Elevate your writing skills with BriefCatch Lessons.
BriefCatch Lessons offers a comprehensive suite of interactive training modules and quizzes designed to hone your skills in writing clarity, efficiency, and impact.
Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting your writing journey, this section serves as your go-to resource for mastering the nuances of syntax, tackling commonly confused words, and much more. Gain the confidence to articulate your thoughts precisely and compellingly, and make every word count.
With step-by-step guidance and real-time feedback, you’ll soon find yourself writing more persuasively and effectively than you ever thought possible.
Were there fewer (or less) patent infringement suits filed this month than the previous month? Count Nouns: What Are They: Count nouns refer to individual, countable, or quantifiable items. This includes both concrete nouns (dogs, children, books) and abstract nouns (ideas, moments, thoughts). They can be singular or plural. Modifiers:
Are either of the 2024 candidates acceptable to you? Or is neither candidate acceptable to you? Distributive Determiners that Always Require a Singular Verb: Either/Neither: Refers to one (or not one) out of two items: “Neither of your claims is sufficient to convey standing.” Exception—Neither/Nor OR Either/Or Constructions: Agree the
Was there a FBI raid last week? Or is that an FBI raid? Acronym: An acronym is an abbreviation in which the resulting term is pronounced as a single word. Examples: NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration); OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries); PIN (personal identification number). Rule: Since an
Should you ever begin a sentence with however? Or should you only use however in a mid-sentence construction? General Use of However: However is a conjunctive adverb that typically signals an upcoming contrast or contradiction: “Defendant disagreed with the prosecutor’s framing of his actions. The evidence, however, speaks for itself.”
Does plaintiff’s claim only get her so far? Or does her claim get only so far? Changing Sentence Meaning by Changing the Placement of “Only”: Only Before the Verb: The defendant only admitted to the theft. Interpretation: The defendant did nothing except admit to a theft. Only After the Verb:
Can your main argument “not be overstated enough?” Or should that be understated? Overstate (verb): Overstate is a verb that means “to describe in an exaggerated way”: “Defendant overstates his claim that no court has ever granted this relief before.” “Can’t be Overstated”: This phrase should be reserved for only
Are oral and written contracts both considered verbal contracts? If so, what’s the difference? Oral (adjective): The adjective oral means “relating to speech or spoken words”: “They made an oral agreement to sell the farm.” Written (adjective): The adjective written means “relating to communications via words on a tangible medium
Is your writing style in accordance with accepted legal writing practices? Or is it in accord with these practices? In accordance with: The prepositional phrase in accordance with is used to mean “in compliance with”: “The goods were delivered in accordance with the terms of the contract.” Tip: This phrase
Should your clarifying parenthetical use i.e. or e.g.? Does it matter? i.e. (Latin for “id est”): The abbreviation i.e. means “that is” and is used to clarify or rephrase something: “The defendant was found guilty of a serious crime, i.e., first-degree murder, and was sentenced to life in prison.” e.g.
Writing is vital to every part of your legal career. BriefCatch empowers you to stand out above the rest.