(Semi)colons, Commas, and Capitalization oh my!
Name two ways to fix the single error:
Brewer’s best argument against a finding of a common law marriage is that the relationship was inconsistent with the nature of marriage, however the court is not likely to accept this argument as Hill could reasonably interpret the relationship as a marriage.
1. Replace the comma with a period
2. Replace the comma with a semicolon
What are the components of a case illustration in order?
1. Hook
2. Holding
3. Trigger Facts
4. Reasoning
Identify the error in this citation (and the Bluebook rule for an extra point!):
Id at 507.
There should be an italicized period after Id.
Properly add an apostrophe to the words below:
It (singular, possessive)
Crow (plural, possessive)
Cactus (plural, possessive)
Williams (singular, possessive)
Its
Crows’
Cacti’s or Cactuses’
Williams’s
Which of the following is a synonym of “ergo”?
A. Aforementioned
B. Therefore
C. Henceforth
D. Because
B. Therefore
Identify all grammatical errors:
On a dreary Tuesday, much like this one, Brewer began her tumultuous relationship with Hill, a man who certainly is not prepared for marriage, in a town south of Mount Lemmon.
No grammatical errors
What five components do you typically include in a roadmap?
1. Conclusion
2. Policy Concerns
3. Big Rule Statement
4. Other general legal propositions (e.g., the burden)
5. Big Application
*This list is not in a particular order*
Identify the two errors in this case name:
In re Malli’s Estate,
1. Estate should be abbreviated to Est.
2. The correct format is In re Est. of Malli
Identify the errors in the following quote:
“Biondi was then advised that Carroll had divorced Perdue and that Wilson Paul Fisher, Jr. “is her husband now.” On October 21, 1968, the decedent introduced Carroll to a friend, Melvin Moore, as “my wife, Carroll.””
The inside quotation marks should be single, not double, quotation marks.
“Biondi was then advised that Carroll had divorced Perdue and that Wilson Paul Fisher, Jr. ‘is her husband now.’ On October 21, 1968, the decedent introduced Carroll to a friend, Melvin Moore, as ‘my wife, Carroll.’”
What is the word count for the final memo?
2,500
Identify the error this sentence made:
In Stodola, the Court held the couple had a present intent and agreement to be married when they signed a notarized statement that they were common law married. In re Est. of Stodola, 519 N.W.2d 97, 100 (Iowa Ct. App. 1994).
"Court" should not be capitalized since the Iowa Court of Appeals is not (1) the U.S. Supreme Court, (2) the highest tribunal whose laws govern the outcome, or (3) the court being addressed.
Identify the three errors in the following sentences of an application section:
Unlike the couple in Martin who held individual credit cards, Brewer and Hill opened a joint credit card. Furthermore, like in Winegard, Brewer accepted and wore a wedding ring and received mail under the title “Mr. and Mrs. Hill.” In re Marriage of Winegard, 278 N.W.2d 505, 511 (Iowa 1979).
1. The “unlike” comparison comes before the “like” comparison.
2. The second sentence is not apples-to-apples (i.e. it does not include similar trigger facts from Winegard).
3. There should not be a citation in the application section.
Identify the four errors in this citation:
In re Nichols, No. 23-0767, 2024 WL 697752 (Iowa App. 2024).
1. The correct case name is In re Marriage of Nichols
2. The citation is missing a pincite
3. The court should include Ct. (Iowa Ct. App.)
4. Unpublished decisions require a full date
Identify the two errors in this sentence:
“The public declaration or holding out to the public is considered to be the acid test of a common law marriage;” the Court went on to say that “[t]his means there can be no secret common law marriage”. In re Marriage of Martin, 681 N.W.2d 612, 618 (Iowa 2004).
1. The semicolon belongs outside of the quotation marks
2. The final period belongs inside the quotation marks
Identify and correct the errors in the following sentences:
After Mr. Hill lost his job, he was welcomed into Ms. Brewer’s home. Hill was expected to contribute to his and Brewer’s rent, but he played video games all day instead. Having become frustrated with Hill’s unreliability, Brewer ended her relationship with him.
The first two sentences include passive voice that a student can correct in a number of ways. They include:
1. After Mr. Hill lost his job, Brewer welcomed him into her home.
2. Brewer expected Hill to contribute to their rent, but he played video games all day instead.
Identify the error in this sentence (45 seconds):
Hill, a lazy irresponsible partner, proposed with a carnival ring, failed to feed the dog, and hopped from job to job.
There should be a comma between “lazy” and “irresponsible”
Identify the two errors in the following sentences that start a case illustration:
A couple is less likely to have had a present intent and agreement to be married if the partners portrayed themselves as married only when it was convenient. In re Marriage of Nichols, No. 23-0767, 2024 WL 697752, at *3 (Iowa Ct. App. Feb. 21, 2024); see also In re Est. of Malli, 149 N.W.2d 155, 157 (Iowa 1967) (holding that the couple lacked a present intent and agreement to be married where one partner used her maiden name on all business and legal documents except when she filed taxes jointly with her partner). In Nichols, the court held . . .
1. The parenthetical is in the middle of the case illustration rather than the end
2. The case illustration is of an unpublished opinion while the parenthetical is of a published opinion from the Iowa Supreme Court. Given the hierarchy of authority, it would be more effective to use the published case as a case illustration and the unpublished decision as a parenthetical.
Identify the six errors in this citation:
In Re Marriage of Derryberry, No. 13-0408, 2014 Iowa App. Lexis 632 5 (Iowa Ct. App. June 25, 2014).
1. Re should not be capitalized
2. LEXIS should be in all caps
3. There should be a comma following 632
4. There should be an “at” before the pincite
5. There should be an asterisk before the pincite
6. The court should be removed from the parenthetical because it is included in the database identifier
Identify both errors:
Brewer filed taxes as married, received a ring, and says Hill “is a lazy…person who can’t hold down a job.”
1. Change "says" to "said" to match the past tense verbs (parallelism)
2. The ellipses are improperly spaced and should have a space between each period . . . like this
What elective did:
(1) Kayla take last semester;
(2) Jacqe take last semester; or
(3) Christian take last semester?
(1) Family Law
(2) Federal Income Tax
(3) Biz Orgs
Identify all five errors:
Unsurprisingly a Court is probably going to make the wrong decision here and find a Common Law Marriage: everyone knows they hate dogs and love carnivals.
1. Add a comma after “Unsurprisingly”
2. Do not capitalize "Court" since this sentence is not directed at a known court handling this matter, for there is no known court handling this matter
3. Do not capitalize "Common Law Marriage"
4. The colon should be a semicolon
5. Court is an “it”
Identify the two errors in the following point heading for the CREAC on present intent and agreement to be married:
A. The element is not met because Brewer and Hill only portrayed themselves as married when doing so was convenient.
1. The point heading does not specify which element is at issue in the following CREAC.
2. The point heading includes a conclusion rather than the operative facts.
Identify and correct the five errors in this citation:
Id.; See e.g. Fisher, 176 N.W. 2d at 805.
Id.; see, e.g., Fisher, 176 N.W.2d at 805.
1. See should not be capitalized because it does not start the citation sentence
2. See and e.g. should be italicized
3. There should be an italicized comma after “see”
4. There should be an unitalicized comma after “e.g.”
5. There should not be a space between N.W. and 2d
Identify the four errors in the following sentence:
“Three elements must exist to create a common law marriage: “(1) [present] intent and agreement ... to be married by both parties; (2) continuous cohabitation; and (3) public declaration that the parties are husband and wife.” ” In re Marriage of Martin, 681 N.W.2d 612, 617 (Iowa 2004) (Quoting In re Marriage of Winegard, 278 N.W.2d 505, 510 (Iowa 1979).).
1. Ellipses are not spaced out
2. Should have single quotes from “(1)” to “wife.”
3. “Quoting” should not be capitalized
4. There should not be a period inside of the parenthetical.
Where did Professor Lett go over fall break?
San Diego, California