§ 15.142. Articles and adjectives.
(a) Articles. Consistent use of the articles ‘‘a’’ or ‘‘an’’ will result in smoother writing and more precise expression. ‘‘A person who violates’’ is preferred to ‘‘any person who violates,’’ ‘‘each person who violates,’’ or ‘‘all persons who violate.’’
(b) Demonstrative adjectives. Although the word ‘‘such’’ is commonly used in legislation as a demonstrative adjective (i.e., as a word pointing at a particular person, object, or entity already referred to), this use is undesirable because it is improper under general writing standards, it is a stilted way of saying something better expressed by ‘‘that,’’ ‘‘the,’’ ‘‘those,’’ ‘‘it,’’ ‘‘them,’’ etc., and it is easily confused with the more appropriate uses of the word. Likewise, the words ‘‘said,’’ ‘‘aforesaid,’’ ‘‘hereinabove,’’ ‘‘beforementioned,’’ ‘‘whatsoever,’’ or similar words of reference or emphasis should be avoided.
(c) Pronominal indefinite adjectives. Use adjectives such as ‘‘each,’’ ‘‘every,’’ ‘‘any,’’ ‘‘all,’’ ‘‘no,’’ and ‘‘some’’ (technically known as ‘‘pronominal indefinite adjectives’’) only where necessary. If the subject of the sentence is plural, it is almost never necessary to use such an adjective (e.g., ‘‘Qualified State officers shall .....’’; ‘‘Qualified State officers may not.....’’). If the subject of the sentence is singular, use the pronominal indefinite only when the article ‘‘a’’ or ‘‘the’’ is inadequate, as when the use of ‘‘a’’ would allow the unintended interpretation that the obligation is to be discharged (or the privilege exhausted) by applying it to a single member of the class instead of to all of them. If it is necessary to use a pronominal indefinite, follow these conventions:
(1) If a right, privilege, or power is conferred, use ‘‘any’’ (e.g., ‘‘Any qualified State officer may......’’).
(2) If an obligation to act is imposed, use ‘‘each’’ (e.g., ‘‘Each qualified State officer shall.....’’).
(3) If a right, privilege, or power is abridged, or an obligation to abstain from acting is imposed, use ‘‘no’’ (e.g., ‘‘No qualified State officer may.....’’).
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