Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) English, Grammar, Punctuation, and Transcript Production Syllabus

English, Grammar, Punctuation, and Transcript Production syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for English, Grammar, Punctuation, and Transcript Production in Registered Professional Reporter (RPR), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Grammar and Usage for the Verbatim Record

   4 topics

   • Parts of speech and sentence structure
   • Subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement
   • Verbatim reporting vs cleanup boundaries
   • Commonly confused words and homophones
     • Legal homophones (waive/wave, council/counsel)
     • Their/there/they're and similar sets
2. 2

   Punctuation in Spoken-Word Transcripts

   5 topics

   • Comma rules in testimony
   • Dashes for interruptions and trailing off
   • Quotation marks and reading from documents
   • Colons, semicolons, and parentheticals
   • Punctuating questions and answers
3. 3

   Vocabulary and Specialized Terminology

   4 topics

   • Legal terminology and Latin phrases
   • Medical terminology in personal-injury cases
   • Technical, engineering, and financial terms
   • Proper nouns, place names, and brand names
4. 4

   Transcript Format and Production Standards

   5 topics

   • Title page, appearances, and certificate page
   • Q&A and colloquy formatting
     • Speaker identification and BY MR./MS. lines
     • Parentheticals and bracketed notations
   • Page and line numbering, margins, and indentation
   • Index pages, word index, and exhibit lists
   • Proofreading, scoping, and final certification

English, Grammar, Punctuation, and Transcript Production flashcards for Registered Professional Reporter (RPR)

25 of 56 cards from the English, Grammar, Punctuation, and Transcript Production deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What are the eight traditional parts of speech in English?

   Noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, and interjection.

2. What two essential elements must every grammatically complete sentence (independent clause) contain?

   A subject (who or what the sentence is about) and a predicate containing a finite verb that expresses a complete thought.

3. What is the difference between a phrase and a clause?

   A clause contains both a subject and a verb; a phrase is a group of related words lacking a subject-verb pair (e.g., a prepositional or participial phrase).

4. State the basic rule of subject-verb agreement.

   A verb must agree with its subject in number and person: singular subjects take singular verbs, plural subjects take plural verbs (e.g., 'the witness testifies' vs. 'the witnesses testify').

5. When a subject is joined by 'or' or 'nor,' which part determines the verb's number?

   The verb agrees with the noun nearest to it (the closer subject), e.g., 'Neither the attorneys nor the judge was available.'

6. What is pronoun-antecedent agreement?

   A pronoun must agree with its antecedent (the noun it refers to) in number, gender, and person, e.g., 'Each juror returned to his or her seat.'

7. Do collective nouns like 'jury' or 'committee' take singular or plural verbs in American usage?

   Generally singular when acting as one unit ('The jury has reached its verdict'), but plural when members act individually ('The jury were divided in their opinions').

8. In verbatim reporting, what does 'verbatim' require the reporter to capture?

   The exact words spoken, word for word, including grammatical errors, false starts, and slang, preserving the literal record of what was said.

9. What is the boundary between verbatim reporting and 'cleanup' that a court reporter must respect?

   Reporters take down exactly what is said and may not change a speaker's words, grammar, or meaning; only true non-speech artifacts (e.g., 'uh,' stutters) may be omitted per accepted practice, and substance is never edited or corrected.

10. May a court reporter correct a witness's grammar in the transcript?

    No. The transcript must reflect the witness's actual words; correcting grammar would alter the verbatim record and is prohibited.

11. Distinguish the commonly confused homophones 'their,' 'there,' and 'they're.'

    'Their' is possessive (their case); 'there' indicates place or existence (over there); 'they're' is the contraction of 'they are.'

12. Distinguish 'affect' from 'effect.'

    'Affect' is usually a verb meaning to influence; 'effect' is usually a noun meaning a result (and a less common verb meaning to bring about).

13. Distinguish 'principal' from 'principle.'

    'Principal' means main/chief or a sum of money (or a school head); 'principle' is a noun meaning a fundamental rule or truth.

14. Distinguish 'its' from 'it's.'

    'Its' is the possessive form (the court issued its ruling); 'it's' is the contraction of 'it is' or 'it has.'

15. Distinguish 'counsel,' 'council,' and 'consul.'

    'Counsel' means an attorney or to advise; 'council' is a deliberative assembly; 'consul' is a government official who represents a country abroad.

16. What is the comma rule for an introductory phrase or clause in testimony?

    Place a comma after an introductory word, phrase, or dependent clause that precedes the main clause, e.g., 'On the morning of the accident, I left at 8:00.'

17. How are commas used with a series (items in a list) in transcript work?

    Separate three or more items with commas; court reporting style typically uses the serial (Oxford) comma before the final 'and' for clarity, e.g., 'red, white, and blue.'

18. How is a parenthetical (non-essential) element punctuated in testimony?

    It is set off with a pair of commas (or dashes/parentheses), e.g., 'The driver, who was speeding, ran the light.' A restrictive/essential element takes no commas.

19. How is direct address punctuated in a transcript?

    Set the name or term of address off with commas, e.g., 'Yes, Counsel, I understand.' or 'Doctor, can you explain?'

20. When are dashes used in transcript production?

    Dashes mark interruptions, breaks in thought, trailing off, and self-interruptions in speech.

21. What punctuation marks an interruption where one speaker cuts off another?

    A double hyphen or em dash at the point of interruption, e.g., 'I was driving down the street when--' followed by the interrupting speaker.

22. How is trailing off (a speaker's voice fading without finishing) punctuated versus an interruption?

    Trailing off is shown with a dash (or ellipsis per style) at the end of an unfinished thought; an abrupt interruption by another speaker uses a dash at the cutoff point. Many reporters use a dash for both, with the context distinguishing them.

23. How are quotation marks used when a witness reads from or quotes a document?

    Enclose the exact quoted words in quotation marks; in American style, commas and periods are placed inside the closing quotation mark.

24. Where do colons and semicolons go relative to closing quotation marks in American style?

    Colons and semicolons are placed outside the closing quotation mark, e.g., She said 'I refuse'; then she left.

25. What is the rule for question marks and exclamation points with quotation marks?

    They go inside the quotes if they belong to the quoted material, and outside if they apply to the whole sentence.

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