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WRITING MANUAL - Supreme Court - State of Ohio

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COMMONLY MISUSED WORDS AND PHRASES (CONT.)<br />

51. Verbal; oral. Verbal refers broadly to words, written or spoken: “The<br />

student’s essay amply demonstrated her verbal skills.” Oral is narrower<br />

and means spoken. For example, “The parties had an oral agreement to<br />

settle the case.”<br />

52. Verbiage. Verbiage means an excess <strong>of</strong> words with little value.<br />

53. Whether; whether or not. Use whether alone. For example, “The trial<br />

court had discretion to determine whether the defendant was telling the<br />

truth.” An exception applies when the whether clause is an adverb. For<br />

example, “The judge had decided in advance to disbelieve the<br />

defendant, whether or not the defendant was telling the truth.”<br />

The <strong>Supreme</strong> <strong>Court</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Ohio</strong> 121 Writing Manual

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