SPARTA 13 - Grammatical rules of English: Before you can use a language you need to know the rules
----Disclaimer----
This is open-source copyright free information only, and not legal advice.
The strength of everything written within this document is dependent on the number of people who understand and use it.
The more people who get off their knees and stand their ground, the stronger each remedy becomes.
“A new age has begun. An age of freedom for those who take it.”
THE GRAMMATICAL RULES OF ENGLISH
Download your copy of the fully-formatted .pdf file here: File:The Grammatical Rules of English v.3.pdf
To be able to read and understand any legal document the reader must know the language being used and the dictionary the words are referenced.
Once the language is known, the grammatical rules of said language can now be applied to the document.
Once the dictionary is known the meaning behind the words can now be verified.
Without knowing these two most basic and fundamental facts, the reader will be unable to ascertain what the document is, and determine their position within any claim of contract.
Note: although once the language and dictionary are known, the reader must question the author of the document to highlight any confusion regarding what are words, labels and legal titles within the text.
Grammatical Rules of English
The English Language is not owned by anyone or any group; it is “open source” and free to be used by anyone without restriction or censorship, and cannot be claimed.
It is for this reason that there is no jurisdiction placed upon any language, which means it cannot be policed, regulated or controlled with any threat of financial or corporal punishment.
Although language does adapt and change over time, through interactions and culture, no one has the right to redefine a word, as the origin of the word is the true and accepted foundation of the meaning.
Any attempt by anyone trying to redefine words should result in dismissal of the attempt, as it is a fool’s folly to even try.
Words
Words are the basic descriptive building blocks of a language and are used in speech and writing to describe and convey a meaning.
Most modern written languages today are not recognised as a sign, but are read similar to music, requiring the knowledge of the alphabet to convey the sounds of each letter.
Sentence Structure
A basic sentence typically follows the order of a Subject first, then a Verb followed by an Object.
For example: “She (subject) reads (verb) a book (object).”
Sentence Types
There are four main types of sentences, based on their purpose and structure.
1. Declarative: Makes a statement/declaration.
• For example: “The sky is blue.”
2. Interrogative: Asks a question.
• For example: “Do you have the contract?”
3. Imperative: Gives a command.
• For example: “Close the door.”
4. Exclamatory: Shows strong emotion.
• For example: “What a beautiful day!”
Nouns
A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea, and is a part of speech used to identify a specific object or concept. Such as:
• Person: teacher, John, doctor
• Place: park, city, school
• Thing: book, car, apple
• Idea: freedom, happiness, love
Pronouns
Pronouns replace nouns to avoid repetition within a sentence and are used in 3 forms: Subject, Object and Personal Pronouns.
For example: after the Subject’s name is used once, the following sentences switch to using pronouns, such as I, you, he, she, they, them and it: “I met John last week. He told me about his upcoming case.”
Within the English language, pronouns refer to three classifications of gender; male, female and neutral.
The neutral classification is usually used when a group of both, males and females, are being referenced, but can also be applied to the individual.
For example: “They all went to the party.”
It is the language that is gendered, and not the item or person the language is being used in reference.
This means it is the person’s sex that changes how the language is used.
For example: if a man buys a handbag, it is his handbag. If he then gives it to his wife as a present, it becomes her handbag.
The handbag itself did not change, just the sex of the owner, and therefore the language adapted to suit.
Note: no one can make laws regarding how language is used, but can offer policy within agreement allowing censorship and punishment for violation, once jurisdiction has been accepted.
Verbs
The word “verb” comes from Latin verbum meaning “word” via Old French, meaning “word” or “speech”, and entered Middle English in the late 14th century.
A verb is a word that describes an action, occurrence, or state of being, and describes what the subject does or what happens to the subject. Such as:
• Action: run, jump, write, eat
• Occurrence: happen, occur, become
• State of being: is, am, are, was, were
Adjectives and Adverbs
The word “adjective” comes from Latin nōmen adjectīvum meaning “beside” or “additional name”.
Adverb means to “add a word”, hence ad-verb.
The main difference between an adjective and an adverb is what they describe, and how they function within a sentence.
An adjective describes or modifies a noun, such as a person, place, thing, or idea, and gives more information about the noun.
For example: The red car is fast: the word red is adding description to the noun “car”.
An adverb describes or modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb, and provides more information about how, when, where, or to what extent something happens.
• The red car is fast: the word red is adding description to the car: adjective.
• The red car is fast: the word fast describes the car: adjective.
• The red car is very fast: the word very modifies the adjective fast: adverb.
Adjectives describe nouns such as:
• Red
• Tall
• Happy
• Beautiful
and they are used in a specific Adjective Word Order, starting with: Opinion, Size, Age, Shape, Colour, Origin, Material, Purpose
For example: It’s a beautiful, large, antique, French Wooden Dining Table.
Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, and often end in "-ly", such as:
• Very
• Quickly
• Extremely
• Amazingly
Tense
A tense is a grammatical way to express the time when an action or event occurs; past, present, future, or a general truth.
There are 4 forms for each time frame: Simple, Perfect, Continuous and Perfect Continuous.
The use of a tense within a sentence indicates whether something happened in the past, is happening now, or will happen in the future, such as:
1. Past Tense: Indicates an action that has already happened/finished in the past. (Regular verbs end in "-ed", Irregular verbs are fixed)
• For example: "She walked to work yesterday." or "It cost the same yesterday as it is today.")
2. Present Tense: Indicates Facts, Information, Routines, Schedules, Instructions or Commands.
• For example: "She walks to work every morning.", or a general truth/fact: “Water boils at 100°C”.
3. Future Tense: Indicates future intentions, promises or decisions made in the current time about the future, and usually contains "will + verb"
• For example: She will walk to work every day next week.
Note: The Present Continuous (“be going to”) is often used to talk about future plans that are already arranged.
• For example: She is going to walk to work tomorrow.
Articles
In English grammar, an article is a word used before a noun to specify or clarify what the noun refers to.
Articles help indicate whether the sentence is referencing something specific or something in general.
There are two types of articles:
1. Definite Article: “the”
• Used when referring to a specific noun that both the speaker and listener, or author and reader, know about.
• For example: The dog chased the ball: Both parties know which dog and which ball are being talked about.
2. Indefinite Articles: “a” and “an”
• Used when talking about a non-specific noun, or something not previously mentioned.
• For example: "I saw a dog in the park", so any dog, not a specific one.
The use of grammatical articles within informal documents such as newspapers, magazines and flyers, requires the reader to under or assume what the nouns refer to, which has little risk.
However, within legal documents, such as agreements and contracts, assumption should never be used, as noun modifies can change the meaning of what is written to what you assume is written.
For example: Placing the word “the” in front of a noun can become a modifier of the noun, changing the meaning from a word to a possible label, or even legal title, such as:
• The resident
• The occupier
• The taxpayer
Prepositions
Prepositions are words that show the relationship between a noun or pronoun, and other parts of a sentence, and often indicate such things as direction, place, time, cause, manner, or possession.
They are usually followed by a noun or pronoun, which is called the “object” of the preposition, such as:
• in the house
• on the table
• before dinner
• with a smile
• by the river
• about the movie
Within the grammatical rules of English, and more importantly within legal documents, prepositions help connect ideas, claims and positions, and clarify relationships within sentences.
They are typically used as part of a prepositional phrase, which includes the preposition and the object it is referring to, which provides additional information about the action or subject.
This can indicate what your position is within a legal claim or dispute, whether it is founded or unfounded.
For example: “The resident of the dwelling is legally bound to pay.”
It is a prudent move to challenge any assumed position within a legal document, for if not you will hold the position of someone with no authority, and will have already lost.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Subject-Verb Agreement refers to the rule within the English language that the subject of a sentence and the verb must agree in number.
This means that if the subject is singular, the verb should be singular; if the subject is plural, the verb should be plural.
1. Singular subjects take singular verbs.
• For example: The cat runs fast: Singular subject “cat”, singular verb “runs”.
2. Plural subjects take plural verbs.
• For example: The cats run fast: Plural subject “cats”, plural verb “run”.
3. When the subject is a compound subject joined by “and”, use a plural verb.
• For example: My brother and sister are coming: Compound subject, plural verb.
4. When the subject is singular and joined by “or” or “nor”, use a singular verb.
• For example: Either the doctor or the nurse is responsible: “is” is the singular verb.
5. Indefinite pronouns, such as everyone, each, someone, are usually singular and take a singular verb.
• For example: Everyone is invited.
Note: compound subject is a subject in a sentence that consists of two or more individual words or phrases joined together, usually by a conjunction like “and”, “or”, or “nor”.
Modifiers
In grammatical terms, a modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that provides additional information about another word in a sentence.
A modifier helps to clarify, describe, or give more detail about the word the author of the document is modifying.
Types of Modifiers:
• Adjectives: Modify nouns or pronouns.
• Adverbs: Modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.
Phrases used as modifiers:
• Adjective phrases: The book on the table is mine: “on the table” modifies “book”.
• Adverbial phrases: He arrived in the morning: “in the morning” modifies “arrived”.
Clauses used as modifiers:
For example: “The person who called yesterday was a stranger”: The clause “who called yesterday” modifies “the person”.
Modifiers add detail but should be placed carefully to avoid confusion, with misplaced modifiers leading to ambiguity or awkward sentences, which should be verified before proceeding.
For example: A “jury trial” vs a “trial by jury”.
• Jury Trial: The word jury, placed before trial has modified the word trial, which may have now become a label that can be classified by the author.
• Trial by Jury: The word jury has modified the word trial with the sentence stating it is by the jury.
It is therefore recommended to place modifiers close to the words they describe to avoid confusion, and for the reader of any document to see them within the text, especially when viewing a legal document.
Space within Text
A space is generally considered “whitespace” or a separator rather than a traditional punctuation mark.
While it functions similarly to punctuation by separating words to guide reading, it is technically categorised under typography or layout rather than grammatical punctuation.
In short, a space acts as a blank area to structure text.
The introduction of a single spaces to separate words in English writing was first introduced by Irish and Anglo-Saxon monks during the 7th and 8th centuries AD.
Today, in English grammar and typography, the primary role of a single space is to separate words, punctuation and other elements to improve readability and clarity.
After punctuation marks such as periods, commas, colons and semicolons, a space is usually added before the next word to signal the end of one element and the beginning of another.
In formal writing and legal documents, a single space after punctuation is standard, ensuring the text confirms with the grammatical rules of English and recognised styles.
Note: Modern style guides, such as American Psychological Association, Modern Language Association and the Chicago Manual of Style recommend using only one space after punctuation. Using more than one space is generally discouraged, because it can disrupt the uniform appearance of text and is not aligned with current style standards.
Punctuation Symbols
Punctuation symbols are marks used in writing to separate sentences, clarify meaning and make text easier to read.
They help show pauses, stops, questions and other nuances in writing; and are an important part of the information written within text that needs to be understood by the reader.
Writing a document with text only and omitting any form of punctuation can make determining the language being used almost impossible, rendering the document incoherent to read.
Here is a list of common punctuation symbols used in English, along with their meanings and typical uses:
Full stop/Period: [.]
A full stop, also referred to as a period in American English, is used at the end of a sentence to show that the sentence is complete, and can indicate a pause before starting a new sentence.
Additionally, a period is used in abbreviations and in some numeric formats.
For example: “Dr.” for doctor or “etc.” for the Latin phrase “et cetera”.
However, the primary function of a period is to signal to the reader that a thought or statement has concluded.
For example: “The end of this sentence will have a full stop/period as the statement is now concluded.”
Comma: [,]
A comma separates items in a list, usually after introductory words, before combinations in compound sentences, or to set off non-essential information.
They help clarify meaning, separate elements, and improve readability; the proper use of commas depends on the sentence structure and context, such as:
1. Separating items in a list
• For example: “I bought milk, fish, steak and eggs.”
2. Before coordinating conjunctions in compound sentences
• When connecting two independent clauses with words like "and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet", use a comma before the conjunction.
• For example: “I went for a drive, but it started to rain.”
3. After introductory words or phrases
• Place a comma after introductory words, phrases, or clauses at the beginning of a sentence.
• For example: “Yes, I will attend the conference.”
4. Setting off non-essential information
• Use commas to enclose additional information that can be removed without changing the main meaning of the sentence.
• For example: “My grandma, who lives in Canada, is visiting us next week.”
5. With adjectives
• When two adjectives equally describe a noun, they are separated by a comma.
• For example: “It was a long, exhausting trip.”
6. With direct quotes
• Use a comma to introduce or interrupt a direct quotation.
• For example: She said, “I’ll be there for five.”
Semicolon: [;]
The semicolon serves specific grammatical purposes and is primarily used to connect closely related independent clauses, but it can also be used to separates items in a complex list.
It acts as a pause which is stronger than a comma, but weaker than a period; it enhances sentence flow by linking ideas directly.
Also, when two independent clauses are closely related in thought and the author wants to connect them without using a connecting word like “and”, “but”, or “so” a semicolon is used.
For example: “I wanted to go for a jaunt in my old sports car; it was a warm, sunny day.”
Colon: [:]
The function of the colon is to introduce or emphasise information that directly follows text, such as a list, explanations, facts or clarifications.
It acts as a signal that what comes next elaborates, specifies, or adds information to what was mentioned before.
Although what follows a colon is not always a fact, the information is linked to what was written before, and can be an element of a truthful statement or sentence.
The colon used within or immediately following a name is used to indicate a direct relationship, such as separating a title from a subtitle.
For example: “This example is an example of how a colon is used.”
Within commerce it can be extremely difficult to determine what is written are words, labels or legal title, and what appears to be a name, maybe in fact a legal title.
Therefore, a colon can be used to break up what appears to be a name, so it cannot be used as a legal title.
For example: “Bob: of the family Smith.”
Question Mark: [?]
A question mark is a punctuation symbol that is used at the end of a sentence to indicate that the sentence is a question.
The question mark signals to the reader that the sentence is asking for information or seeking an answer, and helps distinguish questions from statements or commands.
Here are some examples:
• “What is your name?”
• “Do you have the contract that supports the bill?”
• “Where is the evidence that backs your claim?”
One of the best techniques within constructing a legal document is to based it on a series of questions, rather than statements or claims.
Note: the burden of proof is always on the one making the claim; the burden of proof is always on the one being questioned.
Question marks are perfectly acceptable within legal documentation, as they can be used within negotiation, but should not be used within a contract, as all question should have been answered before signing.
Exclamation Point: [!]
An exclamation point, also known as an exclamation mark, is a punctuation symbol placed at the end of a sentence.
It is used to express strong feelings or emphasis in a sentence and is commonly used to indicate excitement, surprise, anger, or commands.
Here are some examples:
• “Wow! That was amazing!”
• “Watch out!”
• “I can’t believe it!”
The exclamation point helps convey the tone and emotion behind a statement, making the meaning clearer to the reader.
This form of punctuation is perfectly acceptable within informal articles, such as newspapers, magazines and books of fiction, where entertainment is the main goal of the article, and not information.
An exclamation point is used in storytelling, not conveying information.
Within legal documents, including agreements and contracts, it is only information that is pertinent and not emotional feelings, as tone of the document is irrelevant.
It is for this reason, and best practice, that emotions and exclamation marks are not used within formal notices and agreements; and are best avoided entirely within contracts.
Note: when writing official legal documentation, it is advisable to completely remove yourself from the document, and refer to the third person.
Apostrophe: [']
The apostrophe is used in English to show possession, form contractions and sometimes for plurals of letters or symbols; and helps indicate ownership or omitted letters in words.
1. Possession
• For singular nouns: Add an apostrophe before s.
• For example: “The man’s car is fast.”
• For plural nouns ending in s: Add the apostrophe after the s.
• For example: “The researchers’ projects are under development.”
2. Contraction
• Combine two words by omitting certain letters and replacing them with an apostrophe
• For example: “do not = don't” or “it is = it's” or “they are = they're”.
Although contractions are acceptable within informal documents, such as magazines and books of fiction, for the use of storytelling, it is not good practice to use in formal and legal text.
Quotation Marks: [" "]
A quotation mark is a punctuation symbol used to indicate that the words enclosed are a direct quote from someone else, which could be from a speech, or specific text within a document.
It helps to show that the words are not the writer's own, but are taken directly from another source.
Primary uses of quotation marks are as follows:
1. Enclosing direct speech or dialogue: To show what someone exactly said.
• For example: She said, “I have a warrant to search this house.”
2. Quoting text or sources: To include a passage or phrase from a book, article, or speech.
• For example: The newspaper article stated, “Climate change is a pressing issue.”
3. Highlighting titles of short works: Such as articles, poems, songs, or chapters.
• For example: I loved the poem “The Road Not Taken.”
4. Indicating irony, scepticism, or special meaning: To signal that the word or phrase is used in a special or non-literal sense.
• For example: The MP said “taxes help fight climate change”, but I’m not convinced.
Double quote marks (“text”) are most commonly used, with single quote marks (‘text’) often used for quotes within quotes or in certain style guides. However, this can be reversed within American English and British English.
Whichever type used, they mark the beginning and end of direct speech, text, quotations, or titles, helping to clearly distinguish someone else’s words or specific text from the rest of the writing.
Although useful within legal documents, to help clarify confusion with a previous correspondence, they can be used to deceive the reader who is illiterate and not understanding of the grammatical rules.
For example: When writing a letter to a doctor for information regarding the effectiveness and safety concerns regarding a medical procedure, the reply may go something like this:
Doctor: Thank you for your query, which I am happy to help you with. As I am a “specialist” regarding this medical procedure, I can assure you that “experts” have studied this and have come to a consensus that the “vaccine” is both “safe” and indeed “effective”.
• “Specialist”: it is not the doctor making this claim, as the source is not him.
• “Experts”: Who says they are experts, who are they, and what are they experts of?
• “Vaccine”: It is not the doctor calling the medial procedure a vaccine, but someone else, who could redefine the meaning “vaccine”.
• “Safe”: Safe for whom? The doctor administrating it, or the one who was just injected?
• “Effective”: Effective at what? Causing pain and swelling, headaches, nausea, blood clotting and then death?
It is for this reason that whenever you receive any formal documentation that uses quote marks, you should never assume what they mean, but instead question the author to clarify.
Furthermore, as quote marks are used to highlight a different source of information than that written by the original author of the document, they cannot be used in a contract, as it violates the 4 corners rule.
Hyphen: [-]
Within the long history of a particular language, words are often combined together, and sometimes shortened, to create a new word.
The hyphen is the punctuation mark that indicates a new compound word written within the text by the author.
The following methods are used for contractions and to create compound words.
Compound Word
A compound word is a single word made up of two or more words combined to create a new word with a specific meaning.
1. The new word can be written as one word.
• For example: “toothpaste”: a compound word made from the word tooth and paste.
2. The new word can be written as two separate words.
• For example: “Police officer”: the words police and officer and connected via a space.
3. The new word can be written as a hyphenated word to indicate a relationship of some kind.
• For example: “mother-in-law”: the words mother, in and law are all now connected through a hyphen.
The purpose to compound words is to express a new concept or object by combining words.
Another way to compound a word is by way of a contraction, which is usually signified with the use of an apostrophe.
However, over time as the language adapts through use and in culture, an original compounded word or contractions may drop punctuation marks, letters and spacing to create a new single word, such as:
• Kingdom: “king” – “dominion”
• Freedom: “Free” – “dominion”
• Surname: “Surety” – “name”
Dash: [–]
In English, the dash symbol is used to add emphasis, introduce additional information, or set off parts of a sentence, and always has a space before and after it.
There are two main types:
1. The em dash, which is the longer one, is commonly used to insert pauses, emphasise a point, or replace parentheses or commas for a more dramatic effect.
• For example: “She was late—again.”
2. The en dash, which is the shorter one, is often used to indicate ranges, such as numbers or dates.
• For example: “Study Pages 10 – 20.”
Ellipsis: [...]
The ellipsis is a punctuation mark of three dots/periods in a row, which is used to indicate the omission of words, a pause, or unfinished thoughts.
It is often used in quotations to show that part of the original text has been left out.
Additionally, the ellipsis can convey hesitation, suspense, or an incomplete thought in writing, especially in storytelling and books of fiction.
When used to show omission, it helps make quotations shorter or more concise, while in creative writing, it adds a sense of trailing speech or uncertainty.
For example: “I was thinking… maybe there is no contract.”
Although this punctuation can be used within formal documents, usually to show omission within quotations, it should not be used in any official legal documentation or contracts, as omission could invalidate the legality of said document.
Forward Slash: [/]
In English, the forward slash symbol is used mainly to show options, represent fractions or ratios, and sometimes in abbreviations or poetic line breaks. It indicates choices, parts of a whole, or related terms, but in formal writing the use of the forward slash symbol is discouraged as it is often more clear to use words like “or” instead.
Here are some examples:
1. Indicate alternatives or choices
• The slash often shows that either of two, or more options can be used, and functions like “or”.
• For example: “Please bring your parent/guardian to the meeting.”: Either a parent or guardian.
• The term “and/or” is often written with a slash to indicate either or both options.
2. Denote fractions or ratios
• The slash is used in mathematical expressions and measurements to represent fractions or ratios.
• For example: “The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of sugar.” or “The ratio of students to teachers is 20/1.”
3. Abbreviations and shorthand
• Sometimes, the slash is used in abbreviations or shorthand to combine related words or concepts.
• For example: “Turn the a/c on to stay cool in this hot weather.”
4. Separate lines in lyrics
• In informal song writing or poetic contexts, a slash can indicate a line break or separation within lyrics, however this is not good practice in formal writing.
• For example: “Roses are red / Violets are blue.”
Parentheses: ( )
Parentheses, sometimes referred to as “round brackets” are used to set off additional information, or clarifying text of a sentence.
They are used to include extra information, explanations, or afterthoughts that are not essential to the main sentence, or overall document.
The information with the parentheses is usually considered secondary additional information supplied and written by the author, and not part of the primary message.
For example: “The taxpayer (after filing in the form) is duty bound to pay.”
Although parentheses can be used in legal documents, it is best avoided within contracts; however, they can be used with Acronyms and Initialisms in formal agreements.
Square Brackets: [ ]
In the grammatical rules of English, square brackets, which are often referred to as “square brackets”, to stop confusion with “round bracket”, function similar to parentheses.
Similar to brackets they are mainly used to clarify, edit, or add information within quoted material or in technical writing.
However, the information within the brackets may have come from a different source and not from the original author of the document.
Furthermore, the “square bracket” is based upon the “four corner rule” of contract law from Ancient Rome, whereby anything within “4 corners” or “box” should not be considered part of any legal document or contract.
It is for this reason that the use of brackets within any legal text should be questioned, and within a contract, should be rejected.
Capital Letters
The English language uses a 26-letter alphabet, which is approximately 500 years old, and uses both lower-case and upper-case letters, with the latter being referred to as capital letters.
There are rules and best practices for using capital letters in sentences, which is dependent on what type of document is being written, usually either an article or contract.
• An article is a written document that just provides information, analysis, or commentary on a particular topic, and has no legal standing or legal relevance.
• A contract or legal agreement contains specific terms and conditions with the signatures of the involved parties, and has legal standing.
The rules for using All Caps in a Sentence are as follows:
Emphasis
Using all caps is often used to emphasise a word or phrase, similar to shouting or strong emphasis in informal writing.
For example: “I LOVE this song!”
The use of all caps as an emphasis would be seen in non-legal text, such as magazines, comic books and other disposable media, as misinterpreting the text would not be considered a legal problem.
However, the use of all caps should not be used in any formal or legal documentation or paperwork as confusion of what is written would cause a critical conflict within any legal agreement.
This means that this type of use regarding all caps, should only be used in articles and not legal documents; otherwise, any proposed legal document must be either treated as an article or rejected.
Acronyms and Initialisms
Within formal documents and even many articles, all caps are typically used within a sentence for acronyms and initialisms.
An acronym is an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words and pronounced as a word.
For example: NASA, NATO, SCUBA, LASER
An initialism is formed when you combine the first letters of a phrase but pronounce the individual letters.
For example: NHS, BBC, FBI, ATM, CEO
Within a formal document, when an acronym or initialism is used for the first time, the words that are represented by each letter must be stated, or it can lead to confusion.
If all cap letters are displayed within a legal document, but details explaining the meaning behind the acronyms or initialisms has been excluded or omitted, the validity of the document is now in question.
Within commerce, to challenge the author over the irregularity of their document, would be a prudent move.
Headlines and Titles
All caps are sometimes used in headlines, titles, or headings for visual impact, but this is more common in casual print or design than in regular writing and formal documents.
For example: BREAKING NEWS: EARTHQUAKE STRIKES CITY
Although it is acceptable for a tabloid newspaper to use all capital letters this way, it is recommended to avoid using all caps for entire sentences in formal writing, and especially contracts.
Writing full sentences in all caps is generally discouraged in formal or professional writing because it can be perceived as a discrepancy or regulatory, voiding the document.
For example: THIS IS NOT APPROPRIATE IN FORMAL WRITING.
Because of the confusion surrounding emphasis, acronyms or initialisms within unsolicited mail, the document should be returned under the grounds that it cannot be read, until clarification.
For example: the meaning behind THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING and YOU ARE SUMMONED TO COURT cannot be determined and therefore addressed, until clarification by the author.
Therefore, in your own formal writing, it would be advantageous to use the standard capitalisation rules, such as the first word of a sentence and title, when appropriate.
• All caps could be emphasis, acronyms, initialisms or titles.
• Avoid using all caps for entire sentences in a formal context.
Underlining
Underlining something means to draw a line underneath the text to highlight it, and is a form of formatting used to draw attention to a specific word, title or phrase.
Similar to using all caps, to underline text is to emphasise important words or titles.
Although using both all caps and underlining is acceptable within informal, non-legal and casual documents, such as newspapers and magazines, it is not recommended within contracts.
Within legal documents, including agreements and contracts, it is wise, and in some cases, essential to title the type of document it is, whereby the title can be underlined if the author chooses so.
• Bill
• Receipt
• Order
• Invoice
• Deed
• Certificate
• Affidavit
The font size of the title can be larger than the body of the text, which is usually done to signify the separation of the documents title and body of the text.
Capital letter pronoun
The word capital comes from the Latin word capitale—which is related to caput, meaning “head”—and evolved into the Medieval Latin word capitālis, meaning “of the head”, used to describe subjects that are “chief”, “principal” or “leading”.
For example: a captain is leader of the ship and also responsible for the capital on board, referring to the monetary value of the cargo, which originated from the term “head of cattle”—meaning money.
In the ancient historical context of manuscripts and inscriptions, large or “head” letters were used at the beginning of text, titles, or important sections to indicate status and prominence.
In Latin, the word capitale refers to something of primary importance, which can be something at the “head” of text or section within a document.
The modern-day alphabet, which is officially referred to as either “Latin script” or “Roman alphabet”, evolved from a symbolic alphabet in which objects were drawn representing the word.
For example: a man would be drawn as a man, then overtime lost the arms and legs, with just the dot and vertical line representing the head and body remaining, which resulted in the creation of the letter “i”.
Overtime, this symbolic alphabet became the early Latin alphabet, from around the 6th or 7th century BCE.
The early Latin language had two alphabets—one upper-case and one lower—with the upper-case showing importance, especially with formal inscriptions created by the Patricians.
The lower-case was considered for use within non-formal and trivial everyday documents, as used by the plebians.
Consider the use of upper-case for the upper-class, and lower-case for the lower-class, although both alphabets merged overtime to create the modern-day English language and alphabet.
Capital Letter I
In English, the letter “I” is always capitalised when used as a pronoun, regardless of where it appears in a sentence.
This is unlike other pronouns such as “you”, “he”, “she”, or “they”, which are only capitalised at the beginning of sentences or in proper or specific nouns.
This rule is standard and consistent because “I” is a unique pronoun that refers to oneself and the author of the document, whose status is prominent above all others referenced on the page.
Capitalising “I” makes it clearly visible, while emphasising the pronoun’s importance when referenced to oneself.
Summary
The use of the capital “I”, in the legal context, should only be used within documents where law is being indicated or created through the estate name, such as affidavits and deeds.
However, within commerce, corporate documents should not in general be written with the use of the pronoun “I”, but only written in the third party, such as “we”, “us”, “our”.
The reason for this within commerce is the “estate name” is signing on behalf of the “Ens Legis”, so there are effectively two parties.
Note: whenever making reference to the body corporate or legal fiction, it should always be done without the use of first-person pronouns referring to the author of the document.
Within modern day grammatical rules of Latin script English, failing to capitalise “I” is considered a grammatical error.
Font type and size
Legal documents, such as contracts, are typically written using the same font and size of text for several important reasons.
The origin for this came from Ancient Rome, before the printing press was invented, where scribes were hired to write out contracts between business parties, using their own style of writing.
A change in the font size or style of the script would highlight tampering with the document, rendering it null and void.
This standard has change very little over the past 2,000 years to this day, as the same font type and size are still used within contracts to ensure the following:
Clarity and Readability
Uniform font and size ensure that the document is easy to read and understand, with clear, consistent formatting helping to prevent misinterpretation or confusion about the terms.
Professionalism
Consistent font and size give the document a formal, professional appearance, which is important for legal credibility and authority.
Prevents Alterations and Fraud
Uniform formatting makes it more difficult to alter or add text unnoticed, which means variations in font or size could be used to insert additional text or obscure information.
Legal Validity
Courts and legal practitioners often rely on the clarity and integrity of the documents they view; whereby consistent formatting helps demonstrate that the document is complete and unaltered.
Standardisation
Many legal institutions and jurisdictions have formatting standards or guidelines that specify font type, size and formatting to ensure uniformity across legal documents.
Note: some fonts are copyrighted and can only be used by the author to show jurisdiction.
In general, and within the grammatical and stylistic conventions of English, the use of mismatched font styles and sizes is typically discouraged in a formal context, such as contract law and commerce.
Clear and consistent formatting helps ensure that the document is not only professionally written and therefore readable, but most importantly legally enforceable.
While minor stylistic variations for emphasis are sometimes acceptable, generally, a word should not be written in mismatched font styles and within contract law and documents within commerce.sizes
Consistent formatting promotes clarity, professionalism and legal validity, with varied formatting suggesting that another jurisdiction of styles is at play, rather than the accepted norm.
Summary
There is a reason why Grammar Schools in England and Wales were phased out from the mid-1960s through to the 1970s, and the state education system transitioned to comprehensive schools.
It was deemed that the children of the common people only needed to comprehend a rudimentary level of education that all children, regardless of their academic ability or aptitude, could understand.
Educate the children just enough so they can accept the propaganda, but not too much so they can see it.
In 1998 the government passed the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 prohibiting the creation of any new grammar schools without the approval and administration of the government.
“I wonder why?”