CA Court Reporter cheat sheet

Subject-verb agreement: a singular subject takes a singular verb; compound subjects joined by 'and' take a plural verb unless the compound is a single unit.

Pronoun case: use nominative case (I, he, she, they) for subjects; objective case (me, him, her, them) for objects of verbs or prepositions.

Comma rule: use a comma before a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) joining two independent clauses.

Semicolon: use between independent clauses not joined by a conjunction; use between items in a series when items contain commas.

Colon: use after an independent clause to introduce a list, explanation, or quotation; not after a verb or preposition.

Apostrophe: use 's for singular possessive; s' for plural possessive ending in s; no apostrophe for plural nouns.

Spelling: i before e except after c, or when sounded like 'ay' as in neighbor and weigh; exceptions include seize, weird, leisure.

Hyphenation: hyphenate compound adjectives before a noun (well-known author) but not after (the author is well known).

Affect (verb: to influence) vs. effect (noun: result; verb: to bring about).

Principal (adj: main; noun: head of school or sum of money) vs. principle (noun: rule or belief).

Ensure (make certain), insure (protect against loss), assure (convince or promise).

Use 'that' for restrictive clauses (essential to meaning); use 'which' for nonrestrictive clauses (set off by commas).

Fewer vs. less: fewer for countable items; less for uncountable quantities.

Between vs. among: between for two entities; among for three or more.

Avoid double negatives (e.g., 'didn't do nothing'); use a single negative or a positive with 'any'.

In legal writing, 'shall' denotes mandatory action; 'may' denotes permissive action.

Title page includes court name, case caption, case number, date, and reporter's name and CSR number.

Use 25 numbered lines per page; line numbers appear on the left margin.

Colloquy is single-spaced; each speaker's name is typed in uppercase followed by a colon.

Parentheticals (e.g., '(Whereupon, the following proceedings were held.') appear in parentheses and are single-spaced.

Exhibits are marked for identification; the reporter notes the exhibit number and description in parentheses.

Indent questions and answers 10 spaces from the left margin; continuation lines return to the left margin.

Certification page includes the reporter's signature, date, and statement of accuracy.

Real-time feed requires a CAT system and a backup connection; the reporter must ensure the feed is live before proceedings begin.

Jurisdiction: the authority of a court to hear a case; subject-matter jurisdiction cannot be waived.

Venue: the geographic location where a case is tried; improper venue can be waived.

Stare decisis: courts follow precedent from higher courts in the same jurisdiction.

Burden of proof: in criminal cases, beyond a reasonable doubt; in civil cases, preponderance of the evidence (or clear and convincing in some matters).

Direct examination: questioning by the party who called the witness; cross-examination: questioning by the opposing party.

Hearsay: an out-of-court statement offered for the truth of the matter asserted; subject to exceptions.

Voir dire: jury selection process; also used for preliminary examination of a witness's qualifications.

Mens rea: the mental state required for a crime; actus reus: the physical act.

Common medical prefixes: hyper- (over), hypo- (under), tachy- (fast), brady- (slow), dys- (difficult).

Common suffixes: -itis (inflammation), -ectomy (removal), -otomy (incision), -plasty (repair), -ology (study of).

Vital signs: blood pressure (systolic/diastolic), heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature, oxygen saturation.

Common medications: analgesic (pain relief), antibiotic (infection), anti-inflammatory (swelling), anticoagulant (blood thinning).

Diagnostic tests: MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), CT (computed tomography), EKG/ECG (electrocardiogram), CBC (complete blood count).

Anatomical terms: anterior (front), posterior (back), lateral (side), medial (middle), proximal (near), distal (far).

In technical testimony, transcribe acronyms as spoken on first use and spell out if the witness provides the expansion.

Use correct spelling for medical terms; when uncertain, mark with '(phonetic)' and verify.

Reporters must be impartial and may not give legal advice or alter the record to favor a party.

Confidentiality: do not disclose information from proceedings except as required by law or court order.

A reporter must not report a proceeding in which they are a party or have a conflict of interest.

Certification: maintain licensure and complete required continuing education.

Transcripts must be a true, complete, and accurate record; errors must be corrected only by the reporter with a certificate of correction.

Ex parte communications with a judge or party about a pending case are prohibited.

Reporters must not accept gifts or favors that could influence their work.

When a witness speaks indistinctly, the reporter may ask for clarification on the record; do not guess.

Stenotype keyboard has 22 keys: 4 vowels (A, O, E, U), 10 initial consonants, 10 final consonants, and a number bar.

Stroke order: initial consonants, vowels, final consonants; numbers are typed from the number bar.

Briefs: shortened strokes for common words (e.g., 'and' = SKP); maintain a personal dictionary.

Real-time translation requires consistent writing and a well-maintained CAT dictionary.

Proofread transcripts against audio; check for homophones, names, and numbers.

Use global define to add new terms; test definitions before use.

Backup files: save frequently and maintain a backup copy of the dictionary and transcript files.

Accuracy rate: professional standard is 95% or higher on transcription; verify with random sampling.

Identify the main idea and supporting details; distinguish fact from opinion.

Inference: draw logical conclusions based on evidence in the text, not personal assumptions.

Context clues: use surrounding words to determine the meaning of unfamiliar terms.

Proofreading steps: read for content, then for grammar, then for punctuation, then for spelling.

Check for consistency in tense, number, and terminology throughout the document.

Verify proper names, case numbers, and dates against the record.

Use spell-check but do not rely on it; manually review homophones and legal terms.

Read aloud to catch missing words or awkward phrasing.