can you cross out a clause before signing.
You can strike a line, but doing it does not remove the clause. It turns the document back into an offer, on new terms, that the other side has not agreed to yet.
It sticks when both sides show they agreed to the change — which is why struck clauses carry initials from everyone signing.
this page says what the words mean. it does not say what to do about them, and it is not legal advice.
where it turns up
printed contracts signed in person, purchase orders, and any document a person is handed with a pen. On a PDF it is the reason addenda and amendments exist.
the clause, as it usually reads
wording of the kind these documents carry. it is written for this page, not copied from anyone's contract.
14. Amendments; Entire Agreement
This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties with respect
to its subject matter and supersedes all prior discussions, representations, and
agreements, whether oral or written. No amendment, modification, or waiver of any
provision of this Agreement is effective unless in writing and signed by both
parties.
line by line
signing is agreement to the words as they stand
A signature says yes to the document in front of you. Changing the words first means the 2 sides are no longer saying yes to the same document. Nothing is agreed until the other side accepts the changed version.
why both sets of initials appear next to a strike
Initials in the margin are the record that the change was made before signing, and that both sides saw it. Without them, a struck line is 1 person's mark on their own copy, and the other side's copy may still carry the clause.
The same goes for a date written next to the strike. It fixes when it happened relative to the signatures.
the entire agreement sentence is why a side note may not count
An entire agreement clause says the document is the whole deal, and that earlier emails and conversations do not form part of it.
A second sentence adds that no modification counts unless it is in writing and signed by both parties. Combined, they leave a verbal assurance that a clause will not be enforced worth very little against the document.
on a PDF, the change goes in a separate document
There is no margin to write in, and altering the file after signature breaks the record of what was signed. The ordinary route is an amendment or an addendum. That is a short second document naming the clause, saying what it now says, and signed by both sides.
That is what a lease addendum is. It is also why a signed copy is worth keeping with its hash: it proves which version of the words the signatures were attached to.
the other side can say no
Nothing obliges anyone to accept a struck clause. The realistic outcomes are that they accept it and initial, send back a fresh version, or decline, and the document is not signed.
the wording that changes it
the same clause does very different things depending on which of these it carries.
- initialled by both parties in the margin
- the change is part of the deal, and the document records when it was agreed.
- struck on 1 copy only
- the 2 copies no longer match. Which one governs is exactly the argument nobody wants to have later.
- an amendment signed by both parties
- the clean version on paper or on screen. The original stays intact and the amendment overrides the named clause.
- counterparts
- each side may sign its own copy, and together they count as 1 document. It makes matching copies more important, not less.
- This Agreement may be amended only by a writing signed by an authorised officer of each party
- narrows who can agree to a change. An initial from the wrong person may not bind the company.
read your own document
sign reads a document and says what it says, in short sentences, before anyone signs anything. the explainer does it without a send and without an account.
upload the PDF, read the summary, close the tab. nothing is sent to anyone.
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documents this clause sits in
whole examples, with the summary sign writes for each one.
what a lease addendum actually says · what a contractor agreement actually says · what a job offer letter actually says
the other 8
what indemnify and hold harmless actually means · does an NDA expire if it has no end date · what joint and several liability means in a lease · how long you have to cancel after signing · what a personal guarantee means on a lease · what a binding arbitration clause means · what entire agreement means in a contract · what an automatic renewal clause means, and how to cancel