Friday, October 04, 2019

Clear, concise, and effective English for law students, bar examinees, and legal writers in organizations, private companies, and government offices (27): Commonly misunderstood, misused, or confused words (resources and infographics)

1. Resources by by Judge Gerald Lebovits (an adjunct professor at New York Law School and two other law schools):

Problem Words and Pairs in Legal Writing — Part I

Problem Words and Pairs in Legal Writing—Part II

Problem Words and Pairs in Legal Writing—Part III

Problem Words and Pairs in Legal Writing—Part IV

In Part II, Judge Lebovits says in tongue-in-cheek fashion:

As Lord Chief Justice Mansfield wrote, “Most of the disputes in the world arise from words.” Therefore, utilize words good. Irregardless how others employ words, you are suppose to use them like a writer should. Be especially careful to use adverbs correct. Otherwise your writing will look horribly.

2. Infographics (click the graphic to view or download the full infographic)

33 Commonly Misunderstood Words and Phrases



12 Common Words That Still Confuse Everyone



Affect vs. Effect and 34 Other Common Confusions



12 Most Misunderstood Words in English



The Write Way: 8 Commonly Misused Words




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.