Reading: MAKING THE PUNISHMENT FIT THE CRIME

Suffering:

suf• fer BrE / ˈsʌfə(r) / verb

1 to be badly affected by a disease, pain, sadness, a lack of sth, etc

~ from sth He suffers from asthma.

road accident victims suffering from shock - 

Many companies are suffering from a shortage of skilled staff.

suf • fer • ing BrE / ˈsʌfərɪŋ / noun

1 [ uncountable ] physical or mental pain

Death finally brought an end to her suffering.

2 sufferings [ plural ] feelings of pain and unhappiness

The hospice aims to ease the sufferings of the dying.

suf • fer • er BrE / ˈsʌfərə(r) / noun

a person who suffers, especially sb who is suffering from a disease

cancer sufferers

Usual

usual BrE / ˈjuːʒuəl / adjective

He came home later than usual.

~ (for sb/sth) (to do sth) It is usual to start a speech by thanking everybody for coming.

compare unusual

2 the usual noun [ singular ] ( informal ) what usually happens; what you usually have, especially the drink that you usually have

un • usual BrE / ʌnˈjuːʒuəl / adjective

It's unusual for the trees to flower so early.

un • usual • ly BrE / ʌnˈjuːʒuəli / adverb

1 used before adjectives to emphasize that a particular quality is greater than normal

unusually high levels of radiation - an unusually cold winter

Ruling

rul • ing noun, adjective BrE / ˈruːlɪŋ /

noun

~ (on sth)

an official decision made by sb in a position of authority, especially a judge

The court will make its ruling on the case next week.

adjective

[ only before noun ]

having control over a particular group, country, etc

the ruling party

He has been elected head of the country's new ruling body.

rule noun, verb BrE / ruːl / noun

of activity/game

[ countable ] a statement of what may, must or must not be done in a particular situation or when playing a game

to follow/obey/observe the rules

verb

govern/control

[ transitive ,  intransitive ] to control and have authority over a country, a group of people, etc

~ sth At that time John ruled England.

ruler BrE / ˈruːlə(r) / noun

a person who rules or governs

Acclaim

ac • claim verb, noun BrE / əˈkleɪm / verb

to praise or welcome sb/sth publicly

~ sb/sth a highly/widely acclaimed performance

~ sb/sth as sth The work was acclaimed as a masterpiece.

noun

[ uncountable ]

praise and approval for sb/sth, especially an artistic achievement

international/popular/critical acclaim

Presidency

presi • dency BrE / ˈprezɪdənsi / noun

 [ usually singular ] ( pl. presi • dencies )

the current holder of the EU presidency

presi • dent BrE / ˈprezɪdənt / noun

1 ( also President ) the leader of a republic , especially the US

Several presidents attended the funeral.

2 ( also President ) the person in charge of some organizations, clubs, colleges, etc

to be made president of the students' union

presi • den • tial / BrE ˌprezɪˈdenʃl ; / adjective

a presidential campaign/candidate/election

a presidential system of government

pre • side BrE / prɪˈzaɪd / verb

[ intransitive ] ( formal )

to lead or be in charge of a meeting, ceremony, etc

the presiding judge

Speeding

speed • ing BrE / ˈspiːdɪŋ / noun

 [ uncountable ]

the traffic offence of driving faster than the legal limit

Max was fined £300 for speeding.

speed noun, verb BrE / spiːd / noun

1 [ countable ,  uncountable ] the rate at which sb/sth moves or travels

He reduced speed and turned sharp left.

The train began to pick up speed (= go faster) .

a speed of 50 mph/80 kph

at high/low/full/top speed

verb

( speed • ed , speed • ed / sped )

The car sped along the road towards the village.

Offend

of • fend BrE / əˈfend / verb

They'll be offended if you don't go to their wedding.

of • fend • ed / BrE ; NAmE / adjective

Alice looked rather offended.

of • fend • ing BrE / əˈfendɪŋ / adjective

[ only before noun ]

The offending paragraph was deleted.

2 guilty of a crime

The offending driver received a large fine.

of • fense noun

1 / BrE əˈfens ; NAmE əˈfens / [ countable ] = offence

to commit an offense - a minor/serious offense

Prestigious

pres • ti • gious BrE / preˈstɪdʒəs / adjective

 [ usually before noun ]

a prestigious award

a prestigious university

pres • tige noun, adjective BrE / preˈstiːʒ / noun

 [ uncountable ] status

personal prestige

jobs with low prestige

adjective  [ only before noun ]

1 that brings respect and admiration; important

a prestige job

2 admired and respected because it looks important and expensive

luxury

a prestige car

opposite: to lose prestige

— pres·ti·gious·ly adverb

— pres·ti·gious·ness noun

Antonyms: disreputable

Cramped

cramped BrE / kræmpt / adjective

a cramped room, etc. does not have enough space for the people in it

working in cramped conditions

Embarrass

em • bar • rass BrE / ɪmˈbærəs / verb

1 to make sb feel shy, awkward or ashamed, especially in a social situation

~ sb Her questions about my private life embarrassed me.

em • bar • rassed BrE / ɪmˈbærəst / adjective

I've never felt so embarrassed in my life!

em • bar • rass • ing BrE / ɪmˈbærəsɪŋ / adjective

an embarrassing mistake/question/situation

em • bar • rass • ing • ly / BrE ɪmˈbærəsɪŋli ; adverb

The play was embarrassingly bad.

em • bar • rass • ment BrE / ɪmˈbærəsmənt / noun

I nearly died of embarrassment when he said that.

Humiliation

hu • mili • ate BrE / hjuːˈmɪlieɪt / verb

The party was humiliated in the recent elections.

hu • mili • at • ing / BrE hjuːˈmɪlieɪtɪŋ ; adjective

a humiliating defeat

hu • mili • ation / BrE hjuːˌmɪliˈeɪʃn ;  noun [ uncountable ,  countable ]

She suffered the humiliation of being criticized in public.

Fulfill

ful • fil ( BrE ) ( NAmE ful • fill ) verb

( ful • fill • ing , ful • filled , ful • filled )

1 ~ sth to do or achieve what was hoped for or expected

to fulfil your dream/ambition/potential

ful • fil • ment / BrE fʊlˈfɪlmənt ; ( BrE ) ( NAmE ful • fill • ment ) noun [ uncountable ]  - the fulfilment of a dream  - to find personal fulfilment

ful • filled BrE / fʊlˈfɪld / adjective

He doesn't feel fulfilled in his present job.

unfulfilled

ful • fil • ling BrE / fʊlˈfɪlɪŋ / adjective

a fulfilling experience

unfulfilling

I'm finding the work much more fulfilling now.

File 3 A Vocabulary - Crime and Punishment

Click on this link and Practice
http://www.oup.com/elt/global/products/englishfile/upperint/b_vocabulary/bank04/

Crime and Punishment

English words for crime and punishment

There are many words in English dealing with crime, the courts and punishment.

acquit / acquittal

acquit = to decide that someone is not guilty of a crime: "All the defendants were acquitted."

barrister, bail

barrister = a lawyer who is trained to defend or prosecute in a court: "The barrister asked many difficult questions."

bail = a sum of money that can be paid in some situations to allow someone accused of a crime to stay out of prison before the court case: "He won't get bail – he's extremely violent."

court, custody, conviction, cross-examination

court = the place where a crime is discussed and judged: "He's in court again – this is the second time this year!"

a court case = what happens in a court: "This is an interesting court case, as many people are involved."

in custody = when the police keep someone in prison before the person goes to court: "He's being kept in custody until the trial begins."

custodial sentence = when someone is sent to prison for a crime: "Custodial sentences are getting shorter."

conviction = when someone is found guilty of a crime: "He had a string of convictions going back twenty years."

cross-examination = when what someone says is questioned by the barrister representing the other side: "Under cross-examination, her evidence showed some inconsistencies."

defend, defendant

to defend – to argue the innocence of the person who is accused of a crime (the defendant):"The barrister defending him is going to have a hard time."

evidence

evidence = information that proves someone is guilty: "The forensic evidence shows that he committed the murder."

fine

fine = a sum of money that is paid as a punishment for a minor crime: "He got a small fine for speeding."

guilty

find someone guilty = when it is decided that someone has committed a crime: "He was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment."

hearsay

hearsay = when you hear something from someone, but you don't know if it is true or not: "Although the police are suspicious, they can't prosecute him on what the neighbours think – it's all hearsay."

illegal

illegal = against the law: "The brothers carried out an illegal trade in rare and endangered animals."

judge, jury, justice

judge = a person who is in control of a court. The judge makes sure that both sides of the argument are heard, sums up or explains things to the jury, if necessary, and passes sentence if the defendant is found guilty. "She's a well-respected judge."

jury = 12 citizens who are selected at random to decide whether someone is guilty or not in a criminal trial: "I have to do jury service next month and I'm a little nervous." "The jury took five hours to find him not guilty."

justice = how people are judged: "The British justice system is unlike other European systems."

life sentence

life sentence = when someone guilty of murder or other serious crimes is sent to prison for "life": "He's currently serving two life sentences for murder."

magistrate, magistrate's court

magistrate = someone who judges less serious crimes: "She was in the magistrate's court for shoplifting."

not guilty

not guilty = when someone is found to be innocent of a crime: "The jury found her not guilty."

Old Bailey

Old Bailey – famous law courts in London, where serious crimes are tried: "The public gallery at the Old Bailey is a good place to witness the British justice system."

prosecution, parole, plea, plaintiff

prosecution = the lawyers arguing against the defendant: "The doctor was a witness for the prosecution."

parole = when a convicted criminal is allowed out of prison before the end of the sentence: "He was sentenced to ten years, but with parole, he'll serve seven years at the most." "She's on parole."

plea = a statement in court saying whether a person is guilty or not: "The defendant entered a plea of not guilty."

plaintiff = someone who takes a person to court and brings a legal action against them: "The plaintiff stated that the defendant had deliberately destroyed his fence."

QC

QC (Queen's Counsel) = a senior barrister.

diminished responsibility

diminished responsibility = when someone cannot be held responsible for a crime, because they are mentally ill: "A plea of diminished responsibility was accepted."

statement, sentence

statement = something that a person says is true and which is officially written down: "In your statement to the police, you said that you had left the party at 11 pm."

sentence = the punishment that a judge gives someone who is guilty of a crime: "People are no longer sentenced to death in the UK."

trial

trial = the court process which decides if someone is guilty or not: "The murder trial is being reported in all the newspapers."

unsafe

unsafe conviction = when someone has been found guilty because the evidence was wrong or the witnesses didn't tell the truth: "The judge ruled the convictions unsafe and they were released from prison."

victim, verdict

victim = the person who has the crime committed against him or her: "The murder victim was aged between 25 and 30."

verdict = what the jury decides: "The jury returned a verdict of not guilty."

witness

witness = someone who sees a crime being committed: "The police are appealing for witnesses to come forward."