Chapter 13, Effective and Persuasive Legal Writing – Flashcards
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Editing
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To delete, eliminate, or change the text of a legal document.
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Brevity
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Strong, tight writing.
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The ability to accurately convey the intended message to the reader.
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Precision
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Legal writing that clearly and definitely conveys the point of the document.
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Voice
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The sound heard in the mind of the reader, or the impression created by virtue of the words chosen.
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Flow
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A quality within or characteristic of the text that moves the reader easily through the text from point to point.
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Rhythm
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A pattern of writing conveyed through word choice and word placement in the sentence.
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Parallel construction
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Repeating usages to make a point, to suggest either a connection or a contrast.
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Tone
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The way the writer communicates a point of view.
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Simile
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A direct comparison of dissimilar objects, for the purpose of emphasizing a common characteristic.
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Metaphor
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A figure of speech that links dissimilar objects but is more powerful than a simile in that it equates, rather than compares, the objects.
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Ambiguity
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Lack of precision and clarity.
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Pronoun ambiguity
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Lack of clarity that results from an unclear indication about the noun to which a pronoun refers.
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Modifiers
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Words that describe a subject, verb, or object in a sentence.
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Clichés
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Overused figures of speech.
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Slang
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Informal expressions.
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Colloquialisms
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Informal language used in everyday conversation.
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Legal jargon
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Legalese.
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Redundancy
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The repeated use of the same point or concept.
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Verbosity
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The use of an excessive number of words, or excessively complicated words, to make a point.
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Topic sentence
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The first sentence of the paragraph, which introduces an idea.
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Transition
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The writer's ability to move the reader from paragraph to paragraph.
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Periodic sentence
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A sentence that conveys the information at the end of the paragraph.
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Cumulative sentence
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A sentence that conveys the information in a comprehensive manner.
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Structured enumeration
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Identification of each point in a sentence sequentially.
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Outlining
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A preliminary step in writing that provides a framework for the assignment.
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Subheadings
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Headings that identify the subpoints in an argument section.
