Лектор докладно проаналізувала разом з учасниками 5 правил пунктуації, які необхідно знати юристам, а саме:

• 1. Вступ. Загальні правила пунктуації юридичної англійської мови.
• 2. Крапка. Три крапки.
• 3. Кома. Oxford Comma: вживати чи не вживати в юридичній англійській мові. Обговорення судових справ.
• 4. Двокрапка. Крапка з комою. Особливості використання.
• 5. Практичні завдання за темою заходу

У рамках характеристики правил пунктуації акцентовано на наступному:

1. Вступ. Загальні правила пунктуації юридичної англійської мови

Modern legal drafters have begun to use punctuation in the same way that ordinary writers use punctuation – to give guidance about meaning.

An analysis of multilingual legal documents by the European Commission revealed that 16% of translation errors were caused by incorrect punctuation. These errors often led to misinterpretations in international agreements.

Punctuation is the tool that allows us to organize our thoughts and make it easier to review and share our ideas. The standard English punctuation is as follows:

• Period, Full Stop (.),
• Comma (,),
• Apostrophe (‘),
• Quotation (‘’ ’’) ,
• Question Mark (?),
• Exclamation Mark (!),
• Square brackets [ ],
• Parenthesis ( ),
• Dash (–),
• Hyphen (-),
• Ellipsis (…),
• Colon (:),
• Semicolon (;).

Research on U.S. federal statutes found that 8% of legal challenges filed in appellate courts involved disputes over the interpretation of punctuation marks. This highlights the role of punctuation in shaping judicial outcomes.

2. Крапка. Три крапки

Full stop – The British English term.

Period – The American English term.

Full stops should be used in the following situations:

• At the end of all sentences that are not questions (?) or exclamations (!). The next word should normally begin with a capital letter.
• After abbreviations. For example, ‘Sun. 10 June’.
• When a sentence ends with a quotation which itself ends with a full stop, question mark, or exclamation mark, no further full stop is required.
• If the quotation is short, and the sentence introducing it is more important, the full stop is put outside the quotation marks. For example: on the door were written the words ‘no entry’.
• A sequence of three full stops indicates an omission from the text. A fourth full stop should be added if this comes at the end of a sentence. For example, ‘this handbook . . . is exceptionally useful. . . . I refer to it every day.’

Period: Latin Phrases and Punctuation

Legal English frequently uses Latin terms like etc. (et cetera – and so on), or i.e. (id est – that is), which come with their own punctuation rules that must be used correctly to ensure professional communication.

The Cost of Ambiguity: A report by the International Association of Contract and Commercial Management (IACCM) estimates that ambiguities in contracts, including punctuation-related issues, cost businesses an average of 9% of their annual revenue.

3. Кома. Oxford Comma: вживати чи не вживати в юридичній англійській мові. Обговорення судових справ

Commas are used to show a short pause within a sentence. They should be used with care as a misplaced comma can alter the intended meaning of the sentence.

For example:

• James hit Ian and Edward, then ran away.
• James hit Ian, and Edward then ran away.

At the same time, commas should be used where necessary to clarify meaning.

Simply omitting the commas often leads to ambiguity or an unintended meaning.

For example:

• This lawyer, said the judge, is a fool.
• This lawyer said the judge is a fool.

«Oксфордська кома» (Oxford comma), відома як «гарвардська» та «серійна» кома (Harvard comma, Serial comma або Series comma) ставиться перед сполучниками and, or чи nor, наприкінці речення перед останнім словом у списку перелічуваних однорідних членів речення.

Oxford comma необхідно вживати в юридичних текстах з метою уникнення двозначності та дотримання чіткості та ясного розуміння самого юридичного тексту. Наприклад, The plaintiff must establish duty, breach, causation, and damages.

Без Oxford comma – The company’s website includes instructional manuals, links to other sites and items for sale. (Are the items for sale available on the company’s website or linked on the “other sites”?) .

З Oxford comma – The company’s website includes instructional manuals, links to other sites, and items for sale. (The items for sale are on the company’s website.).

A study by the University of Cambridge analyzed over 1,000 legal documents and found that contracts using the Oxford comma reduced interpretative disputes by 25% compared to those that omitted it.

• Rogers Communications v. Bell Aliant (2006):

This case focused on a comma in a contract clause that stated: “This agreement shall remain in force for five years, and thereafter from year to year unless terminated by either party upon one year’s notice.“

Rogers Communications believed the contract guaranteed a minimum five-year term. However, Bell Aliant argued that the comma after “five years” allowed them to terminate the agreement at any time with one year’s notice, even before the five years ended.

The Canadian telecommunications regulator sided with Bell Aliant, resulting in millions in losses for Rogers.

This case highlighted the importance of carefully reviewing punctuation in contracts to avoid unintended interpretations.

4. Двокрапка. Крапка з комою. Особливості використання

Colon (:)

The colon is usually used to point to information that follows it. It may also be used to link two clauses.

Here are some examples of usage:

• To precede a list (e.g. ‘The following items are included:’).
• To introduce a step from an introduction to a main theme or from a general statement to a particular situation (e.g. ‘The remedy is simple: introduce new rules.’).
• To show cause and effect (e.g. ‘An energetic new director has been appointed: this accounts for the rise in share prices.’).
• To precede an explanation (e.g. ‘The argument used by the defense was as follows:’).

Colons should not be followed by a dash (–). The dash serves no useful purpose in this context.

Semicolon (;)

• The semicolon is used to separate parts of a sentence when a more distinct break is needed than can be provided by a comma, but the parts of the sentence are too closely connected for separate sentences to be used. For example, ‘To err is human; to forgive, divine’.
• In legal writing, semicolons are used to punctuate the end of any sub-clause or paragraph that forms part of a longer sentence.
• However, if the sub-clause or paragraph constitutes the last part of the sentence a full stop may be more appropriate.

5. Практичні завдання за темою заходу

Task: Add proper punctuation.

Original: “All employees who are hired by the company whether full-time part-time or temporary are required to sign the non-disclosure agreement.“

Answer: “All employees who are hired by the company, whether full-time, part-time, or temporary, are required to sign the non-disclosure agreement.”

“In legal writing, punctuation is not just grammar— it’s strategy. A single mark can close a loophole or open Pandora’s box.”

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