Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Sentence problems 5--expletives

According to usage experts, "expletives" are wasted words that serve only to fulfill the requirements of English grammar. The most common examples are the often unnecessary phrases "it is," "there is," and "there are." When possible, delete these phrases and rewrite; the result will be stronger, more direct sentences.

Weak: There are some clients who just want to be vindicated.

Better: Some clients just want to be vindicated.

Weak: It is unrealistic to plan a deposition for Friday afternoon.

Better: Planning a deposition for Friday afternoon is unrealistic.

--Excerpted from Better Legal Writing

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