Why is it hard to understand lawyerese

It’s about the construction of the sentences. Lawyers try to be thorough and cover all their bases, so as a result, their language can become convoluted.

For example. They start with a simple sentence,

Drinking is not allowed.

Then they bring in the details that they want to add

1.      Details about the drinking – drinking untreated water

2.      Details about the kind of water – water that has not been treated by government sanctioned water purifiers.

3.      Details about the manner of the drinking – drinking while knowing that the water is untreated.

4.      Details about the ‘not allowed’ – call it a bad thing in legal terms = felony.

5.      Details about the felony = a felony that can be punished by law.

6.      Details about the extent of the punishment.

Bring all that together and you have = The knowingly drinking of water untreated by government sanctioned water purifiers shall be considered a felony sanctionable  by mandatory capital punishment.

So if you want to understand lawyerese. Two tips:

a)      Find the basic sentence – drinking water is a felony

b)      Simplify the sentence – drinking water is not allowed.