Unit 8: English for Legal Purposes

Aims and Objectives

In this unit you will learn and practise vocabulary related to legal terms.

You will practise the following skills and functions:

• being discreet

The grammar focus of this unit is:

• PASSIVE and ACTIVE

Vocabulary

	declaración jurada
	apelación
	sumario
	ladrón
	caso
	corporativo
	tribunal
	daños
	escritura
	acusado/demandado
	divorcio
	pruebas
	culpable
	encarcelación
	inocente
	juez
	judicial
	jurado
	ley
	abogado
	legal
	legislativo
	homicidio involuntario
	hipoteca
	asesino
	notario
	delito
	precedente
	proceso
	trámites
	fiscal
	derechos
	sentencia
	abogado
	citación
	testimonio
	robo
	ladrón
	arrestar
	acusar
	alegar
	codificar
	perpetrar
	interrogar
	decretar
	demandar
	tribunal
	veredicto
	testamento
	testigo

Exercises

Section 1: Vocabulary Practice

Fill in the correct translation for each of the terms below.

1. divorcio [?]
2. citación [?]
3. derechos [?]
4. codificar [?]
5. demandar [?]
6. declaración jurada [?]
7. testamento [?]
8. delito [?]
9. culpable [?]
10. testimonio [?]
11. abogado [?]
12. sentencia [?]
13. inocente [?]
14. legislativo [?]
15. jurado [?]
16. legal [?]
17. acusado/demandado [?]
18. robo [?]
19. juez [?]
20. corporativo [?]
21. ladrón [?]
22. decretar [?]
23. alegar [?]
24. notario [?]
25. veredicto [?]
26. asesino [?]
27. interrogar [?]
28. trámites [?]
29. homicidio involuntario [?]
30. ley [?]
31. acusar [?]
32. fiscal [?]
33. tribunal [?]
34. encarcelación [?]
35. hipoteca [?]
36. precedente [?]
37. judicial [?]
38. caso [?]
39. daños [?]
40. arrestar [?]
41. apelación [?]
42. testigo [?]
43. proceso [?]
44. perpetrar [?]
45. sumario [?]
46. pruebas [?]
47. escritura [?]

Section 2: Listening Comprehension

Chose the correct answer.

Recording: show transcript

This exercise can be also done purely aurally/orally:

1. How does Michelle's friend know that she has a new job?

   a. 
   b. 
   c. 
   

   [?]
2. How did Michelle get a job as a legal secretary?

   a. 
   b. 
   c. 
   

   [?]
3. What did Michelle have to do to get the job ?

   a. 
   b. 
   c. 
   

   [?]
4. What sort of work does she do?

   a. 
   b. 
   c. 
   

   [?]
5. Who supervises her work?

   a. 
   b. 
   c. 
   

   [?]

Chose the correct answer.

Recording: show transcript

This exercise can be also done purely aurally/orally:

1. Where is Jack going?

   a. 
   b. 
   c. 
   

   [?]
2. What has Jack done wrong?

   a. 
   b. 
   c. 
   

   [?]
3. What do blind stenographers use?

   a. 
   b. 
   c. 
   

   [?]
4. Who does Jack work for?

   a. 
   b. 
   c. 
   

   [?]
5. What sort of documents does he prepare.?

   a. 
   b. 
   c. 
   

   [?]

Chose the correct answer.

Recording: show transcript

This exercise can be also done purely aurally/orally:

1. Why was the man in court?

   a. 
   b. 
   c. 
   

   [?]
2. What did the thief steal?

   a. 
   b. 
   c. 
   

   [?]
3. What was the magistrate's verdict?

   a. 
   b. 
   c. 
   

   [?]
4. How did the defendant remove his arm?

   a. 
   b. 
   c. 
   

   [?]
5. Did the defendant go to prison for the crime?

   a. 
   b. 
   c. 
   

   [?]

Chose the correct answer.

Recording: show transcript

This exercise can be also done purely aurally/orally:

1. Who sued whom?

   a. 
   b. 
   c. 
   

   [?]
2. What happened?

   a. 
   b. 
   c. 
   

   [?]
3. What did the accident report say?

   a. 
   b. 
   c. 
   

   [?]
4. When the officer arrived at the scene what did he do?

   a. 
   b. 
   c. 
   

   [?]
5. Why did the officer shoot the horse?

   a. 
   b. 
   c. 
   

   [?]

Section 3: General Comprehension

For each of the statements below, choose True or False.

This exercise can be also done purely aurally/orally:

1. To work as a legal secretary you must specialise in legal terminology.

   
   
   

   [?]
2. A legal secretary prepares legal papers.

   
   
   

   [?]
3. A legal secretary's work is very boring.

   
   
   

   [?]
4. A court recorder works in a court room.

   
   
   

   [?]
5. A court recorder doesn't use a stenography machine.

   
   
   

   [?]
6. To be a court recorder you must be certified.

   
   
   

   [?]
7. There are special stenography machines for the visually impaired.

   
   
   

   [?]
8. A court recorder doesn't need a high speed on the stenography machine.

   
   
   

   [?]
9. Witnesses give testimony.

   
   
   

   [?]
10. Private detectives are sometimes used in divorce cases.

    
    
    

    [?]

Speaking Practice. Complete the sentences you hear, using the example as a model.

Press Play to listen to the instructions:

Section 4: Grammar Practice

In this exercise, change the sentences from Active to Passive. All the sentences are in the Present.

This exercise can be also done purely aurally/orally:

Example:

1. A. The lawyer supervises her.
   B. [?]
2. A. They record the proceedings.
   B. [?]
3. A. Courts of law contract me.
   B. [?]
4. A. They can store the information.
   B. [?]
5. A. Do they always catch criminals?
   B. [?]
6. A. Legal secretaries prepare the documents.
   B. [?]
7. A. Somebody is sending the deeds tomorrow.
   B. [?]
8. A. Do they consider a person innocent until proved guilty?
   B. [?]
9. A. Do they execute murderers in that country?
   B. [?]
10. A. The judge is going to sentence him tomorrow.
    B. [?]

In this exercise, change the sentences from Active to Passive. All the sentences are in the Past.

This exercise can be also done purely aurally/orally: