This chapter focuses on the clues found inside the document itself, including structure, hierarchy of terms, and the relative weight of negotiated language. In Balin’s Tomb, meaning emerges from what is already written and arranged before any outside evidence is consulted.
Doctrinal map
Where ambiguity exists, the first move is intrinsic — within the four corners of the writing. The chapter introduces the classical interpretive canons (noscitur a sociis, ejusdem generis, expressio unius est exclusio alterius, contra proferentem) and shows them at work in In re Motors Liquidation. The student leaves able to apply the canons to a disputed term before reaching for parol evidence.
Key Sources
Key Rules
- Four corners rule: look first within the document
- Specific terms control general terms
- Negotiated terms control standard terms