ABSTRACT
A contract is an agreement between two or more parties and to be legally enforceable it requires certain basic ingredients. It must be certain in its wording and consist of an offer made by one party which must be accepted unconditionally by the other (Scammell v. Ouston1; Carlill v. Carbolic Smoke Ball Co.2). This does not prevent negotiations taking place and alterations being made by both parties during the early stages of the discussions, but in its final stage there must be complete and clear agreement as to the terms of the contract (Bigg v. Boyd Gibbins Ltd3). The great majority of contracts need not be in writing and those made daily by the general public, buying a newspaper or food, clearly show this.
