Legal English- Differences Between Legal Terms
A LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS
Students try to explain similar but different legal English words and expressions, including common confusions between legal terms, with two homework writing tasks.
Lesson Plan Content:
Differences between legal terms
Ask your partner about the differences between any of the things below which you aren’t sure about, underlining any which they aren’t sure about to ask the class about later.
Legal vocabulary to compare
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- accepting bribes/ bribery - tax avoidance/ tax evasion - arrest/ prosecute - arrest/ take in for questioning - assault/ attempted murder - assault/ mugging - asylum seeker/ refugee - attorney/ district attorney (= DA) - bag snatching/ mugging/ pick pocketing - barrister/ solicitor - black hat hackers/ white hat hackers - bomb hoax/ terrorism - bullying/ cyber-bullying - burglary/ shoplifting - buying drugs/ drug dealing - capital punishment/ corporal punishment - civil case/ criminal case - community service/ hard labour - compensation/ fine - corporal punishment/ “an eye for an eye” - crime/ misdemeanor - criminal record/ permanent criminal record - criminal/ suspect - detective/ private detective - drug dealing/ drug trafficking |
- drug trafficking/ smuggling - drunk driving/ reckless driving - file sharing/ illegal file sharing - five-year jail sentence/ suspended five-year sentence - forgery/ piracy - fraud/ scam - graffiti/ vandalism - hard drugs/ soft drugs - hijacking/ kidnapping - human trafficking/ trafficking - illegal drugs/ prescription drug misuse - imprisonment/ rehabilitation - prisons in your country/ prisons in other countries - judge/ juror - judge/ magistrate - libel/ slander - life sentence/ “life means life” - manslaughter/ murder - offender/ reoffender - official warning/ warning - open prison/ other kinds of prison - police station cell/ prison cell - profiting from prostitution/ prostitution - prosecute/ sue - the legal system in your country/ the legal system in other countries |
Ask about any you underlined, working together as a class to explain the differences.
Homework One
Choose one of the topics above (this time a single expression, not a pair of things to compare) and write notes on:
- Its meaning (perhaps with contrasts to similar terms if that helps explain it clearly)
- Your opinion on something related to it (e.g. if “capital punishment” is a good idea)
- Support for your opinions
Homework Two
Think of or find five more pairs of legal terms (including words not above) that could be confused and/ or are difficult to explain the differences between. Prepare to explain the differences for your partner.
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