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Sentence Strategies for ESL Law Students
Anne M. Enquist
Seattle University School of Law
Key Concepts:
1. Lawyers rely heavily on many sentence patterns that are used in other fields.
• Addition
• Cause/effect
• Condition/result
• Comparison
• Contrast
Given the nature of legal communication, lawyers also use other, less common,
sentence patterns extensively.
• Concession
• Resumption after a concession
• Juxtaposition
• Sequencing for emphasis
• Speculation
2. New sentence strategy for ESL Law Students:
Knowledge of the patterns
+ vocabulary
+ verb tense
+ punctuation
= more options for how to construct sentences
3. Basic sentence pattern → more sophisticated and nuanced options
Copyright Anne M. Enquist 2014
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Addition Pattern
Simple addition (what is added is of equal weight)
Addition terms: “and” “also” “in addition”
Pattern: _[words or phrases] and [words or phrases]
Ex. Crimes of dishonesty include fraud and deceit.
Ex. The driver hit the brakes and swerved right.
Pattern: ____________, __________, and _____________
Ex. The driver saw the cyclist, hit the brakes, and swerved right.
Pattern: _[main clause] , and [main clause] .
Ex. The fence between the fields was down, and Martin’s sheep had moved onto Lee’s
land.
Pattern: ____________ . In addition,__________.
Pattern: _[main clause] ; in addition,_[main clause]_.
Ex. The pipeline will be laid under the river. In addition, it will cross the border.
Ex. The pipeline will be laid under the river; in addition, it will cross the border.
Addition with more sophistication: The second added item gets more weight.
Addition terms: “further” “furthermore” “moreover” “in fact”
Pattern: ____________. Moreover,__________.
Pattern: ____________; moreover,__________.
Ex. All parties to the settlement agreement were represented by legal counsel. Moreover,
the judge in the case reviewed the settlement terms.
Ex. All parties to the settlement agreement were represented by legal counsel; moreover,
the judge in the case reviewed the settlement terms.
Copyright Anne M. Enquist 2014
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Cause/Effect Pattern (or Effect/Cause Pattern)
Cause/effect terms: “because” “since” “so” “consequently” “therefore” “thus”
“accordingly”
Pattern: Because [cause]
Pattern:
[effect]
,
[effect]
because
.
[cause] .
Pattern: ___[cause]______. Consequently,__[effect]______.
Pattern: ___[cause]______; consequently,__[effect]______.
Ex. Because Davis was in jail, he could not have witnessed the accident.
Ex. Davis could not have witnessed the accident because he was in jail.
Ex. Davis was in jail. Consequently, he could not have witnessed the accident.
Ex. Davis was in jail; consequently, he could not have witnessed the accident.
Cause/Effect with more sophistication
The “cause” is treated as a given.
Cause/effect terms: “given” “whereas” “inasmuch as” “in light of” “in view of the fact
that” “as a result of” “considering” “owing to”
Pattern: [cause is a given] , [automatic result] .
Ex. Given that the defendant has an alibi, the police officers must renew their
investigation.
Ex. In light of this new evidence, the defendant wishes to change his plea.
Copyright Anne M. Enquist 2014
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Condition-Result Pattern
Condition-result terms: “if/then” “unless” “until”
Pattern: If
Pattern:
[condition]
[result]
, then
if
[result]
.
[condition]
.
Use present tense in “if” “unless” or “until” condition clauses and future tense in result
clauses.
Ex. If the court hears Singh’s testimony, then it will find the defendant guilty.
Ex. The court will find the defendant guilty if it hears Singh’s testimony.
Comparison Pattern
Comparison terms: “similarly” “likewise” “analogously” “like” “as in”
Pattern:
; similarly,
[A]
Pattern: Like
[A]
,
[B]
[B]
.
.
Ex. The driver in the Smith case was temporarily blinded by oncoming headlights;
similarly, the driver in our case was temporarily blinded by the loss of his contact lens.
Ex. Like the driver in the Smith case who was temporarily blinded by oncoming
headlights, the driver in our case was temporarily blinded by the loss of his contact lens.
Let’s practice
Using one of the patterns above and a comparison term, construct a sentence
that compares the two following people and their actions:
Mr. Jones shot his neighbor’s pet dog because the dog barks incessantly and prevented
Mr. Jones and his family from being able to sleep.
Mr. Smith flattened the tires on his neighbor’s truck because the neighbor drives
carelessly and endangers the children playing in the neighborhood.
Copyright Anne M. Enquist 2014
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Contrast Pattern
Contrast terms: “but” “however” “by contrast” “in contrast” “on the other hand” “on the
contrary” “conversely” “nevertheless” “nonetheless”
[A]
[A]
, but
[B]
.
; however, [B]
.
Ex. The accused claims he did not set the fire, but his girlfriend testified that he
threatened revenge.
Ex. The accused claims he did not set the fire; however, his girlfriend testified that he
threatened revenge.
Contrast nuances—where is the pivot point?
[A]
; however, [B]
.
Ex. The accused claims he did not set the fire; however, his girlfriend testified that he
threatened revenge.
[A]
; [B]
, however, [B]
.
Ex. The accused claims he did not set the fire; he admits, however, that he threatened
revenge.
Let’s practice
Using one of the patterns above and a contrast term, construct a sentence that
contrasts the two following businesses and their actions:
Global Furniture, Inc. pays all of its employees a fair salary.
Worldwide Toys, pays its managers an unusually high salary and its factory workers a
low salary.
An admission and a denial by the defendant:
Ms. Kelly admits buying a gun for protection.
Ms. Kelly denies that she allowed her boyfriend to use the gun to rob the gas station.
Copyright Anne M. Enquist 2014
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Concession
Concession terms: “granted” “of course” “to be sure” “admittedly”
Pattern: Of course [concession]
.
Ex. Of course the younger employees were paid a lower wage.
Resumption after a concession
Resumption terms: “still” “nevertheless” “nonetheless” “even so” “all the same” “that
being said”
Pattern: Of course [concession] ; [resumption]
.
Pattern:
.
[concession] ; even so,
[resumption]
Ex. Of course the younger employees were paid a lower wage; they had less
experience and took longer to do the work.
Juxtaposition Pattern
Placing two things side-by-side forces comparison and highlights differences.
Pattern:
[A]
;
[B]
.
Ex. The victim in the Patel case was 22-year-old male; the victim in this case is a 6year-old female.
Pattern:
[A]
.
[B]
.
Ex. The victim in the Patel case was 22-year-old male. The victim in this case is a 6year-old female.
Let’s practice
Using one of the patterns above and a contrast term, construct a sentence
that juxtaposes the ideas below:
The victim described her assailant as a tall, overweight male with a tattoo on his neck.
The accused is a male with is short and lean, and he has no tattoos.
Copyright Anne M. Enquist 2014
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Sequencing for Emphasis
End position in sequence + emphasizers + punctuation
Pattern:
,
, and
.
Ex. Before awarding custody, the judge must consider the mental and physical health
of all individuals involved, the child’s adjustment to home and school, the wishes of
the parents, the wishes of the child, and the relationship of the child with the parents.
End position in sequence + emphasizers + punctuation
Emphasis terms: “especially” “most importantly” “particularly”
Pattern:
,
, and ,[emphasizer],
.
Ex. Before awarding custody, the judge must consider the mental and physical health
of all individuals involved, the child’s adjustment to home and school, the wishes of
the parents, the wishes of the child, and, most importantly, the relationship of the
child with the parents.
Creating Emphasis with Punctuation
End position + punctuation
Colons and dashes create emphasis
Pattern:
[lead in]
Pattern: [lead in]
: [emphasized point]
-- [emphasized point]
.
.
Ex: The construction contract included a silent partner: his brother.
Ex: The construction contract included a silent partner--his brother.
Copyright Anne M. Enquist 2014
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Speculation
Speculation terms: “if” + “would” “could” “might”
Past tense in “if” clause
Pattern: If [past tense][speculation], would [result] .
Ex. If the witness saw the defendant’s car at the accident scene, he would have also
seen the defendant.
Pattern: might [result] if [past tense][speculation] .
Ex. The judge might be sympathetic if she believed the accused was remorseful.
Speculation with nuance
Speculating about something that did not happen and possible result
Speculation terms: “if” + past perfect tense (“had”)
“would have” “could have” “might have”
Pattern: If [something that did not happen], [possible result] .
Ex. If the defendant had spoken to Mr. Torres, he would have apologized to him, not
threatened him.
Ex. The tenants could have complained to the building manager if he had been
available.
Copyright Anne M. Enquist 2014