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Full-Text Articles in Legal Writing and Research
Legal Writing Triage: Self-Edit To Solve The Most Common Style Problems, Robert S. Anderson
Legal Writing Triage: Self-Edit To Solve The Most Common Style Problems, Robert S. Anderson
Sturm College of Law: Faculty Scholarship
This article addresses one of the most common style problems in legal writing: subject-verb issues that produce confusing or overlong sentences. It then prescribes a simple approach to curing the problem in quick, step-by-step fashion.
A Wise Passiveness, K.K. Duvivier
A Wise Passiveness, K.K. Duvivier
Sturm College of Law: Faculty Scholarship
"[W]e can feed this mind of ours In a wise passiveness" "Expostulation & Reply" by William Wordsworth As a general rule, our writing can be more forceful and concise if we search for the passive voice and eliminate it. However, the avoid-the-passive rule sometimes is taken to extremes. This article addresses five ways to use the passive voice as a positive communication tool.
Problems With The Passive Voice, K.K. Duvivier
Problems With The Passive Voice, K.K. Duvivier
Sturm College of Law: Faculty Scholarship
Some of us recall when our grammar teachers admon- ished against using the passive voice. However, voice is a stylistic choice, not a rule of grammar. This column explains why the active voice generally is preferred. The next column will discuss when the passive voice may be the better choice (to be published in the May issue of The Colorado Lawyer). Once we understand the passive, we can make more informed decisions about its use.