He who fails in a syllable fails in his whole cause.

Explanation

(English-origin maxim.) Precision in pleading is essential — a defect in a single material particular may be fatal to the entire cause, reflecting the ancient rigor of the common law forms of action.

Where this applies

• A plaintiff misspells the defendant's corporate name in the complaint, and under the old common-law forms of action, the entire case is dismissed.
• A lawyer files a writ naming the wrong county — the single error in the pleading is fatal to the whole cause.
• A claimant cites the wrong statute number in a government tort claim notice, and the agency rejects the entire claim based on that one defect.