New Law College

Name of the Student: Mahesh Bhambu Kutekar

Roll No: 227

Class and Division: F Y LLB / C

Subject: Legal Language

Topic of Assignment: Grammar usage (Brief revision of grammar

and abbreviations)

Sir/Ma’am,

I have taken the above-mentioned topic for my F.Y.LLB Semester I

assignment.
INTRODUCTION

There are so many languages spoken all over the world, it is said that in India
approximately at a distance of every 10 Km the language of people changes. There are some
languages which are used only for speaking, they does not exist on paper or there is no any
written mechanism for the same. The languages which are available in written form and in which
we have some material available are generally used for day to day written and official
communication.

While any language develops it is very important to see the grammar of that
language. Rather I would say grammar is the backbone of any language, the person who is well
versed with grammar can very well read write and speak in that language. A person who does not
know how to read and write a particular language may speak the language but he may not be
grammatically correct all the times because the person has learnt to speak the language by
listening to different people around him like how any one of us learns to speak their mother
tounge.

To ensure you are able to communicate properly in any language you have to keep
on refreshing the grammar and punctuations of that language. Person who uses native language
may make mistake while speaking as people around him may be making same mistake while
speaking in that particular language, it does not sound wrong until they meet some person who
has learnt same language otherwise.

Similarly, punctuation is defined as “the marks, such as period, comma, and

parentheses, used in writing to separate sentences and their elements and to clarify meaning.”
Punctuation is sometimes taken for granted or used incorrectly, particularly in digital
communication like text messaging and social media.

GRAMMAR:

Grammatical errors can change the meaning of any word or sentence drastically or it
can simply distract from your message. Further, grammatical missteps can often weaken the
writer’s credibility, potentially causing your audience to not take your message seriously.

PARTS OF SPEECH:
 “Parts of speech” are the basic types of words in English language. Most grammar books
say that there are eight parts of speech; Nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns,
conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections.

It is important to recognize and identify different types of words in English so that you
can understand grammar explanations and use right word form in the right place.

COMMON GRAMMAR, USAGE AND PUNCTUATION PROBLEMS:

Technical writing professionals try to simplify grammar rules as much as possible

without hurting the language or putting themselves.

Period (.)

The Period is also called full stop in England. A period declares the end of sentence. It also
indicates the separation of sentences so that the readers cannot mix up different sentences. A
period is used at the end of a sentence which is complete and not a question or exclamatory
sentence.

For example: Amit is 20 years old. He is currently working with XYZ Corporation. He stays in
Mumbai.

Question Mark (?)

The question mark is used to complete the sentences that form a direct question. Indirect
questions are regarded as statements; and in that case we use full stop and not question mark.

For example: Where are you going ?

Which is your favourite subject ?

I don’t know where is is going. (A statement, not a direct question.)

Exclamation Mark (!)

The note of exclamation indicates excitement either positive or negative. It can also be
used for giving additional importance to sentences, phrases, or single words, and especially to
commands and interjections.

For example: What a beautiful picture!

I can’t believe he could say that!

 I am really going to miss this place!

Comma (,)

The Comma is the most useful and common punctuation mark in English. It has an
important role in making a written form of English easy to read. Commas usually add breathing
scope for the readers in Sentences, so that their thoughts cannot get all jumped up. A comma has
many uses.

i) Comma between independent Clauses:

Usually a comma separates two independent clauses when they are connected
by certain coordinating conjunctions.

For example: I wanted to watch movie after dinner, but I could not tell her as I was confused
about her reactions.

ii) Comma after introductory Clauses, phrases and Expression:

Commas are used not only between independent clauses but also after introductory
clauses and phrases. Some expressions and connections which are placed at the beginning of
sentence also require comma after them.

For example: Before start riding it, you should read the instructions.

Well, I cannot play in the next match.

However, Dinesh will play in the next match.

iii) Series Comma:

Commas are used to separate multiple items of the same category in a series.
These items can be series of words, phrases, or clauses.

For example: We brought pizzas, burgers, chocolates and a chocolate cake on tour.

He is a player, a singer, an actor, and a director.

 iv) Comma before question tag:
Commas are used before a tag question which is usually a reassuring statement of
sentence’s overall idea.

For example: They are ready to go, aren’t they?

He loves you, doesn’t he?

v) Comma in direct address:

Commas are used in vocative uses. Calling someone by name or directly

referring to them requires separation by commas.

For example: Listen, you have to come with me on tour.

You know, kid, when I was of your age, I used to go out a lot.

vi) Commas in names and dates:

Commas are used to separate names of places and dates.

For example: They were married April 05, 2013, in Mumbai. (No comma is necessary if only
month and day is written. Example. They were married on April 5 in Mumbai.

Colon (:)

Colons are the least used punctuation mark. The usage is very limited. Yet, if you know
how to use them, you will be able to use them in your writing.

i) Colons are used in salutations of formal letters.

For example: Dear Sir:

To whom it may concern:

To all members:

ii) Colons sometimes introduce a series / list to describe some new information after a
complete sentence.
For example: The fruit seller had three kind of fruit: bananas, apples and oranges.

iii) A colon is also used to connect two independent clauses where the first one explains
the second clause or logically follows it. The first word after a colon usually is not
capitalized unless the colon introduces a series of new sentences or independent
clauses.

For example: He was just thinking only one thing: what was his dog doing then?

iv) Colons are used for expressing TIME in figures.

For example: 1:30 AM

6:30 PM

4.35 in the morning

Semicolon (;)

Semicolons are almost like periods, but they connect two independent clauses or
sentences together instead of using a coordinating conjunction. Semicolons between the two
clauses or sentences indicate that the clauses are closely related. Semicolons can be replaced by
the coordinating conjunctions.

For example: We do not need a car now; want to sell it.

Common transitional expressions such as therefore, for instance, namely, indeed, additionally,
further, moreover, likewise, and finally are used after a semicolon to start a new clause.

For example: We used to love hunting; however, it is not legal.

He does not like me; likewise, I do not like him.

Hyphen (-)

Hyphens combine words together to make Compound Nouns/Adjectives. Hyphens are

also used with some suffixes and prefixes, such as -like, -wise, anti-, and post- to make new
adjectives.

For example: Anti – violent

Dog – like

Ability – wise
 Decision - making

Compound numbers and continuous numbers require hyphen in them. A hyphen is used
with compound numbers from 21 to 99 in words and with fractions which work as adjectives in
the sentence. Fractions which are nouns don’t need hyphens.

For example: Sixty - five

Twenty - five

Their age is 23-25

B R Ambedkar (1891 – 1956)

Dash (-)

A dash hints a brief break in thought or helps to add information to a sentence. A dash has no
space before or after it.

For example: The man was running around the building – I couldn’t see his face – and
disappeared down the alley.

This house – and every house on the street – will be connected with this wire.

A dash can replace the conjunctions such as namely, that is, or in other words to add new
information or explanation.

For example: I was thinking about another road – the one through New York.

.Apostrophe (‘)

An apostrophe indicates possession and the exclusion of letters in contractions.

For example: They’re going to London.

I’m not going anywhere.

Someone’s glasses

Quotation marks (“…..” ‘…..’)

Quotation marks are used for enclosing direct quotations of written or spoken words of
others, or dialog said by characters in fiction.
 They are also called quote marks or just quotes for short. The first of the pair is
the opening or open quote. It curves to the right: “ ‘. The second one is the closing or close
quote. It curves to the left:’ ”.

For example: Have you seen the music video for the song “despacito”?

“Play with aggression” shouted the coach.

Your exact words were “get out of my room.”

Parentheses – ()

Parentheses block off materials that interrupt the text to add information.

For example: The parks (in India) are always crowded.

We provide lot of services. (Visit our website)

Brackets

Brackets enclose the additional things in the quoted material. These additions are used for
clarifications of the words or phrases of the quoted materials.

For example: “It [the river] taught me all I ever knew about life.”

“Every Man[sic] must die one day.”

Types of Sentences

When we refer to grammar, we are generally speaking about how language is formed at
the sentence level. Words are the foundation of sentences, and in the previous section we learned
about what types of words make up the main part of speech. Here we focus on how we put those
words together to try to create meaning. In future chapters we will keep building on this to learn
about paragraphs and how we then use those in various formats like letters, memos, and reports.

The first part of this review will focus on the three main types of sentences: simple, compound,
and complex sentences.

Simple Sentences:
 Simple sentence contains one subject – verb pair and expresses a complete thought. That
may contain more than one subject.

For example: My wife and I got married in Pune.

Simple sentence may also contain more than one verb. For example, He cut the grass and put
away the lawnmover.

Compound Sentences:

The second type of sentence, the compound sentence, consist of two simple sentences
joined by a coordinating conjunction.

There are seven coordinating conjuctions : for, and, nor, but , or , yet, so. A comma precedes a
coordinating conjunction, which joins two simple sentences.

Complex sentences:

Clauses are groups of words that contain subjects and verbs. There are two types:
independent clauses and dependent clauses. An independent clause, in addition to containing a
subject and verb, expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as simple sentence. A
dependent clause on its own is just part of a sentence or fragment. It must be joined to an
independent clause for it to make sense and present a complete thought to the reader.

Conclusion:

After studying all the above we can get just brief knowledge about usage of grammar and
punctuations. How grammar is important in any language and with the help of command over
grammar we can become expert in that language. What are the rules to use of a particular
punctuation and lot more?

We generally use comma and semicolon interchangeably but after doing this there is
some clarity that is coming in my mind about usage of comma and semicolon are different and it
should be used appropriately.
Webliography:

1. https://www.learngrammar.net/english-grammar/punctuation
2. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/punctuation
3. https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/profcommsontario/chapter/gra
mmar-and-punctuation/