Introduction

Written English can be used in a wide variety of contexts, with equally widely varying degrees of formality. An example drawn from one end of the scale would be a simple note to remind yourself of something you need to do (in which more or less anything goes, including, for example, abbreviations which only you would understand, and from which grammar may be wholly absent).

This chapter is about writing English in the relatively formal context of academic work. Many readers of this book will have highly developed skills in written English; but experience shows that there will be many others who lack the ability to express themselves clearly and accurately when writing formal English. Unfortunately, experience also shows that the latter category not infrequently includes students who embark on degree-level study with good A-level grades behind them, as well as students on postgraduate conversion courses whose degrees did not require much, if anything, in the way of essay writing in either coursework or examinations.

This chapter, therefore, provides a basic survival guide to the standard conventions of grammar, punctuation and spelling which will usually be expected when you are writing law essays and examination answers, together with some guidance as to the kind of style which will be appropriate. However, before turning to the substance of these topics, it must be conceded that those readers who have the greatest need to improve their written English are likely to find that a good deal of hard work is required. Nevertheless, these readers can be confidently assured of three things. First, the craft of good, formal writing can be learned by anyone who is prepared to work sufficiently hard at it.

True ease in writing comes from Art not Chance,

As those move easiest who have learn’d to dance.

Secondly, once the craft has been learned, its practice becomes very largely automatic. Thirdly, the effort of learning how to write formal English well will not be wasted. As Dr Johnson put it, ‘what is written without effort is in general read without pleasure’. From the student’s perspective, of course, there is the additional – and not unimportant – point that material which is written in a way that pleases the examiner is likely to be rewarded with a higher mark than the less appropriately written offerings of other students.

Two problems face anyone who tries to teach people how to write formal English well. First, they lay themselves open to the charge of linguistic (and even cultural) fascism. After all, conventions of grammar, punctuation, spelling and style all change with the passing of time. Moreover, it is in the nature of things that most of those who teach and examine are likely to be older than most of those whom they are teaching and examining. Therefore, while it is reasonable to ask why the conventions which examiners absorbed – perhaps twenty, thirty or even forty years ago – should be regarded as being more appropriate than those absorbed much more recently by their students, the psychological fact of the matter is simply that many examiners do tend to see things this way. And wise students will accept this fact as being one which they cannot change. More particularly, as we have already said, pleasing the examiner is likely to pay dividends in terms of marks. Furthermore, as you move out of the world of education and into the world of employment, many of the people under whom you will be working will share the expectations which your examiners had.

Secondly, those who provide guidance as to what constitutes good, formal writing always put themselves at risk of being criticised for failing to follow their own prescriptions. In this case it is the teachers who are called upon to display wisdom by accepting that they are unlikely to maintain the highest standards all the time. However, few teachers should object to having their shortcomings drawn to their attention, since it is only capable students who will be able to do this; and there are few things more gratifying than teaching capable students.

Before we proceed to the substance of grammar, punctuation, spelling and style, it will be well worthwhile to introduce the mongoose principle, which will provide you with the solution to many of the problems you will encounter when writing formal English.