I ma 2014-15: Integrated English course; e-mail address: filoango@gmail.Com

5/6.03.2015 (3)

I Vocabulary: collocations with legal concepts

Verb + noun collocations

• crime – commit, perpetrate, be involved in, witness, report to the police, prevent

• punishment – receive, avoid, escape, mete out, hand down, inflict, get, carry out

• the law – obey, respect, uphold, abide by, break, violate, pass laws (Parliament), bend, change

• trial – go on, stand, put sb on, face, adjourn

• case – dismiss, try, win, lose, bring … against sb, examine

• charges – press, dismiss, drop, face, file, level, make

• damages – award, claim, sue for, seek, pay

• sentence – pass, pronounce, give, hand down, serve, get, reduce, commute, serve

• verdict – pass, pronounce, bring in, deliver, reach, agree on, return

• court – come to, go to, bring sb to, appear in / before court, preside over

• justice – serve, do, get, ask for, deny to sb, bring sb to …, escape, administer

Adjective + noun collocations

• sentence - stiff, severe, harsh, heavy, lenient, light, prison, life, death, long-term

• crime - heinous, atrocious, abominable, shocking, outrageous, horrific, appalling, grave

• beyond … doubt: any, reasonable

• circumstances: extenuating, mitigating

• evidence - compelling, obvious, solid, reliable, abundant, convincing, dubious, insufficient, inadequate, reliable, false, exonerating,

• insufficient, damning

• charges – irrefutable, fabricated, trumped-up, false, grave, serious

• offence – minor, lesser, grave, criminal, serious, indictable, heinous

27.02.2013 (2)

MODALITY (1)

I Discussion of meanings of individual modal verbs

WILL

1 DIRECT REQUEST

• Will you help me with the ironing?

2 VOLUNTARY ACTIONS, SPONTANEOUS DECISIONS

• I’ll help you sort it out.

• I think I’ll go to the movies this night.

• I think I won’t go to the pub this night.

• I don’t think I’ll go to the pub this night.

3 OTHER FUNCTIONS CONNECTED WITH THE FUTURE

• I will slap you in the face if you keep lying. (threat, warning)

• I will give you a cookie if you behave. (promise)

4 CONDITIONAL MEANING - probable, real

• He’ll help you if you pay him for it.

5 PREDICTIONS (based on knowledge)

• I think it will rain tomorrow.

• I think it is going to rain. (external evidence)

6 PRESENT HABITS (with an emotional component)

• When he comes back from work, he’ll not help his wife with the cooking and the washing up of dishes, but will sink into the sofa and watch a football match instead.

WOULD

1 OFFER

• Would you like some tea?

2 ASKING FOR PERMISSION, POLITE REQUEST

• Would you mind if I sit/sat here?

• Would you help me with the hoovering?

• Would you help me with the housework?

3 PAST HABITS

• Every afternoon when I had nothing to do at home, I would go outside and work in the garden.

• When he was very young, he would sneak out after lunch instead of doing his homework.

4 CONDITIONAL MEANING

• (unreal, impossible) I would buy the latest model of Lexus if I had a mere 120 000 zloties.

5 FUTURE IN THE PAST

• She said she would not be coming to the conference.

MAY

1 REQUEST

• May I leave for a minute?

2 POSSIBILITY, LIKELIHOOD

• You may catch a cold in the autumn / get depression in the winter.

• I may have taken your handbag by mistake

3 PERMISSION (formal)

• You may leave now.

4 LIKELIHOOD (FORMULAIC)

• Be it as it may = whatever is going to happen.

5 PREDICTION

• It may rain today.

MIGHT

1 REQUEST

• Might I leave for a minute? (more polite than may)

2 A LOW DEGREE OF POSSIBILITY, LIKELIHOOD

• He might have taken your handbag by mistake.

3 FUTURE PREDICTION

• It might rain tonight.

4 SUGGESTION

• You might consider going to the mountains.

5 CRITICISM (MILD or SARCASTIC)

• He might at least have asked me.

• You might have told me you had got a pay rise.

6 LIKELIHOOD

• He might have lived in London before.

• Be it as it might = Whatever is going to happen.

CAN

1 ABILITY

• I can dance, but I cannot sing.

2 OPPORTUNITY, POSSIBILITY

• Anyone can find a good job in America.

3 REQUEST

• Can you pass me the sugar, please?

4 PERMISSION

• You can go out but you must be back for supper.

5 LIKELIHOOD

• It can’t be Peter who did it. I’m sure it was Christian.

• He can’t have murdered her. He loved her dearly.

COULD

1 ABILITY: GENERAL PAST

• I could swim when I was a child.

• I could ski when I was very young.

• I could skate at the age of 5.

• I was able to / managed to cover/ succeeded in covering a distance of 8 kilometres when I went swimming in the Caribbean (once).

I could cover a distance of 8 kilometres when I went swimming in the Caribbean last month.

2 ABILITY FOR VERBS OF THE SENSES

• When I entered the room I could smell a terrible stink coming from the kitchen (single past situation)

• Whenever I came to their house, I could always smell

burnt onions.

• When I left my house, I could see the beautiful clouds in the sky.

smell

see

hear

feel

3 POSSIBILITY

• It could be expensive to keep a cat. (= if we had one, it could or it may not be expensive)

• It can be expensive to keep a cat. (it can be, and it sometimes is)

4 REQUEST

• Could you pass me the sugar, please?

5 GENERAL PAST PERMISSION

• Anyone could enter the park when the Council owned it.

• Although he did not have an invitation, he was allowed to join (not “could join”) the party.

6 LIKELIHOOD

• It couldn’t be Peter who did it. I’m sure it was Christian.

• He couldn’t have murdered her. He loved her dearly.

SHALL

1 SUGGESTION

• Shall I close the window?

2 CERTAINTY

• Don’t worry. I shall be there to meet the train.

3 OBLIGATION/ NECESSITY (EMPHATIC)

• The school rules state that no child shall be allowed out of the school during the day, unless accompanied by an adult.

• Thou shall(t) respect your wife.

• You shall do it.

SHOULD

1 ADVICE, SUGGESTION

• You should go to the doctor immediately.

2 PROBABILITY, LIKELIHOOD

• The bus should come any minute now.

3 OBLIGATION, DUTY

• You shouldn’t leave without saying goodbye.

4 LIMITED LIKELIHOOD

• If you should come to Gdansk by any chance, be sure to drop in on us.

• Should you have any problems, do not hesitate to contact me.

MUST

1 OBLIGATION, STRONG RECOMMENDATION

• I must do my homework. (internal)

• I have to do my homework (external, a duty)

2 PROHIBITION

• You mustn’t steal / cheat.

• You mustn’t touch the red button.

• You mustn’t drink uncontrollably.

3 CERTAINTY

• He must be at school now.

NEED (semi-modal)

1 NECESSITY

• I need to go to the doctor’s because I feel unwell.

• Need you go now? (a negative meaning or implication)

• Do you need to go now? (more open)

• I needn’t work so much now because I have a lot of money.

• I don’t need to work so much because I have a lot of money.

• I needn’t have insulted him. (it was done, I did insult him.)

• I did not need to insult him (so it was not done.)

2 REQUIREMENT, SOME CONDITION TO BE FULFILLED

• I need some money for a present.

OUGHT TO

1 STRONG SUGGESTION

• You ought to go to the dentist if you tooth hurt / gives you trouble.

2 CRITICISM

• You ought to be ashamed of yourself.

• You oughtn’t to play computer games every night.

3 EXPECTATION

• You ought to be grateful to your husband for you providing money for the household.

4 LIKELIHOOD (LESS COMMON)

• She ought to come any minute now.

DARE (semi-modal)

1 PROHIBITION, THREAT, CRITICISM (modal)

• How dare you!

• Don’t you dare touch me / to touch.

2 BE BRAVE ENOUGH TO DO SOMETHING

• I daren’t smoke in my parents’ presence. (less often used)

• I didn’t dare (to) ask her what had happened to her.

3 CHALLENGE SOMEBODY TO DO SOMETHING

• He dared her to jump over the fence / jump into the water.

USED TO (semi-modal)

PAST HABITS

• I used to smoke.

• I used to drink.

• I used to swear.

PAST STATES

• This town used to be very quiet, but now is bustling with activity.