Difference between revisions of "Writing National Constitution Amendments"
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It is important to differentiate “Membership” in Phi Sigma Pi from “membership” in other senses to avoid confusion. Other terms that follow this convention which have been used erroneously include: “Active” vs. “active” (also “Inactive” vs. “inactive”) and derivations thereof; “Alumni” vs. “alumni,” “Chapter” vs. “chapter,” and “Collegiate” vs. “collegiate.” | It is important to differentiate “Membership” in Phi Sigma Pi from “membership” in other senses to avoid confusion. Other terms that follow this convention which have been used erroneously include: “Active” vs. “active” (also “Inactive” vs. “inactive”) and derivations thereof; “Alumni” vs. “alumni,” “Chapter” vs. “chapter,” and “Collegiate” vs. “collegiate.” | ||
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| + | ==Using Parallel Structure== | ||
| + | The National Constitution makes use of parallelism in structure. When writing proposed amendments, it is helpful to mirror this parallel structure for clarity. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Examples=== | ||
| + | * '''Parallelism in Articles:''' ''Article VIII: Duties of the National Officers'' is divided into sections for each office, with duties listed as items within each section. ''Article XI: Chapter Officers'' is similarly divided. | ||
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| + | * '''Parallelism in Terminology:''' ''Article VIII: Duties of the National Officers'' lists each duty in a parallel form, starting with the primary verb relating to the relevant duty. | ||
== More to come == | == More to come == | ||
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* Ordering Lists of Items | * Ordering Lists of Items | ||
Revision as of 10:49, 6 March 2007
The National Constitution, as a document, employs specific style conventions to promote clarity and cohesiveness. In authoring proposed amendments to the National Constitution, it is helpful to be aware of these style conventions, so that the language in the amendment proposals matches the language prevalent throughout the Constitution.
Contents
Textual Conventions
Because particular terms may have different (albeit related) meanings, Phi Sigma Pi has adopted several textual conventions in our governing documents intended to clarify which specific meaning of the term is being expressed.
Capitalization
The term “Member” (note the capital letter ‘M’ at the beginning of the term) is used throughout the National Constitution to denote membership in Phi Sigma Pi. Occasionally, the term “member” (without the capital beginning) appears in the document, in cases where it does not refer to membership in Phi Sigma Pi.
It is important to differentiate “Membership” in Phi Sigma Pi from “membership” in other senses to avoid confusion. Other terms that follow this convention which have been used erroneously include: “Active” vs. “active” (also “Inactive” vs. “inactive”) and derivations thereof; “Alumni” vs. “alumni,” “Chapter” vs. “chapter,” and “Collegiate” vs. “collegiate.”
Using Parallel Structure
The National Constitution makes use of parallelism in structure. When writing proposed amendments, it is helpful to mirror this parallel structure for clarity.
Examples
- Parallelism in Articles: Article VIII: Duties of the National Officers is divided into sections for each office, with duties listed as items within each section. Article XI: Chapter Officers is similarly divided.
- Parallelism in Terminology: Article VIII: Duties of the National Officers lists each duty in a parallel form, starting with the primary verb relating to the relevant duty.
More to come
- Ordering Lists of Items
Formatting
- coming soon!
Completeness
- coming soon!
