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Full-Text Articles in Law
Hawking Hyphens In Compound Modifiers, Joan Ames Magat
Hawking Hyphens In Compound Modifiers, Joan Ames Magat
Faculty Scholarship
The first principle of legal writing is surely its clarity — visible actors (unless the action matters more), uncluttered syntax, and, of course, logical structure. But the little things can matter to clarity, too — such as deliberate punctuation that signifies. In the language of law, in which compound nouns are rife, the reader can feel adrift as to where modifiers end and the noun begins. (Consider government-subsidized health flexible-spending arrangement without those hyphens.) Hyphens help. Whether an author cares to hyphenate the noun is his call; but hyphenating compound modifiers (also called phrasal adjectives, though they may include adverbs …
Beware The ‘Monological Imperatives’: Scholarly Writing For The Reader, Joan A. Magat
Beware The ‘Monological Imperatives’: Scholarly Writing For The Reader, Joan A. Magat
Faculty Scholarship
This article describes principles of effective academic writing - offered not as edicts, but as guidelines - for legal scholars in particular. The overall focus is style, but the discussion begins with observations of format. These are followed by a few stylistic principles that govern clear and effective writing. None of these principles is a revelation to the student of method or to the accomplished writer. But for the academic writer less focused on or less familiar with such principles, being aware of and practicing them can clear the fog from syntax, illuminate the writer's thesis and its development, and …