English Grammar, Punctuation, and Usage
What the domain covers
This domain tests standard English grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and usage as applied to verbatim transcripts. The goal is not to rewrite a witness’s speech but to punctuate it so the record is readable and unambiguous.
Core rules
- Transcribe words as spoken, including nonstandard grammar, but supply punctuation and capitalization.
- Use a period for a completed statement, a question mark for a direct question, and an em dash or ellipsis for interruption or trailing off.
- Place commas and periods inside closing quotation marks in American style; use quotation marks for exact quoted speech.
- Capitalize proper nouns, titles before names, court names, and “State” when it names a party; lowercase generic “plaintiff,” “defendant,” and “court” unless part of a title.
- Use numerals for money, dates, and times when clarity improves; be consistent within the transcript.
- Watch homophones: affect/effect, principal/principle, waive/wave, elicit/illicit, counsel/council.
Worked example
Spoken: “I told him I won’t go.” If the witness is repeating his own exact words, write: I told him, “I won’t go.” If he is reporting the substance, write: I told him I won’t go. Reasoning: quotation marks signal exact words; the comma introduces the quotation. Do not “fix” “won’t” to “will not” if that changes the spoken form.
Traps
Correcting a witness’s grammar; inserting punctuation that changes meaning; using a comma splice; putting a period outside quotation marks; confusing “your” and “you’re”; capitalizing every legal term.
Key points
- Preserve spoken wording; add punctuation and capitalization for clarity.
- Use quotation marks only for exact quoted speech.
- Keep American punctuation inside closing quotation marks.
- Distinguish generic legal terms from titles and party names.
- Proofread homophones and sentence boundaries, especially in long answers.