合同的大綱確定之后，就要開始正式的寫作了。在寫作時，下面這些方面請務必注意，因為它們可是關系到合同的內容與法律效力的。

1. Title it "Contract." Do not leave this one to chance. If your client wants a contract, call it a contract. A judge now sitting on the federal bench once ruled that a document entitled "Proposal" was not a contract even though signed by both parties. The lesson learned is, "Say what you mean." If you intend the document to be a legally binding contract, use the word "Contract" in the title.
標題上注明“合同”兩字。不要為碰運氣而忽略這個。如果你的客戶需要合同，就要注明是合同。一個仍在聯邦法院里任職的法官就曾經裁定：有雙方簽字，但標有“建議書”的文件并非合同。這給我們的教訓就是，你怎么想，就應該怎么說。如果你想讓你的文件成為具有法律效力的合同，就要在標題中注明“合同”字樣。

2. Write in short sentences. Short sentences are easier to understand than long ones.
寫短句子，因為短句子比長句子更容易理解。

3. Write in active tense, rather than passive. Active tense sentences are shorter and use words more efficiently, and their meaning is more apparent.
Example of active: "Sellers shall sell the Property to Buyer." Example of passive: "The Property shall be sold to Buyer by Seller."
用主動語態而不用被動語態。相對而言，主動語態的句子更簡短，措詞更精練，表達更明白。讓我們來看一個例子吧，主動語態的句子：賣方將把此物賣給買方；被動語態的句子：此物將被賣方賣給買方。

4. Don't use the word "biweekly." It has two meanings: twice a week and every other week. The same applies to "bimonthly." Instead, write "every other week" or "twice a week."
不要用“雙周”之類的詞，因為這有可能產生歧義--是兩周還是每隔一周？類似的詞還有“雙月”，所以最好這樣寫：“兩周”或“每隔一周”。

5. Don't say things like "active termites and organisms". Avoid ambiguity by writing either "active termites and active organisms" or "organisms and active termites." When adding a modifier like "active" before a compound of nouns like "termites and organisms", be sure to clarify whether you intend the modifier to apply to both nouns or just the first one. If you intend it to apply to both, use parallel construction and write the modifier in front of each noun. If you intend it to apply to just one noun, place that one noun at the end of the list and the modifier directly in front of it.
不要用“活躍的白蟻和有機體”之類的話，為了避免模棱兩可，最好這樣寫：“活躍的白蟻和活躍的有機體”或是“白蟻和活躍的有機體”。當一組名詞（如“白蟻和有機體”）前有一個修飾語（如“活躍的”）時，你一定要弄清楚這個修飾語是修飾兩個名詞還是僅僅修飾第一個名詞。如果是修飾兩個詞，可以用排比的手法分別在這兩個詞之前加上修飾語，如果你只想修飾一個名詞，那么你就應該把這個詞放在這組詞的最后，然后在它的前面加上修飾語。

6. Don't say "Lessor" and "Lessee." These are bad nicknames for a lease because they are easily reversed or mistyped. Use "Landlord" and "Tenant" instead. The same applies to lienor and lienee, mortgagor and mortgagee, grantor and grantee, licensor and licensee, party A and party B. This is where you can use your creativity to come up with a different nickname for a party, as long as you use it consistently throughout the contract.
不要用“出租人”和“承租人”。這對一個租賃合同來說是不好的別稱，因為他們容易被顛倒或者出現打印錯誤。可以用“房東”和“租戶”來代替他們。同樣，在合同中也不要用“留置權人”和“留置人”，“抵押權人”和“抵押人”，“保證人”和“被保證人”，“許可人”和“被許可人”，“當事人A”和“當事人B”……到底怎么說，這就要看你駕馭語言的能力了。不過，要把握的一條原則是，在整個合同中，對合同一方只能用一個別稱。

7. Watch out when using "herein." Does "wherever used herein" mean anywhere in the contract or anywhere in the paragraph? Clarify this ambiguity if it matters.
使用術語“本文（herein，也可譯為“在這里”）”時要當心。為了避免含糊不清，使用“本文”時最好特別申明一下“本文”是指整個合同，還是指其所在的某一段落。

8. Write numbers as both words and numerals: ten (10). This will reduce the chance for errors.
寫數目時要文字和阿拉伯數字并用，如：拾（10）。這將減少出錯的幾率。

9. When you write "including" consider adding "but not limited to." Unless you intend the list to be all-inclusive, you had better clarify your intent that it is merely an example.
如果你想用“包括”這個詞，就要考慮在其后加上“但不限于……”的分句。除非你能夠列出所有被包括的項，否則最好用“但不限于……”的分句，來說明你只是想舉個例子。

10. Don't rely on the rules of grammar. The rules of grammar that you learned in school are not universal. The judge or jury interpreting the meaning of your contract may have learned different rules. Write the contract so that no matter what rules they learned, the contract is clear and unambiguous. Follow this test for clear writing: Remove all periods and commas, then read it. Choosing the right words and placing them in the right place makes the writing clear without punctuation.
不要依賴于語法規則。那些你在學校里學到的語法規則并不是放之四海而皆準的東西，因為有權力來解釋此合同的法官或陪審團成員學的語法規則可能和你學的不一樣，但不管學的是什么規則，撰寫合同都要遵循一個基本原則：簡潔、明確。檢查你寫的東西是否達到這個要求有個好辦法，那就是去掉所有的句號和逗號，然后讀一下。在沒有標點符號的情況下，選擇正確的詞語放在正確的位置上，這將使你寫出來的東西更簡明，更流暢。

11. Don't be creative with words. Contract writing is not creative writing and is not meant to provoke reflective thoughts or controversies about nuances of meaning. Contract writing is clear, direct and precise. Therefore, use common words and common meanings. Write for the common man and the common woman.
不要創造詞語。合同文書不是創造性的作品，也就不應因為意思的細微差別而引起思考或爭論。合同文書應該是清晰、直接而準確的。因此，要使用普通的詞語，表達普通的意思，為普通人撰寫合同。

12. Be consistent in using words. If you refer to the subject matter of a sales contract as "goods", use that term throughout the contract; do not alternately call them "goods" and "items." Maintaining consistency is more important than avoiding repetition. Don't worry about putting the reader to sleep; worry about the opposing lawyer a year from now hunting for ambiguities to get your contract into court.
用詞一致。在一份銷售合同中，如果你想用“貨物”來指整個合同的標的物，就不要時而稱它們為“貨物”，時而又改稱它們為“產品”。保持用詞一致性比避免重復更加重要。不要擔心這會讓讀者打瞌睡；你應該提防的是對方律師會因為含糊不清的合同而將你告上法庭。

13. Be consistent in grammar and punctuation. The rules of grammar and punctuation you learned may differ from others, but you had better be consistent in your use of them. Be aware of such things as where you put ending quote marks, whether you place commas after years and states, and similar variations in style.
在文法和標點符號上保持一致。你所學的文法和標點用法可能和別人學的不一樣，但你最好在使用上保持一致。要特別注意句末的引號、時間和地點之后的逗號以及文風的相似性。

14. Consider including choice of law, venue selection, and attorneys fee clauses. If your contract gets litigated, you might as well give your client some "ammunition" for the fight.
可以在合同中加入所依據的法律、合同發生地、律師費等條款。有了這些條款，一旦合同引起訴訟，你就已經為你的客戶打這場訴訟戰準備好了一些“彈藥”。

（來源：阿里巴巴 英語點津 Annabel 編輯）