Construction Clause Phrasing

NOTE-- In 2000 we retired MacNail Spec Writer and the rest of the MacNail construction software package. Goldenseal replaced them-- it's a complete software package for Macintosh and Windows that handles contract writing, plus accounting, construction estimating, and project management, Goldenseal uses a simpler system to generate contract phrases. It doesn't allow quite so many versions of the text, but it's more logical than all the phrase fiddling that we did in MacNail.

Simple Phrases

The first three phrase types each create a simple sentence.
#1 will read Contractor will fill all holes in the wall.
#2 will read All holes in the wall will be filled by the Contractor.
#3 will read Filling of all holes in the wall will be provided by the Contractor.

NOTE: If a phrase has 'provide' or 'include' in its verb, phrase type 3 will start with the noun, and the verb will be used near the end of the sentence.

Notice that the verb appears in three different forms. This conjugation is done automatically by MacNail construction management software-- all you have to do is enter fill into the verb column, and the other verb forms will be created automatically (see page 127).

Repeating Phrases

The next three phrase types create a repeating list that starts with an introductory phrase, followed by a list of several specific items.

NOTE: You can change the number of items that follow each introductory phrase (see page 45), and the * symbol in front of each item (see page 143).

#4 creates a list in this form:
Contractor will:
* Fill all holes in the wall.
* Install 1 (one) doghouse.
* Provide 15 lineal feet of curtain drain.
Project Specifications Page 125

#5 creates a list in this form:
The scope of work includes:
* Filling of all holes in the wall.
* Installation of 1 (one) doghouse.
* Provision of 15 lineal feet of curtain drain.

#6 creates a list in this form:
Contractor will provide:
* Filling of all holes in the wall.
* Installation of 1 (one) doghouse.
* 15 lineal feet of curtain drain.

NOTE: If the word 'provide' is the verb for a phrase, phrase type 6 will start with the noun.