CORRECT CHOICE

OF WORDS

Group 9
Atian, Ia Dulce
Daria, Maria
Maquiling, Ramil

The beginning of wisdom

is the definition of terms.
-Socrates

Every word has its own connotation or

explicit meaning. There is therefore no exact
synonym or exact equivalence of different
words. However, there is a range of context
in which a word may be used loosely and is
certain to be more appropriate than any
other word.

WORDS COMMONLY USED

IN LEGAL WRITING

ACCEDE / CONCEDE / EXCEED

ACCEDE means to yield or consent or
to agree.
CONCEDE means to give way or to
yield.
EXCEED means to surpass.

ACCORDINGLY /
CONSEQUENTLY
ACCORDINGLY means in a suitable
way and is used to link verbs.
Accordingly, this Court finds no reason to depart
from the findings of fact of the trial court and the
CA.

CONSEQUENTLY means as a result of

and is used to link ideas.
Consequently, the trial court and the CA correctly
awarded moral damages to petitioner.

ACCURATE / CORRECT / EXACT

/ PRECISE / RIGHT
ACCURATE stresses the painstaking care necessary for the
attainment of fidelity to truth or fact. It suggests that there are
degrees of conformity to a standard.
CORRECT suggests, aside from a conformity to standard, the
absence of error, fault or mistake.
EXACT emphasizes great accuracy in measuring quantities and
qualities.
PRECISE suggests great accuracy with regard to minute details.
RIGHT refers to moral behavior and contains a hint of moral
approval.

ACCUSATION / ALLEGATION
ACCUSATION means a charge of
wrongdoing;
ALLEGATION means a statement made
without proof.

ACKNOWLEDGE / ADMIT /
AVOW / CONCEDE /CONFESS
You ACKNOWLEDGE something embarrassing or awkward,
usually not voluntarily. It implies the reluctant disclosure of
something one preferred to keep secret.
You ADMIT something formerly denied or tended to
equivocate about. It implies conceding after a prodding.

You AVOW by making an open, emphatic or affirmative

declaration.
You CONCEDE something which you have been very
reluctant to admit.
You CONFESS your guilt, crime or shortcoming.

ADEQUATE / AMPLE / ENOUGH /

SUFFICIENT
ADEQUATE means equal to what is required or
expected and may apply to both quality and quantity.
AMPLE means adequate and hints more than
sufficient.

ENOUGH also means equal to what is required or

expected but is used only to indicate amount or
degree.
SUFFFICIENT is more refined and elegant than
enough.

BY THE COURT / PER CURIAM

BY THE COURT is merely the English
translation of PER CURIAM, which appears
in opinions not attributed to any one member
of the court.
In the Philippines, PER CURIAM opinions
are resorted to in decisions imposing
capital punishment in criminal cases or
the penalty of dismissal in administrative
cases, in order to hide the identity of the
ponente.

People of the Philippines v. Leo

Echagaray (G. R. No. 117472, June 25, 1996)
D E C I S I O N

PER CURIAM:
WHEREFORE, judgment is hereby rendered
finding accused LEO ECHEGARAY y PILO guilty
beyond reasonable doubt of the crime of Rape
as charged in the complaint, aggravated by the
fact that the same was commited by the accused
who is the father/stepfather of the complainant, he
is hereby sentenced to suffer the penalty of
death, as provided for under R. A. No. 7659

THE INTERNAL RULES OF THE

SUPREME COURT (A.M. No. 10-4-20-SC)
Rule 2
Section 14. Per curiam decisions. Unless otherwise
requested by the Member assigned to write the opinion of
the Court, the decision or resolution shall be rendered per
curiam
(a) where the penalty imposed is dismissal from
service, disbarment, or indefinite suspension in
administrative cases; or
(b) in any other case by agreement of the majority of
the Members or upon request of a Member.

CAREFUL / CAUTIOUS /
CIRCUMSPECT
CAREFUL stresses guarding against error
or mistake.
CAUTIOUS stresses guarding against
possible dangers or risks.
CIRCUMSPECT stresses a careful
consideration of all circumstances to avoid
unfavorable consequence.

CONTRADICT / IMPUGN / DENY

CONTRADICT does not only deny
emphatically the truth of what one said, but
submits evidence that the contrary is true
IMPUGN implies a direct attack against that
which one calls into question.
DENY means to admit guilt or declare that
something is untrue.

PRESCRIBE/PROSCRIBE
PRESCRIBE means to direct or to impose
PROSCRIBE means to outlaw or to prohibit
SENTENCE:

SCANT/SUPERFICIAL
Both words imply giving less than full attention
or effort to a task
SCANT stresses the brevity of the effort while
SUPERFICIAL means the failure to look into the
deeper meaning of a thing

SHALLOW/SUPERFICIAL
SHALLOW implies a lack of depth of a study;
SUPERFICIAL, a lack of thoroughness of
profundity

SUITABLE/VIABLE
SUITABLE means fitting, appropriate or
apt; VIABLE capable of separate existence

MATERIAL/RELEVANT
In the law on evidence, MATERIAL means
having some logical connection with facts of
consequence, while RELEVANT means
tending to prove or disprove a matter in
issue.

TRUTH/VERACITY
TRUTH applies to persons as well as to facts;
VERACITY, to persons and to their statements
only.

ACCOMPANIED
BY/ACCOMPANIED WITH
ACCOMPANIED BY refers to persons;
ACCOMPANIED WITH refers to things.

ADVERT/AVERT
ADVERT means counsel or information
AVERT means to ward off

ADVICE/ADVISE
ADVICE, a noun, means counsel or
information
ADVISE, a verb, means to inform. The final
syllable of advise if pronounced ize

AFFIRMANCE/AFFIRMATION
AFFIRMANCE is used when an appellate court
affirms a judgment of a lower court in all
contexts, affirmation is preferred.

AMELIORATE/ALLEVIATE
AMELORIATE means to improve, and has a
positive connotation. ALLEVIATE means to
lessen as to make light, and has a negative
connotation

ASSERT/AVER/MAINTAIN
ASSERT implies a positive statement, with great
confidence but with no objective proof.
AVER implies confidence in the truth of ones
statement from ones own knowledge
MAINTAIN is to assert something without
regard as to whether it is true or not.

CURRENTLY/PRESENTLY
CURRENTLY means at the time now passing;
PRESENTLY means soon or before long

CUSTOMER/CLIENT/PATRON
A CUSTOMER buys something, while a CLIENT
receives a service. The distinction is not
absolute. A PATRON is one who sponsors a
person or an undertaking.

DEMUR/OBJECT/REMONSTRATE
DEMUR implies the raising of objections of the
taking of exceptions as to delay actions.
OBJECT implies opposition to something
because of strong dislike or disapproval.
REMONSTRATE implies demonstrating to
another by arguments that he is wrong.

DESPITE/IN SPITE OF
Both words have identical meaning, but
DESPITE is a more formal and stronger word,
and is preferred since one work does the work
of two. IN SPITE OF is always writer in three
words.
Of should not be used with DESPITE. But
should not be used with either.

DIFFER FROM/DIFFER WITH

DIFFER FROM means that a person or thing is
unlike another in certain respects. It is used in
contrasting the physical characteristics of
objects or persons. It applies to differences
between one person or object and another or
others.
DIFFER WITH means that two persons have
divergent views. It is used in referring to
dissimilarities in opinion.

DIFFERENT/DISPARATE/DIVERGENT/DIVERSE

DIFFERENT implies irreconcilability and stresses

individuality.
DISPARATE means unequal or having nothing
in common.
DIVERGENT means going in different directions
from each other and stresses irreconcilability.
DIVERSE stresses the patent differences between
the things.

EJECT/EVICT/EXPEL
EJECT implies a throwing or casting out from
within
EVICT implies the forcing out as of a tenant.
EXPEL implies a driving out by force our of the
country or organization.

EMINENT/EMMANENT/IMMINENT
EMINENT means outstanding or prominent
EMMANENT means existing or inherent
IMMINENT means impending or about to
happen

EMPLOY/HIRE
EMPLOY means Regularity in service
HIRE means or suggest Temporary
Employment

ERROR/MISTAKE
ERROR suggests blame and means Failure to
follow course generally believed right, or
departure from truth or accuracy. It implies
deviation from a standard.
MISTAKE is a result of carelessness or
misinterpretation, a failure to remember, or
misunderstanding

ESSENTIAL/INDISPENSABLE/
NECESSARY/REQUISITE
ESSENTIAL refers to absolute essence of a
thing and must be present to exist
INDISPENSABLE refers to a person or thing
that must be present in order to achieve the
purpose
NECESSARY refers to pressing, but not
absolute indispensability
REQUISITE refers to that which is required
by the circumstances by external need

IN AS MUCH / INASMUCH AS
BOTH ARE CORRECT, HOWEVER, THE LATTER
FORM IS PREFFERED OVER THE OTHER.

FIANCE / FIANCEE
THE WORD ONLY REFERS TO THE GENDER.

FIGHT / STRUGGLE
FIGHT emphasizes physical or hand-to-hand
combat
STRUGGLE emphasizes great effort or violent
exertion. It may be physical or otherwise.

GUARANTEE/GUARANTY
Both words refer to security. Both are
interchangeable, except in business where
GUARANTEE is used as a verb and noun,
while GUARANTY is always used as a noun.

INTEREST / INTERESTS
INTEREST means Legal share in something or
Price paid for borrowing money
INTERESTS means Dominating group of
persons in a filed of business or industry or a
a feeling that accompanies or causes a special
attention to some object

ITS / ITS
ITS is the possessive form of the pronoun it
meaning belonging to it.
ITS is a contraction of It is

MAY / MIGHT
MAY is the present tense of MIGHT. However,
MAY suggests slightly greater possibility than
MIGHT

MAY BE / MAYBE
MAY be is used to express possibility.
MAYBE means perhaps

TORTUOUS / TORTIOUS
TORTUOUS means winding or crooked
TORTIOUS wrong that is actionable

WHETHER / WHETHER OR
NOT
WHETHER is used in place of if
WHETHER OR NOT is used to introduce two
alternatives.

POINTERS ON STYLE
Use economy of words. Economy in the use of
words maybe achieved through the following
methods:

CHANGE ADJECTIVES TO
NOUNS
Instead of :
What impressed me most was the fact
that
he was very frank.
Write:
What impressed me most was his complete
frankness

CHANGE ADJECTIVES TO
ADVERBS
Instead of:
The crowd cheered in a way that was wild.
Write:
The crowd cheered wildly.

CHANGE VERBS INTO

NOUNS
Instead of:
Often the beauty of the dress lies in the way it
is worn.
Write:
Often the beauty of the dress lies in the
wearing.

In law accuracy of words is

everything.
- Duncan Webb