Legal & Crime Vocabulary
A person who breaks into a house or building illegally, especially to steal property. What is a... ?
Burglar
The football club refused ___________ (release) the player before his contract expired."
to release
If the criminal is a mugger, what is the name of the illegal action or crime they commit?
mugging / to mug
Correct the grammatical error in this official report: "The judge awarded the custody of the children to the mother."
Remove the first "the": "The judge awarded custody of the children to the mother."
Replace the phrase in italics with a formal, passive structure that connects a suspect to a specific crime: "The inspector confirmed that the suspect will officially face legal consequences for armed robbery."
Be charged with (e.g., will be charged with).
Complete the official judicial collocation: "After evaluating all the evidence, the judge ruled ____________ the claimants, granting them everything they requested."
in favor of
The delivery driver admitted ___________ (break) the traffic law during the operation.
breaking
If the crime is burglary, what is the specific phrasal verb used to describe the action of entering the property illegally?
to break into
Fix the reporting verb pattern: "The coastguard suggested me to update the vessel's log."
"The coastguard suggested updating the vessel's log" OR "...suggested that I should update..." (Suggest never takes object + infinitive).
Replace the section in italics with a professional collocation used when a company or individual is blamed for something wrong before a trial: "The shipping company was blamed by the media for neglecting safety protocols on board."
Accused of / Be accused of (e.g., was accused of).
Complete the official collocation: "Due to the lack of evidence, the suspect pleaded ___________."
not guilty
The tech corporation finally agreed ___________ (pay) over £400 million in damages.
to pay
If a person commits murder, they are a murderer. What is the corresponding noun for a person who commits theft?
a thief
Spot the mistake: "The shipping company was accused for restricting people's rights."
Change 'for' to 'of': "accused of restricting..."
Replace the phrase in italics with a professional verb from the unit: "The court decided to officially give custody of the children to the grandparents."
Award (or to award custody).
Complete the phrase: "The jury deliberated for hours before finally reaching a ____________ on the high-profile fraud case."
verdict
The local inspector warned them ___________ (stop) operating without a valid permit.
to stop
Complete the morphological sequence: Fraud (crime) -> Fraudster (criminal) -> ____________ (verb).
To defraud / To commit fraud.
Correct the word choice in this law enforcement entry: "The pickpocketer broke into the house and stole the jewelry while they were sleeping."
Change 'pickpocketer' to burglar (pickpockets steal in public places; burglars break into houses).
What formal legal formulation completes this report to express that a court officially decided someone was responsible for a crime: "The defense counsel argued that his client should not be declared legally responsible or ___________ based on circumstantial evidence."
Found guilty / Be found guilty.
Complete the professional phrase: "The government has decided to crack ___________ on online fraud to protect citizens."
down
The legal team accused their rivals of ___________ (copy) the original software features.
copying
If a witness provides testimony in court, what is the professional verb that describes their action of speaking for the prosecution or defence?
to testify
Correct the structure: "The suspect denied to have anything to do with the online fraud."
Change 'to have' to having or denied that he had: "The suspect denied having anything to do with..."
Replace the words in italics with the specific technical term for an official government right that protects an invention from being copied: "Apple and Samsung settled a massive legal battle regarding who owned the original legal design protections for their technology."
Patent / Design patents.