Legislative Drafting Manual

Use tabulations freely
To disentangle complexity, reduce wordiness and enhance easy understanding, 
drafters should use tabulation. 
1. Lists
A drafter frequently must include in a single sentence a large set of similar items 
subject to similar treatment. In such a case the drafter should bear in mind the 
following three rules: 
a. All items tabulated must have common characteristics, as nouns, verbs or 
sentences.
b. The tabulation helps readers to understand the list largely by its layout; a 
space between the line containing the dash or semi-colon, the intended 
margins for the items listed and single spacing the items‟ subordinate 
relationship to the introductory words.
c. The reader must be able to read a comprehensible sentence, the 
introductory words and each of the items in the list.
2. Sentences
To turn inherently complex ideas into understandable sentences, drafters 
everywhere rely on tabulations. A tabulation of a sentence builds on the rules for 
tabulating a list. To distinguish it from a simple list, a tabulated sentence invariably 
contains text material that not only proceeds but also follows a list. 
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The rules that apply to a tabulated list apply to a tabulated sentence with one 
addition: the text material that precedes it must make sense when read with each 
individual item in the list. 
The Draft Criminal Procedure code (Art. 68) employs tabulation to do away 
with the interpretation problem in Art. 63 of the Code: 
“Notwithstanding article 67 bails shall not be allowed where:- 
1.The offence is punishable with rigorous imprisonment for not less 
than ten years the person on whom the offence was committed has 
died or is going to die ;or 
2. The offence is punishable with death penalty „‟