An extract from EDGAR that I included in the immediately preceding post refers to “the remainder of the covenant or covenants”.
I don’t know how prevalent the usage X or Xs is, as it’s not something you can search for. But you’d be much better off saying instead one or more Xs.
About the author
Ken Adams is the leading authority on how to say clearly whatever you want to say in a contract. He’s author of A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting, and he offers online and in-person training around the world. He’s also chief content officer of LegalSifter, Inc., a company that combines artificial intelligence and expertise to assist with review of contracts.
I haven’t read the MSCD, but why not “covenant(s)” ? Indeed, in the EDGAR example, wouldn’t “remaining covenant(s)” be the shortest option ?
P.R.: MSCD 16.50 says that (s) is a very awkward alternative to one or more. And more generally, I never use the word covenant, but I’ll address that in detail in a future post. Ken
Ken, I’m a recent follower of yours. What is “EDGAR” and “MSCD” ??
Jim: Sorry about the “inside baseball” terminology! “EDGAR” is a reference to the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission’s EDGAR system, where public companies file, among other things, their “material contracts.” “MSCD” is the initialism for my book A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting. Ken