1. NUMBERS: Spell out only whole numbers from one to ninety-nine (and their multiples).
Examples:
Spell out three thousand; do not spell out 235
Spell out forty-two hundred; do not spell out 8,642
There are 2 exceptions: i) opening a sentence, and ii) expressing percentages
2. FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD: It is not firstly, secondly, and thirdly
Examples:
Wrong – Secondly, the plaintiff failed to secure a surety bond.
Correct – Second, the plaintiff failed to secure a surety bond.
3. LAY/LIE: The confusion: “lay” is the present tense of “to lay” and it is the past tense of “to lie”
to lay – requires an object – past tense is laid
to lie – never has an object – past tense is lay
Example
I lay down and laid my head on the pillow.
4. BETWEEN/AMONG: If there are no more than two, between should be used; if more than two, among should be used.
Examples:
One pivotal case was between oil companies Conoco and BP and representatives of the food industry.
The court split the judgment equally among the three defendants.
-er – never more than two
-est – never fewer than three
Example:
This is the shorter brief.
5. QUOTATION MARKS: Always place outside the comma and the period. Always place inside the colon and the semicolon
Examples:
I was in the den reading Poe’s “The Telltale Heart.”
I was in the den reading Poe’s “The Telltale Heart”; I didn’t even hear the screams emanating from the microwave.
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