WELCOME! Refresher Series English Grammar Maureen P. Kane The Legal Writing Coach Parts of Speech Noun A noun names a person, place, or thing. Nouns include abstract things (idea, freedom, hazard, irritation, violation, rights) as well as concrete things (roof, class, school, radio, car, things) The Legal Writing Coach on Facebook Proper nouns state the name of a person, place, or thing; they must be capitalized. He read a story from the New York Times We’re visiting the Arizona Supreme Court Find Defendant guilty! Then Officer Ali arrested Axel The Legal Writing Coach on Facebook Noun Many common nouns may be preceded by articles (a, an, or the) the court a defendant the man the evidence a child a job an excuse an actor the men The Legal Writing Coach on Facebook Nouns other than proper nouns are not capitalized. When an article precedes a common noun, the noun is not usually capitalized. Find the defendant, Alphi Beta, guilty. We are visiting the court tomorrow. The court ruled against us. The Legal Writing Coach on Facebook Plural Nouns The plural form of a noun never has an apostrophe. right – rights alias – aliases book – books class – classes court – courts mess – messes The Legal Writing Coach on Facebook Plural nouns (more than one item) that are NOT showing possession NEVER take an apostrophe: ✑ She was born during the ___ (decade between 1979 and 1990). ✑ The _____ (Mr. and Mrs. Bluth ) tried to keep up with the _____ (Mr. and Mrs. Jones) , but the parking ______ (ticket) for illegally parking the Segway drained all their savings. • Rare exception: when an apostrophe is needed for clarity: Dot your I’s . She got all A’s The Legal Writing Coach on Facebook Which of the following words is NOT a noun? apply woman guardian of establish be adjustment in application homes establishment his constitute explain proof prove constitution decide happy abilities apparently decision week evidentiary The Legal Writing Coach on Facebook Which of the following words is NOT a noun? apply woman guardian of establish be adjustment in application homes establishment his constitute explain proof prove constitution decide happy abilities apparently decision week evidentiary The Legal Writing Coach on Facebook Plural nouns (more than one item) NEVER take an apostrophe: ✑ She was born during the 1980s. ✑ The Bluths tried to keep up with the Joneses , but the parking tickets for illegally parking the Segway drained all their savings. Unfortunately, autocorrect programs in emails and texts add apostrophes to plurals. Always check your document before hitting send. The Legal Writing Coach on Facebook Pronoun A pronoun is a noun stand-in. Subject pronouns take the subject’s spot: I, you, he, she, it, we, they, who Who let the dogs out? She or he did. Object pronouns take the object’s spot: me, you, him, her, it, us, them, whom The dogs chased us and bit him and me The Legal Writing Coach on Facebook Pronoun Quiz SHE I HE ME HER HIM Choose from these six pronouns and fill in the blanks. My sister is driving to the graduation ceremony with ___(I/me). ___ (She/Her) and ___ (I/me) will sit near the podium because we like to hear the speakers. Our brother and his wife are coming with ___ (we/us). Between ____ (he/him) and ____(she/her), they have nine children. Between you and ___(I/me), that’s a lot! The Legal Writing Coach on Facebook Pronouns HER SHE I ME HE HIM Choose from these six pronouns and fill in the blanks. My sister is driving to the graduation ceremony with me (I/ me ). She ( She /Her) and I ( I /me) will sit near the podium because we like to hear the speakers. Our brother and his wife are coming with us (we/ us ). Between him (he/ him ) and her (she/ her ), they have nine children. Between you and me (I/ me ), that’s a lot! The Legal Writing Coach on Facebook Pronouns My sister is driving to the graduation ceremony with me She and I will sit near the podium because we like to hear the speakers. (Pronouns are in the subject position, so subjective form is used: she, I, NOT her, me.) Our brother and his wife are coming with us Between him and her , they have nine children. Between you and me , that’s a lot! (Pronouns are in the object position, so objective form is used.) The Legal Writing Coach on Facebook Nouns may also be preceded by possessive pronouns , which show “belonging to.” My understanding is that the court reversed its order. Possessive Pronouns The Legal Writing Coach on Facebook Possessive Pronouns Possessive pronouns (my, her, his, hers, its, our, your, their, whose, mine, ours, theirs, yours) show “belonging to.” • These possessive pronouns NEVER have an apostrophe. The court issued its decision. Whose gun was used in the shooting? Isn’t this book hers ? No, it’s theirs The Legal Writing Coach on Facebook Possessive v. Contraction Write “who’s” only if you mean “who is” or “who has.” Who’s the owner of this ring? Who’s been the professor for the last six years? Write “it’s” only if you mean “it is” or “it has.” It’s come to my attention that you passed the exam. It’s something to be proud of. The Legal Writing Coach on Facebook Pronoun – Antecedent Agreement A possessive pronoun must match the noun it refers to in number. Identify the correct possessive pronoun: The court issued ___ decision. The judges won ___ elections. Each judge won ___ election. WalMart Corp. published ___ annual report. The Legal Writing Coach on Facebook Pronoun – Antecedent Agreement A possessive pronoun must match the noun it refers to in number. The court issued its decision. (collective nouns = singular pronouns, in US English) The judges won their elections. Each judge won his or her election.* WalMart Corp. published its annual report. *Scholars now debate whether it is better to use “their” in this context, even if it does not match in number, to acknowledge and respect non-binary people. Please ask your professor their preference. The Legal Writing Coach on Facebook