Poor grammar compounds the problem of bad legal writing among Filipinos. One media report claims that “many graduates from our top universities have English language skills comparable only to 2nd grade children from Western countries.” As a law student, bar examinee, or legal writer, you must master the rules of English grammar.
1. The Internet offers thousands of free resources on English grammar. Some of the best resources are:
Better English for everyone
Activities for ESL Students
Jose Carillo’s English Forum
Capital Community College Guide to Good Grammar
OWL English Purdue Grammar, Punctuation, Spelling. Sentence Structure, and other exercises
Daily Writing Tips (Grammar 101 and Grammar)
“The Simple Secrets Of Writing & Speaking (Almost) Like A Professional” College Edition by Philip Yaffe (free PDF, 144 pages, 483 kb), from Plain Language Commission
Interactive English grammar and vocabulary exercises based on Korean historical dramas (with time limit and automatic scoring): These exercises are designed for Asians who are beginning learners of English. If you’re already an advanced learner of English, you can also use these exercises to refresh your knowledge. Thus, the exercises focus on errors in grammar that Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Filipinos, Malaysians, Indonesians, etc. commonly make with articles, prepositions, gender pronouns, tenses, and subject-verb agreement, among others.
2. Free resources from the New York State Bar Journal: articles by Judge Gerald Lebovits (faculty member of Columbia University - Law School, Fordham University School of Law, and New York University School of Law)
If I Were a Lawyer: Tense in Legal Writing
Do’s, Don’ts, and Maybes: Legal Writing Grammar - Part I
Do’s, Don’ts, and Maybes: Legal Writing Grammar - Part II
3. 15 Grammar Goofs That Make You Look Silly [Infographic] from Copyblogger.com
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| Click the picture above to view or download the complete infographic from Copyblogger (600 by 5327 px; 0.98 MB) |
| Free seminars: 1. “English Proficiency Course” (4 hours; for college students, K-to-12 teachers, other groups) 2. “Clear, concise English for effective legal writing” (3-5 hours; for Student Councils, academic organizations, fraternities, sororities, NGOs, LGUs, any interested group; test yourself with the interactive exercises) Seminars are for Metro Manila only. For more information or to schedule a seminar, please contact Atty. Gerry T. Galacio at 0927-798-3138. Be a better writer or editor through StyleWriter 4: this software checks 10,000 words in 12 seconds for hundreds of style and English usage issues like wordy and complex sentences, passive voice, nominalization, jargon, clichés, readability, spelling, etc. StyleWriter 4 graphs your style and sentence variety, and identifies your writing habits to give an instant view of your writing. You can learn to adjust your writing style to suit your audience and task. You can learn, for example, the writing style of Newsweek, Time, The Economist, and Scientific American. StyleWriter 4 is widely used in the US federal government (for example, the Environmental Protection Agency). It can be used by educators, students, and professionals in various fields - business, law, social or physical science, medicine, nursing, engineering, public relations, human resources, journalism, accounting, etc. Download your free 14-day trial copy now. |
