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CS Professional · Drafting, Pleadings and Appearances · General Principles of Drafting

Meera, a company secretary, is drafting a loan agreement for Kaveri Textiles Ltd. She writes one long clause of 250 words with several conditions and exceptions bundled into a single sentence. The client finds it hard to follow. Which drafting convention has Meera mainly neglected?

Meera neglected the convention of using short, clear sentences that each express one idea. Overlong sentences bundling conditions and exceptions create ambiguity and reduce readability, whereas plain, concise sentences let the reader find each obligation, condition and exception easily.

  1. AUse of short, clear sentences expressing one idea eachCorrect
  2. BUse of archaic legal expressions for formality
  3. CRepetition of every term in capital letters
  4. DAvoidance of any defined terms

Explanation

Good drafting favours clarity and brevity, with each sentence conveying a single idea so that conditions and exceptions can be identified easily. A 250-word sentence with bundled conditions breaches this. Archaic expressions and capitalising everything do not improve clarity, and defined terms actually help.

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