Legal Writing Handbook
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I. Writing In The Law Office (cont.)
B. Common Grammar Problems (cont.)
Verb Tenses
A verb is an action word or a word showing state of being. It can take an object (transitive) or not (intransitive). "To be" is a linking verb.
English is honored in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the most irregular verbs of any language.
Even native speakers of English hesitate before writing the past tense of "to swim," "to stink," or "to sneak."
Some of the most common irregular verbs you may encounter in legal writing include the following:
| Present Tense | Past Tense | Past
Participle (have, has, had) |
| arise | arose | arisen |
| awake | awoke or awaked | awaked or awoke |
| beat | beat | beaten |
| become | became | become |
| begin | began | begun |
| bite | bit | bitten |
| blow | blew | blown |
| break | broke | broken |
| bring | brought | brought |
| burst | burst | burst |
| buy | bought | bought |
| come | came | come |
| choose | chose | chosen |
| cling | clung | clung |
| cost | cost | cost |
| drag | dragged | dragged |
| do | did | done |
| draw | drew | drawn |
| drink | drank | drunk |
| drive | drove | driven |
| eat | ate | eaten |
| fall | fell | fallen |
| fight | fought | fought |
| fling | flung | flung |
| fly | flew | flown |
| forget | forgot | forgotten or forgot |
| freeze | froze | frozen |
| get | got | got or gotten |
| give | gave | given |
| go | went | gone |
| grow | grew | grown |
| hang
(a picture) |
hung | hung |
| hang
(a criminal) |
hanged | hanged |
| hear | heard | heard |
| hit | hit | hit |
| hurt | hurt | hurt |
| know | know | known |
| lay
(place) |
laid | laid |
| lead | led | led |
| leave | left | left |
| let | let | let |
| lie
(fib) |
lied | lied |
| lie
(recline) |
lay | lain |
| lose | lost | lost |
| pay | paid | paid |
| put | put | put |
| read | read | read |
| ride | rode | ridden |
| ring | rang | rung |
| rise | rose | risen |
| run | ran | run |
| say | said | said |
| see | saw | seen |
| set | set | set |
| shake | shook | shaken |
| show | showed | showed or shown |
| sing | sang | sung |
| sink | sank or sunk | sunk |
| sit | sat | sat |
| sleep | slept | slept |
| sneak | sneaked | sneaked |
| speak | spoke | spoken |
| spring | sprang or sprung | sprung |
| steal | stole | stolen |
| stink | stank | stunk |
| swear | swore | sworn |
| swim | swam | swum |
| swing | swung | swung |
| take | took | taken |
| teach | taught | taught |
| tear | tore | torn |
| tell | told | told |
| think | thought | thought |
| throw | threw | thrown |
| wake | woke or waked | waked or woken |
| wear | wore | worn |
| wet | wet | wet |
| write | wrote | written |
Subject-verb agreement is such a problem because English verbs only have one remaining inflection for person and number. The third person singular form of verbs adds "-s."
you walk - you walk
he walks -they walk
she walks
it walks
The verb "to be" is irregular. It is conjugated as follows:
you are -you are
he is - they are
she is
it is
For all practical purposes, the verb "to be" is so natural you need not worry about it too much. The only real concern is whether certain subjects are singular or plural.
- Each, every, and many are singular.
- Many is plural.
- Anybody, everybody, somebody, nobody, anything, and everything are singular.
- Few and both are plural.
Singular nouns ending in "-s" are still singular:
A compound subject is plural:
Two singular subjects connected by "or" or "nor" are singular:
Neither Bill nor Joe is here.
When a singular subject and a plural subject are joined by "or" or "nor," you use the verb form appropriate for the part of the "or" clause that is nearest the verb:
Either the Jets or Bennie is at the party.
Some writers say to try to put the plural side of the "or" clause next to the verb, but there is really little basis for that rule.
About the only thing that you must remember about the genitive is that genitive pronouns do not have apostrophes (with the sole exception of "one's," which means "that which belongs to one.")
This is tricky because the possessive of genitive pronouns is often confused with the following contractions:
It's means "it is."
Who's means "who is."
You're means "you are."
- The possessive of it is its (no apostrophe), if you are talking about something that belongs to a thing.
- The possessive of who is whose (no apostrophe), if you are talking about something that belongs to an undetermined person.
- The possessive of you is your.
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