no-parataxis
Flags marches of short coordinate clauses and sentences.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Kind | Soft rule |
| Engine | inferential |
| Tier | inferential |
| Severity | warning |
| Intent | style |
| Scope | text |
Why
A string of equal short clauses can create a mechanical rhythm when the relationships between ideas deserve subordination.
Examples
Flagged
The court read the contract. It reviewed the emails. It considered the testimony. It denied the motion.
Better
After reviewing the contract, emails, and testimony, the court denied the motion.
Rubric
This rule is evaluated by the optional AI judge against the criteria below.
Flag a paragraph when it marches through several short coordinate clauses or sentences, especially repeated “and” clauses, without showing which idea causes, limits, or supports another. Look for a mechanical sequence rather than a single concise sentence. Do not flag deliberately short holdings, operative commands, or citation sentences when their brevity is normal for legal prose. Do not flag a paragraph whose short sentences each carry a distinct legal step or whose coordination makes the relationship clear.
Should flag
- The court reviewed the motion. It read the response. It checked the docket. It set a hearing.
- The witness arrived and she sat and she waited and she testified.
- The agency issued the rule. It took comments. It changed the text. It published the rule.
- The contract says payment is due. It sets a date. It states a place. It gives a remedy.
Should pass
- The court denied the motion because the response was untimely.
- The court held that the notice was late. The judgment followed.
- The clerk entered judgment. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 58.
- The agency issued the rule, accepted comments, revised the text, and published the final version.
Turning it off
lawlint --disable no-parataxis draft.mdOr durably, in .lawlint/config.json — see Configuration.