo, you should explain why the relevant case law and certain facts are
important.
2. The court admitted the lineup identification, suppressed the confession, and the severance motion
was denied.
The court admitted the lineup identification, suppressed the confession, and denied the severance
motion.
3. The first-year student hoped that the workload would diminish and the tests would be easy.
The first-year student hoped that the workload would be diminished and the tests would be easy.
4. The attorney interviewed the client, researched the claims, and the facts were investigated.
The attorney interviewed the client, researched the claims, and investigated the facts.
5. The law review editor reviewed the chronology of the string citations and that the quotations were
accurate.
The law review editor reviewed the chronology of the string citations and the quotations accuracy.
Exercise 10-E
The following sentences are written in the passive voice. Rewrite them in the active voice.
1. A counterclaim for misappropriation of trade secret information was filed by Sam Becker, a
Sam Becker, a defendant in a breach of contract case, filed a counterclaim for misappropriation of
court team.
The moot court team wrote the brief which addresses the constitutionality of Nirvana’s anti-stalking
statute.
4. The failure to inspect the tires was realized by the mechanic on duty.
Exercise 10-F
1. The employer could have reasonably concluded and therefore foreseen that the employee was unfit
and had something in his background that rendered him dangerous to third parties.
The employer could have concluded and therefore foreseen that the employee was unfit and had
2. Our client, whose name is Jordan Wilson, was engaged in the course of drinking in the company of
Our client, Jordan Wilson, was engaged in the course of drinking in the company of a friend at a local
bar.
3. With respect to the issue of intent, the court admitted the said evidence heretofore offered by the
plaintiff.
With respect to the issue of intent, the court admitted the said evidence offered by the plaintiff.
Exercise 10-G
2. The divorce decree will not become invalid unless it was procured by fraud.
The purpose of this PPM is to ensure that highway locations and design, to the maximum extent
practicable, are consistent with federal, state and local goals and objectives. This PPM established the
rules, policies and procedures to afford full opportunity for effective public participation in the
consideration of highway location and design proposals before submitting to the federal department of
transportation for approval. They provide a medium for free, open discussion and are designed to
encourage early and amicable resolution of controversial issues that may arise.
Q2 Turn the following sentence into a paragraph of several sentences. See whether listing might
help. Make the central idea of the passage its first sentence.
If, on the date of opening of bid or evaluation of proposals, the average market price of domestic
wool of usable grades is not more than 10 percent above the average of the prices
of representative types and grades of domestic wools in the wool category which includes the wool
required by the specifications [see (f) below], which prices reflect the current incentive price as
established by the Secretary of Agriculture, and if reasonable bids or proposals have been
received for the advertised quantity offering 100 percent domestic wools, the contract will be
awarded for domestically produced articles using 100 percent domestic wools and the procedure
set forth in (e) and (f) below will be disregarded.
The contract will be awarded for domestically produced articles using 100 percent domestic wool and
the procedure set forth in (e) and (f) below will be disregarded. This will only happen if it satisfies two
conditions. Firstly, on the date of opening of bid or evaluation of proposals, the average market price
of domestic wool of usable grades is not more than 10 percent above the average of
the prices of representative types and grades of domestic wools in the wool category which includes
the wool required by the specifications [see (f) below], which prices reflect the current incentive price
as established by the Secretary of Agriculture. Last but not least, if reasonable bids or
proposals have been received for the advertised quantity offering 100 percent domestic wools.
Q3 Paragraph Development
The distribution of fossils (skeletons, shells, leaf impressions, footprints and dinosaur eggs) in
rocks of a certain age tells something about the ancient distribution of lands and seas on the
Earth’s surface. The remains of coral and clamshells found in the very old limestones in parts of
Pennsylvania and New York indicate that this region was once covered by a shallow
sea.
Similarly, the remains of ancestral horses and camels in rocks of South Dakota show that the area
was then dry land or that land was nearby. A closer look at these fossils will tell even more. Their
distribution identifies the ancient areas of land and sea and also determines the approximate
shoreline. The distribution of living forms shows that thick shelled fossil animals once lived in
shallow seas close to shore, where their shells were built to withstand the surging and pounding
of waves. Thin-shelled, delicate fossil animals probably lived in deeper, calmer water offshore.
In addition to providing a measure of water depth, fossils can also be used to indicate the former
temperature of water. In order to survive, certain types of present-day coral must live in warm
and shallow tropical saltwaters, such as the seas around Florida and the Bahamas. When similar
types of coral are found in the ancient limestones, they provide a good estimate of the marine
environment that must have existed when they were alive. All these factors—depth, temperature,
currents, and salinity—that are revealed by fossils are important, for each detail tends to sharpen
and clarify the picture of ancient geography.