Sometimes grammar determines a case’s outcome

Knowing the rules of grammar will certainly help the form of your argument. But in cases involving statutory or contractual interpretation, it might help the substance of your argument too. In Why Grammar Matters: Conjugating Verbs in Modern Legal Opinions, Prof. Robert C. Farrell surveys several cases in which the outcome was determined by the court’s grammatical analysis. The lesson: When the case turns on statutory or contractual interpretation, knowledge of grammar may help you craft the winning argument.