B2 — Upper Intermediate Society18 words

Law and Justice

Name: Law and Justice
Author: Masha Dolda

Upper-intermediate vocabulary for discussing the legal system, crime, courts, and justice in English.

How do you want to practise?

CrosswordA crossword made from this set.

Word List

Word	Phonetic	Part of Speech	Definition	Example
evidence	/ˈɛvɪdəns/	noun	Facts or objects that help to prove whether something is true or not, especially in a court of law	The police found new evidence that linked the suspect to the crime.
trial	/ˈtraɪəl/	noun	A formal legal process in which a judge and often a jury examine evidence to decide if someone is guilty	The trial lasted three weeks before the jury reached a verdict.
verdict	/ˈvɜːrdɪkt/	noun	The decision made by a jury or judge at the end of a trial	The jury delivered a verdict of not guilty after long deliberation.
witness	/ˈwɪtnəs/	noun	A person who sees an event happen and can describe it, especially in court	The witness described exactly what she saw on the night of the incident.
defendant	/dɪˈfɛndənt/	noun	The person in a court case who is accused of a crime or is being sued	The defendant pleaded not guilty at the start of the trial.
sentence	/ˈsɛntəns/	noun	The punishment given to a person found guilty of a crime by a court	The judge gave him a sentence of five years in prison.
jury	/ˈdʒʊri/	noun	A group of ordinary people who hear the facts in a court and decide if someone is guilty	The jury spent two days discussing the case before making their decision.
prosecutor	/ˈprɒsɪkjuːtər/	noun	A lawyer who presents the case against the accused person in court	The prosecutor argued that there was enough evidence to prove guilt.
appeal	/əˈpiːl/	noun	A formal request to a higher court to change the decision of a lower court	His lawyers filed an appeal after the guilty verdict.
convict	/kənˈvɪkt/	verb	To officially declare someone guilty of a crime in a court of law	He was convicted of fraud and sentenced to three years in prison.
legislation	/ˌlɛdʒɪsˈleɪʃən/	noun	A law or a set of laws passed by a parliament or government	New legislation was introduced to protect workers' rights.
sue	/suː/	verb	To take legal action against a person or organisation, usually to claim money	She decided to sue the company for unfair dismissal.
bail	/beɪl/	noun	Money paid to a court to allow an accused person to be free until their trial	The judge set bail at fifty thousand pounds.
custody	/ˈkʌstədi/	noun	The legal right to care for a child, or the state of being held by police	The suspect is currently being held in police custody.
offence	/əˈfɛns/	noun	An illegal act; a crime	Driving without insurance is a serious offence.
acquit	/əˈkwɪt/	verb	To officially decide in a court of law that someone is not guilty of a crime	The jury acquitted her of all charges due to lack of evidence.
testimony	/ˈtɛstɪmoʊni/	noun	A formal statement about what someone saw or knows, given in a court of law	Her testimony was the key piece of evidence in the case.
plaintiff	/ˈpleɪntɪf/	noun	The person who brings a case against someone in a civil court	The plaintiff claimed that the company had broken their contract.

Complete and submit the practice above to save this activity. You do not need a perfect score.