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3

UNIT
Law and order

• To discuss different
OBJECTIVES

crimes and their


A | I spy with my little eye
possible punishment
• To agree and disagree B | Putting things right
about issues related to
law and order

THAT’S ENGLISH!
B2
UNIT
3 Law and order
• To discuss different crimes and their possible

OBJECTIVES
punishment
• To agree and disagree about issues related
to law and order

A I spy with my little eye


BEFORE YOU WATCH 2 A former employee at Danny’s company was
suspected of stealing information.
1a What are white-collar crimes?
3 Danny passes on true information to Richard.
1 crimes committed by wealthy people 4 Danny’s reward is just the satisfaction of
2 non-violent crimes connected with financial having done the right thing.
dealings
5 Read the extracts and choose the option that
1b Which of these can be considered white-collar matches the meaning.
crimes? 1 Danny: Isn’t it white-collar crime?
bribery arson insider trading burglary a non-violent crime for financial gain
shoplifting selling information cybercrime b crimes committed by company executives
2 Karen: It’s a serious crime along with insider
trading.
WHILE YOU WATCH a the selling of stocks and shares by people
2 Answer the questions. with access to secret information
b selling stocks and shares to other people in
the same company
3 Danny: I don’t want to do time in jail.
a to visit someone in jail
b to be sent to prison
4 Danny: So, companies are really cracking
down on corruption.
1 Why doesn’t Danny agree to Richard’s proposal?
a searching for corruption
b dealing with illegal behaviour in a severe way

6 Use the correct form of the expressions in


activity 5 to complete the text.

In the past there was a more tolerant attitude to


1
... such as fraud, as it was seen as less serious
2 What does Danny do to incriminate Richard? since no individuals were harmed. However,
business can lose huge sums of money if new
product information is stolen due to industrial
AFTER YOU WATCH espionage. Judges are 2... this kind of crime
with severe sentences. Recent cases of 3...
3 Answer the questions. where corrupt employees have made millions
on the stock market have caused widespread
1 What does Richard suggest to Danny as a way anger. The message from the courts is clear:
to earn more money? don’t make money dishonestly or you’ll 4... !
2 How does Danny react to the idea?
3 How does Richard’s opinion differ from Danny’s?
4 What does Karen point out about Richard’s NOW YOU!
offer to Danny?
7 Do you think white-collar criminals should do
4 Are the sentences true (✔) or false (✗). Correct time in jail?
the false ones. … criminals often end up in open … where
1 Richard Ellison has been under suspicion before. they have quite a lot of …

28 THAT’S ENGLISH!
STREET INTERVIEWS
8 The speakers were asked the following question: Can crime ever be justified?
1 Which of these reasons do you think are the most common cause of people committing
crimes?
a psychological problems c greed e self-defence g mixing with wrong-doers
b bad parenting d poverty f drug addiction h being indoctrinated

Robert Glenn Chelsi Thierno Stephen George

2 Watch the video and see if any of the ideas are mentioned.

9a Who said what? More than one speaker may give the same answer.

1 If you have no money for things like food, crime may be the only option.
2 Crime may be justifiable if you need to protect yourself and your loved ones.
3 Sometimes is justifiable to break a law to help others who are in trouble.
4 Killing can never be excused.
5 Addiction is no excuse for theft.

9b Listen to the speakers and complete the sentences.

Chelsi: Killing, murdering, that’s just crazy, 1... .


Thierno: 2... , it depends really because, if I’m shoplifting …
George: I feel 3... to break the law.

ACTIVATE YOUR ENGLISH! 10c Complete the sentences so that they are true
for you.
10a Match the expressions from 9b (1-3) to the
meanings (a-c). 1 I feel it’s more than justified to expect criminals
to ...
a it’s definitely acceptable 2 Punishments such as ... are over the top for ... ;
b that is too extreme something like ... would be more appropriate.
c it’s difficult to judge 3 In cases where it’s just someone’s word against
another person’s it’s a tricky one but ...
10b Use the correct form of the expressions in
activities 5 and 9b to complete the sentences.
NOW YOU!
1 Examples of ... are cybercrime or insider trading.
11 Do you think crime can ever be justified? Give
2 People used to be executed for stealing a some examples.
sheep but we now think ... .
3 The Council’s new policies are ... pollution. Generally speaking, crime can’t be justified
4 A jail sentence ... if a driver has endangered but sometimes there are circumstances
other people’s lives by his driving. which should be taken into account. Such
as if a family member assists a terminally
5 ... is very unfair as ordinary people don’t have
ill person to end their life as ... Each case
the opportunity to make a profit on the stock
should be judged on the facts because in
market.
some cases ...
6 ... is a possible outcome for committing
financial crimes.
7 Should children be asked to give evidence in
court? ..., I’m not really sure.

THAT’S ENGLISH! 29
Law and order

READING
1 Answer the questions.
1 Do you think crime is increasing or falling? The mysterious case of
2 What kinds of crime might affect you where
you live? Has the type of crime in the area
changed over the years?
the falling crime figures
a Stop anyone in the street in Britain and ask them
2 Read the article and match the headings (1-8) to about the crime rate and the answer will invariably
the paragraphs (a-g). There is one extra heading.
be it is rising. But the strange thing is although that is
1 Not so easy pickings what probably should have happened, it actually
2 Hidden threat hasn’t. In fact, the crime rate has dropped steadily for
3 A new type of criminal 19 years and is now at its lowest for decades. Experts
4 More effort needed disagree about why and have proposed many theories
5 Dying out to explain this surprising phenomenon.
6 Up or down?
b Acquisitive crime (based on obtaining money, rather
7 Cultural changes
than acts of violence) such as burglary and car theft
8 Hands up! This is a robbery!
rose rapidly in the 1980s alongside a dramatic
3 Read the text again. What do these numbers increase in the use of heroin and unemployment. The
refer to? Home Office suggested last year heroin addicts were
responsible for 50% of crime from the early 80s to
1 670 million 3 51% 5 70s 7 32%
2005 but that since then, the majority of drug users
2 50% 4 2005 6 90s 8 47% have either died or recovered.
4 Answer the questions.
c Some researchers believe acquisitive crimes rise
1 Why does the author say that most people’s when the opportunity to commit them is facilitated
perception of the crime rate is incorrect? and decreases when there are better deterrents. In the
2 How did a rise in unemployment and drug use 70s, there was a huge rise in thefts from cars as music
affect non-violent crime in the 1980s? systems were widely installed, but by the late 90s
3 What link do some researchers believe exists such thefts were rare as car alarms became standard.
between opportunities to commit crimes and
preventative measures?
4 How has criminal behaviour in the young been
affected by cleaner energy sources for cars?
5 What effect has improved technology had on
young people’s lifestyles?
6 What action has the government taken to
combat electronic crime?
7 Why is deception in online games actually
more important than it may seem?
8 What conclusion does the author draw as
to whether the crime rate is increasing or
decreasing?
d However, other experts have offered a range of
5a Listen to someone talking about crime. Which theories such as the appealing idea that people are
of the crimes from the box does he talk about? becoming more civilised. Another intriguing idea
19
is that the removal of lead from petrol has reduced
fraud scams robbery phishing
antisocial behaviour in young people, as research
drug dealing cyber bullying car theft indicated that developing brains were especially
burglary harassment vulnerable to damage from lead. The fall in
vandalism and antisocial behaviour in teenagers is

30 THAT’S ENGLISH!
UNIT 3

5b Listen again and complete the definitions of the


thought to be due to the rise in the use of crimes the speaker mentions.
19
smartphones and computer gaming. Rather than 1 A plan to trick someone out of money is a ... .
be on the streets causing trouble, young people 2 Sending false emails or making fake calls
entertain themselves on social media. pretending to be from someone’s bank to trick
them is ... .
e There is also a strong argument that traditional data 3 Breaking into a person’s home to steal is ... .
collection methods do not reflect the massive rise in 4 Selling illegal substances to be consumed is
cybercrime, like Internet scams, online fraud, or ... .
harassment. Senior police believe that 51% of the 5 Upsetting someone by repeatedly contacting
population have been affected and yet only 32% had or following them is ... .
reported it. Cybercrime is thought to generate more 6 Threatening and scaring someone online is
money than drug dealing and at least £670 million was ... .
stolen online last year. However, officials agree that as
5c Complete the sentences with a suitable word
many cases are never reported, the true cost is probably from activity 5b.
massively greater. Subsequently, the government is
devoting more resources to fighting cybercrime and 1 ... can be prevented by good window locks
publicising Action Fraud (the UK fraud centre) as 47% of and a security alarm.
victims didn’t know where to report online crime. 2 Many teenagers are vulnerable to ... as they
spend so much time using social media.
3 Sal Grey’s former boyfriend was charged with
... after he phoned her a hundred times a day.
4 Don’t ever transfer money in response to an
email from your bank as it’s probably ... .
5 There are very strict punishments for ... in
many countries where the substances are
grown.
6 He was fooled into investing money in a ...
which promised him a high rate of interest.

6 Think about your answers to the questions and


discuss them with a partner.
f So, are these cybercriminals traditional lawbreakers
or a new breed of digital natives? It seems that the 1 How can young people be protected from
Internet provides endless opportunities to ordinary cyber bullying?
people to abuse others. There have been cases where
people on dating sites have been tricked out of their I think it’s essential for us to educate and
warn children about the dangers of the
savings by their online ‘partners’ who are simply Internet before they are teenagers. Once
sophisticated scammers. Interestingly, recent research they become teenagers they often refuse
shows that people who commit cybercrime often begin to listen, but younger children are more ...
by cheating in online role-playing games. Although
stealing gold in computer games seems trivial, it has
been shown to lead to more serious crimes. 2 What can we do to protect ourselves from
online crime like phishing?
g So, is the crime rate really falling? Some new trends,
such as encouraging terrorism online, have been When it comes to phishing the first thing
we need to do is question if the source is
addressed vigorously but other e-crimes have still not
real or not. Often the language used in
been dealt with effectively. Until modern crime phishing repeats from one email to the
(online source)

developments are accurately reported and prevented, next. If we have any doubts we should ...
that question cannot be answered.
TRACK 18

THAT’S ENGLISH! 31
Law and order

LANGUAGE STUDY
1 Choose the correct verb form: active or passive. 3a Listen to the discussion. What is the relationship
between the people?
20
Multimillion pound robbery in 1 friends
London’s diamond centre 2 colleagues
Eight men 1have charged / have been charged 3 lecturer and students
with robbing London’s diamond centre. The men
2 3b Listen again and choose the correct word to
had arrested / had been arrested on Tuesday after
complete the definitions.
raids at their homes. Most of the missing jewellery 20
3
found / was found at various houses in London. 1 Domestic abuse / Manslaughter is when
CCTV images 4released / were released of six someone attacks their partner.
suspects who 5saw / were seen entering the building 2 Intimidation / Assault is hitting or hurting
over the weekend. The thieves 6were filming / were someone physically.
filmed dressed as workmen. The police 7criticised 3 Accidental murder is called manslaughter /
/ were criticised for not answering a call that the assault.
alarm 8had triggered / had been triggered. Chief 4 A small offence that involves little money and
inspector Bowes 9had announced / had been no physical harm is a(n) petty crime / assault.
announced a reward of £20,000 for information 5 Stealing from a store is called shoplifting /
as he emphasised the gang 10must find / must be petty crime.
found. 6 Using someone’s creative property
Gerald Foster (one of the victims) said, ‘Many of us without paying is copyright infringement /
11
have lost / have been lost a lot of money. It 12could manslaughter.
have prevented / could have been prevented 7 Scaring someone by threatening them is
easily, and consequently security measures 13are assault / intimidation.
increasing / are being increased. The building 8 Manslaughter / Assassination refers to killing
14
guards / is guarded 24/7 now. Over £250,000 15will a prominent person, especially for political
spend / will be spent on the project. The changes reasons.
16
will have completed / will have been completed
by next week and hopefully, we 17will never suffer / 4a Complete the text about types of punishment
will be suffered such a robbery again.’ The suspects with the words from the box.
18
are to release / are to be released on bail today,
life sentence on probation prison sentence
and one informant, who 19was to have rewarded /
was to have been rewarded, 20is looking / is being fined death penalty on parole
Future continuous and future perfect page 125
looked for by the police after it was discovered suspended sentence community service
he was actually part of the gang. The police are
confident he 21will catch / will be caught. A punishment to fit the crime
Passive voice and reporting verbs page 125 Punishments have come a long way since
the bad old days when people were given
the 1... for stealing sheep! For petty crime,
2 Rewrite the text in the passive using the a first offender is often 2... some money or
reporting verbs in bold.
given 3... e.g. picking up litter for 100 hours,
or the offender is put 4... when they are
The police believe Jim Mack is on the run
supervised by a professional who helps them
in Ireland. The police know he committed
stay out of trouble. Judges try to avoid jail, so
several bank robberies. Insiders think his
sometimes the offender receives a 5... . If they
extended family help him. Experts estimate
don’t commit a crime for a fixed period, they
he’s stolen over £1 million.The police expect
remain free; but if they break the law again,
him to disguise his appearance. Many believe
they go to prison. For more serious crimes,
he is too clever to be caught. Many say he’s
an offender receives a 6... for a length of time
hidden a fortune in gold in Ireland. Journalists
but if they behave well, they may be released
understand he’s bribed police officers to
early 7... . Again, if they re-offend, they return
protect him.
to jail. The worst crimes result in a 8... : this is
a minimum of 20 years but can be extended
Jim Mack is believed to be on the run in Ireland.
He’s known … by a judge.

32 THAT’S ENGLISH!
UNIT 3

4b Complete the sentences with the correct 5 There ... (be) a law against using noisy
expression from activity 4a. headphones on public transport.
6 The sentence the judge gave was far too lenient.
1 Offenders get help to find a job and a home
The criminal ... (have got) a life sentence.
when they are put ... .
Should and ought to (present and past) page 125
2 If you receive a ... , you must be very careful
not to commit the smallest offence.
3 Businesses can be ... huge amounts of money 7 Complete the text with the correct form of the
for some crimes. verbs in brackets or words from the box.
4 After 10 years in jail and an excellent record,
Bob was released ... . intimidation should have petty crime
5 ‘This is the fourth time you’ve appeared here. copyright infringement drug dealing scam
I have no alternative but to give you a ...,’ said
the judge.
6 Most European countries have abolished the
... . http://www.freedomcity_files.com/

7 Being convicted of murder usually means


getting a ... . Freedom CITY FILES
8 ... is a good way to get offenders to help people HOME MUSIC films SUPPORT
where they live.

!
5 Listen to the words and mark the stress. Then,
listen again and repeat.
21
1 infringement 6 manslaughter
2 harassment 7 community service
3 cyber bullying 8 on probation This website is unavailable.
4 intimidation 9 suspended sentence If you are the website owner, please contact your
website administrator for further details.
5 assassination 10 death penalty
Pronunciation Guide page 145

Cybercrime mastermind caught


Benno Sweitz 1... (arrest) by Vietnamese police,
reports our correspondent Vi Nguyen. Sweitz
2
... (know) to be one of the main directors of the
infamous file-sharing website Freedom City Files.
Originally from Austria, Sweitz began with a career
of 3... such as stealing from cars before he became
involved with addicts and 4... (convict) of 5... in 2001.
Since then, he abandoned those bad habits and
became involved with an investment scheme which
promised huge rewards to investors. Journalist
Marco Blum was investigating as it 6... (believe) to
be a 7... after investors reported they could no longer
contact Sweitz. Blum reported receiving death
6 Complete the sentences with the correct form threats and other incidents of 8... from Sweitz. ‘I 9...
of should (have) or ought (have) and the verbs reported it to the police but I was too afraid,’ he said.
in brackets.
Sweitz then moved to Asia in 2006 and the website
10
1 Yesterday I told a lie to my parents. Today I feel ... (set up) to allow users to share large amounts
ashamed. I ... to … (not lie). of data, such as films. Before it was closed down
2 Stealing a car was one of the things he … (not over 2 million films 11... (download). Many support
do) when he was young. the idea of freely sharing information but artists
3 The government ... to ... (act) sooner on and musicians are very critical.‘12... is just another
improving online security. form of theft. If no one pays for creative work, then
eventually there will be no new films or music,’
4 We ... to … (leave) now because otherwise
said a spokesperson of the Musicians Union.
we’ll miss the verdict.

THAT’S ENGLISH! 33
Law and order

B Putting things right


DOCUMENTARY a different minimum pay levels for young people
1 Do you think the victims of crime get enough b permitting individuals to possess and use
help from the justice system? firearms with little control
c a heavy fine for using swearwords or offensive
2 Match the phrases (1-4) to the definitions (a-d). language
d discrimination against those in same-sex
1 restorative justice 3 gobsmacked (informal) relationships
2 beneficial outcomes 4 a sicko (informal) e permitting former offenders to serve in parliament
a helpful results f giving more rights to one partner than another
if an unmarried couple split up
b a psychologically unhealthy person
c a legal system that emphasises helping victims
of crime THAT’S THE USA
d very shocked 6 Boston is famous for the Boston Tea Party in
1773. Why did the demonstrators throw the tea
3 Watch the documentary and answer the into the sea?
questions.
1 They had been cheated with poor quality tea.
2 They were protesting against taxes on tea
imposed by the British rulers.
3 They wanted to limit tea imports to push
prices up.

1 Why was restorative justice introduced?


2 How does the system help victims of crime?
3 Why isn’t it compulsory for offenders to take
part?
4 What surprising reaction did Viv have when
she met the burglar in her house? 7 Watch the video of the tour of Boston and
decide if the statements are true (✔) or false (✗).
5 What positive result does taking part in
Correct the false ones.
restorative justice have for criminals?
1 The Sons of Liberty rebelled against a
SAME LANGUAGE, DIFFERENT LIVES repressive colonial power.
2 Law and order in Boston emphasises building
4 Do you think there are too many laws or good relationships between the public and the
regulations governing our lives? Are there any police.
new laws you would like to introduce? 3 The police have succeeded in convincing most
people in the city that they are a positive force.
5 Match the speakers (1-6) to the laws (a-f) they
find unfair and would like to change. 4 Beacon Hill is a deprived area of the city.
5 Boston is very close to the world-famous Yale
1 3 5 University.
6 For strong athletes it is easier to balance the
boat in the Boston Charles Regatta.

NOW YOU!
2 4 6
8 What laws do you consider unfair and how
would you change them?
Many laws connected with ... are unfair
because ... I’d like to see changes such as ...

34 THAT’S ENGLISH!
UNIT 3
SKILLS WORK
1 Which of the following do you think are requirements to own a gun in your country?
1 having a licence 3 passing a psychological test
2 passing a shooting test 4 attending shooting classes

2 Read the text. In general, does the writer have a positive, negative or neutral attitude to
Japan’s gun policy?

Totally under control


Most people would agree that people like to try something no coincidence that it now has the second-lowest murder
new when on holiday and the Japanese are no exception rate in the world. Most types of guns are illegal and there
when visiting the popular destination of Hawaii. Even so, it are lengthy procedures to get a gun licence, which are
seems strange that The Hawaiian Shooting Club’s website designed to deter anyone trying. Applicants have to attend
is primarily in Japanese and many of the instructors speak classes, pass a written test and a shooting test, have a
fluent Japanese. The relaxed gun laws in the USA tempt psychological and drug test and a full security check. Only
Japanese tourists to try something forbidden in their own then will a licence be issued. After that, the gun and bullets
country: holding a gun. Even grasping a handgun is illegal must be locked up separately and checked by the police
in Japan, let alone firing one! every year. Even Japanese criminal gangs are said to rarely
bother with gun crime.
Japan and the USA are virtual opposites when it comes
to firearm issues. Hardly anyone in Japan owns a gun All these measures seem to be worth it when the gun-related
whilst there are 300 million firearms in the USA − one for homicide figures of the countries are compared. In 2008,
every single person. Japan introduced a law in 1958 that the USA had over 12,000 deaths from gun crime whereas
states ‘no person shall possess a firearm’, and it’s surely Japan suffered only 11, but that was an unusually high
figure as some years it is as low as two!
Clearly, Japan and the USA are very dissimilar in many
other ways, and especially in attitudes to law and order.
Japan is a generally peaceful country and the people readily
cooperate with police operations while Americans value the
freedom to defend themselves and prevent the creation of

(online source)
a police state. However, as the world looks sadly on at mass
shootings in the USA, the question must be asked: is ‘the
right to bear arms’ as stated in the American Constitution
still really relevant today? TRACK 22

3 Read the text again. What is the significance of these numbers in the article?
a 1 b 2 c 12,000 d 11 e 1958 f 300 million

4 According to the text, are the statements true (✔) or false (✗)? Correct the false ones.
1 Visitors to Hawaii from Japan are attracted to try something very unusual.
2 The gun controls in Japan are so strict that gun crime is unknown.
3 Japanese society is more accepting of authority than the USA.

5a Listen to the speakers (1-4) replying to the question ‘How strict is gun control in your country?’
Complete the first column of the table according to their answers.
23
Speaker / Relaxed or strict Details on gun ownership
country gun controls Age Licence Psychological test Other
1 Brazil strict 25 2 (to own and to carry) yes toy guns banned
2 Italy Doesn’t say
3 Switzerland
4 Britain

5b Listen again and complete the details on gun ownership.

23
6 Does gun ownership make society safer or not? Write a blog post (80-100 words) giving your views.

I totally disagree that gun ownership makes society safer because if you look at other countries like ...

THAT’S ENGLISH! 35
Law and order

SPEAKING
1 Look at the pictures of crimes below and divide 3 agree on something
them into serious and minor offences. Discuss
your reasons with a partner. 4 agree/disagree on/about/over something
1 3 a reach an understanding about a particular issue
b think that it is (not) OK
c have the same/a different opinion on a given subject
d have the same/a different opinion as others
Agreeing and disagreeing page 126

dropping litter dangerous driving


3 Choose the correct word in the sentences.
2 4
1 Matt disagreed on / with / that downloading
music for free. He didn’t think it was OK.
2 She liked Richard but she disagreed on /
about / with him about the court sentence.
3 After several hours in the jury room, they
finally agreed on / about / with a verdict.
4 I agree about / that / with judges should avoid
computer hacking shoplifting sending first offenders to prison.
5 Her boss agreed about / that / with her that
Well, personally I think all of them should they needed better computer security.
be classed as serious offences. They’re
all anti-social and have a negative effect 6 They disagreed with / that / over which team
on everybody. But the one I hate most is had played the best.
dangerous driving because …
4a Listen to part two of the conversation and
complete the expressions.
25
Really? Well, I’m not sure I agree with 1 Mike: So ... I. 4 Wendy: I ... agree more.
you. I don’t think dropping litter in the 2 Mike: ... do ... . 5 Mike: I’m ... you ... that.
street or shoplifting can be regarded as
serious offences. When I was younger … 3 Mike: Me ... .

4b Listen again. Do the expressions above


show: partial agreement (a), agreement (b) or
2a Listen to the beginning of a conversation 25 disagreement (c)?
between Wendy and Mike. Which of the crimes
24 in activity 1 are they talking about?
5a Listen to part three of the conversation. What
are they talking about now?
2b Listen again and complete the sentences. 26

24 1 I agree ... you there. It’s absolutely terrible! 5b Listen again and complete the table with the
sentences.
2 Huh! I totally disagree … him on that! 26
3 I disagree … criminalising people with no Partial agreement
previous record.
Partial disagreement
4 I’m sorry, I’ll have to disagree … that issue!
Strong disagreement
5 Yes, of course I agree … he deserves a serious
punishment.
1 That’s absolute rubbish!
6 Yes, I totally agree … that.
2 I agree with you up to a point but …
7 I don’t want us to argue even if we disagree …
3 I can’t go along with you there.
the other stuff, OK?
4 Nonsense!
8 Yes, they do. At last we’ve agreed … something.
5 I don’t really see it like that myself.
2c Match the structures to their meanings. 6 I know what you mean but …
7 Well, that’s one way of looking at things.
1 agree/disagree with someone 8 It’s true, I’m telling you!
2 agree/disagree with something 9 You must be joking!

36 THAT’S ENGLISH!
UNIT 3

Interaction: discuss suitable punishments for a crime


6a Read the crime stories (1-3) and match them to the court sentences you think were given (a-c).

1 Cyberbully in court 2 Bride stole from employer


to fund wedding
Mia Jarvis, 19, was found guilty of posting more Michaela Durrant, 27, abused her position
than 500 abusive messages about a fellow of trust at work and stole more than
student, Zara Norton, on social media. Ms £250,000 over three years to pay for a
Norton told the court that the posts had caused luxury wedding. She successfully hid the
her great distress and she was now receiving information in false paperwork and even
medical help. She had given up her college invited her bosses to the wedding. The
course as a result of the abuse and felt unable to judge told Durrant she had betrayed the
leave the house alone. trust of her employers.

3 Charged with manslaughter


Tony Fellowes, 34, was originally charged with assault after he was said to have stabbed Kevin
Moran in an argument. The injury was not life-threatening, but Mr Moran belonged to a religious
group that prohibited blood transfusions. As a result, he refused blood and died a day later. Fellowes
was then charged with manslaughter.

Court sentences:
a six years in prison
b two years suspended sentence and fined £5,000
c 200 hours of community service
6b Now listen and check.

27
7 Choose one of the cases in activity 6a to discuss with a partner. Do you agree with the judge’s
decision? Why? Why not? Use expressions from activities 2b, 4a and 5b to help you. Structure
your interaction according to the flow chart below. Then, swap roles.

A Ask B what they think A Express partial agreement or


about the punishment disagreement and reasons for it. I
that the criminal actually agree with you up to a point but … /
got. What’s your reaction I don’t really see it like that myself
to that case in the news because ...
about ...? / Have you read
about the case of …?
A Express strong disagreement and
reasons for it. That’s absolute
rubbish!

B Express your opinion and


the reasons for it. Oh, the B Express strong disagreement and
one where …? I couldn’t reasons for it. I can’t go along with
agree more as I feel ... you there. That’s no excuse …

THAT’S ENGLISH! 37
SELF TEST UNIT 3
1 Complete the text with the correct form of the 4 Complete the sentences with a suitable word
verbs in brackets. or phrase.
1 ... such as stealing from cars or shops can
Daring jail escape by Mexican drug lord lead to more serious offences.
Mexican king of drug dealers, José Guzmán, 2 The factory owner failed to take the correct
who 1... (know) as El Chapo 2... (escape) from safety measures and was charged with ...
Altiplano prison, reports our correspondent. after an employee died.
A 1.5 km tunnel 3... (dig) from his cell to a 3 Many have been victims of a ... where
construction site. A motorcycle 4... (discover) someone pretends to fix their roof, but in fact
as well, which police believe 5... (use) to does nothing.
transport earth from the tunnel. Officials 4 Journalists are sometimes accused of ...
believe he had inside help and eighteen when trying to get a story from someone.
guards 6... (question) at the moment. 5 The problem with ... is that it happens behind
A manhunt 7... (launch). ‘All passengers closed doors and partners don’t ask for help.
leaving the country 8... (search),’ said the 6 The King was surrounded by security guards
security chief. ‘This man must 9... (recapture) to protect him from ... by terrorists.
immediately.’ Although security at the jail
7 Fred Davis was hospitalised after an ... by a
10
... (criticise) in the past, expert Carlos
man with a cricket bat.
Delgado believes Guzmán’s escape 11... (can
not prevent). ‘Sooner or later, he would have 8 ... may seem a minor offence but it increases
the cost of items for honest shoppers.
escaped. This man is immensely powerful.’
9 Listening to music online for free is tempting
but it’s actually ... .
2 Rewrite the sections in bold using a passive 10 After the manager received a death threat,
infinitive. he told the police about the ... .

1
People think Stephane Breitweiser is the 5 Listen to the conversation. Are the sentences
true (✔) or false (✗)? Correct the false ones.
most notorious art thief in the world. 2Experts 28
believe he stole over 1.4 billion dollars 1 The woman totally agrees that community
worth of art, not for financial gain but for service might be regarded as easy.
the love of art. 3Police know he committed 2 They both think that keeping young people
his first art theft in 1995 while visiting a out of jail is advisable.
castle in Germany. 4They understand his
3 The woman feels that some prison sentences
girlfriend watched for security guards in America are too long.
while Breitweiser committed the thefts
4 They are both against the death penalty.
in museums. 5The authorities report that
Breitweiser’s mother cut up many paintings 5 The man thinks a real life sentence is sufficient
when the police began investigating her punishment for extremely serious crimes.
son. 6Experts estimate she destroyed many
6 Complete the dialogue with a suitable word.
priceless works of art worth hundreds of
millions of dollars. Offender: I think they’ll find me guilty.
Lawyer: 1... do I. You might be put 2... probation
as it’s a first offence.
3 Complete the sentences with a suitable word. In
some cases, more than one answer is possible. Offender: I might just be 3... but that’s no good,
I haven’t got any money.
1 After several weeks of searching, they finally Lawyer: The court might think you have.
agreed ... a new sofa. Offender: That’s absolute 4... ! I haven’t. Perhaps
2 I mostly got on well with Roger but I disagreed I’ll get 5... service instead. But I don’t
... him over politics. think so.
3 The majority of people would agree ... there Lawyer: 6... do I. Look, prepare yourself in
need to be controls on alcohol sales. case it’s worse − maybe even a 7...
4 Most people agree … controlling the use of sentence of three months.
alcohol by law. Offender: That would be so unfair!
5 We wanted to eat out but we disagreed … Lawyer: I 8... disagree 9... you about that. I
which restaurant to go to. don’t believe you are innocent.
Offender: It’s 10... . I’m 11... you! It wasn’t me.

114 THAT’S ENGLISH!


Grammar Reference Unit 3

1 REVISION OF PASSIVE VOICE


• Remember that we use the passive voice in a sentence when we want to emphasise the
action over the agent. To put a verb in the passive voice we use the verb be as an auxiliary
(in the tense we want to use) and the past participle of the main verb.
Someone stole the money from our safe. ➞The money was stolen from our safe.

If we want to mention the agent, we introduce it with the preposition by.


Most crimes are committed by ordinary people.

• Verbs such as ask, bring, give, lend, offer, promise, send, show and tell can have two objects
(indirect and direct). In the passive voice, both the indirect and direct object can be the
subject (in the second case, the indirect object is introduced by the preposition to*).
They sent Paula a threatening email.
indirect direct object
object

Paula was sent a threatening email. A threatening email was sent to Paula.
subject subject

*Some verbs, like buy, cook or pour take the preposition for.
A special bed was bought for him because he was unusually tall.

• Reporting verbs, that is, verbs mainly connected with language and opinion, such as assume,
believe, claim, consider, declare, discover, expect, find, know, prove, report, say, show,
suppose, think, etc., have two possible structures in the passive voice.
The police think that he is the leader of a gang.

It is thought that he is the leader of a gang. He is thought to be the leader of a gang.


It + be + past participle + that + clause Subject + be + past participle + to + infinitive

! If the action is finished, the perfect infinitive (have + past participle) is used.
It is believed that he killed/has killed his neighbour. ➞ He is believed to have killed his neighbour.

2 SHOULD AND OUGHT TO


• Should and ought to only have one form for all persons and are followed by an infinitive.
The negative is formed by adding not after the verb: should not, ought not to. These negative
forms can be contracted: shouldn’t and oughtn’t to (less common).

• Both verbs are very similar in meaning, although ought to tends to be more formal and it
isn’t normally used in questions. We use these verbs to:
– Express what we think is the correct thing to do (ought to often applies to what we feel is
morally correct, more polite or someone’s duty).
He shouldn’t text her every five minutes. That’s harassment!
Parents ought to keep an eye on what their children do online.
– Give or ask for advice.
Should I report the theft to the police?
You ought to be more careful with the photos you post online.
– Talk about something which will probably happen or is expected to happen in the normal
logical course of events.
She’s a good judge so she should be impartial in our case too.
We phoned over an hour ago so the police ought to be here any moment now.

THAT’S ENGLISH! 125


Grammar Reference Unit 3

• To refer to the past we use should/ought to + have + past participle.


You shouldn’t have left the door unlocked.
I ought to have apologised after the incident.

! When should and ought to are used in the past, they express regret or recrimination: you should/ought
to have done something that you didn’t or you did something that you shouldn’t/oughtn’t to have done.

3 AGREEING AND DISAGREEING


• The verbs agree and disagree can be used with a number of different structures:
– agree/disagree + that + clause (reach the same conclusion, admit/refuse)
The jury agreed that the defendant was guilty.
I agree that some of Judge Brown’s sentences may have been a mistake.
I disagree that the offenders should be sent to prison.
The judge disagreed that the sentence he’d given was unusually harsh.
– agree + to + infinitive (accept)
He agreed to give us the information we needed.
– agree/disagree + with + someone (have the same/a different opinion as someone)
You’re absolutely right. I totally agree with you.
My wife thought it had been an accident but I disagreed with her.
– agree/disagree + with + something/-ing (be in favour/against)
We don’t agree with the judge’s decision.
Not everyone agrees with legalising marijuana.
I totally disagree with corporal punishment.
– agree/disagree + on/about/over* + something (have the same/a different opinion about something)
We agreed on/about the services they had to pay for but disagreed on/about/over the
form of payment.
*Over is only used with disagree or when agree appears in a negative context (e.g. We couldn’t agree over
…, It was impossible to agree over …, etc.)

! Agree on can also mean choose or come to an agreement on a specific thing after some
discussion.
A: Shall we meet again on Monday?
B: Sorry, I’m busy on Monday. How about Wednesday?
A: Wednesday is fine.
We agreed on a day for the meeting.

• Other ways to express agreement and disagreement.


Total agreement Total disagreement
That’s absolute rubbish!
So/Neither do I.
Nonsense!
Me too/neither.
You must be joking!
I’m with you on that.
It’s true, I’m telling you!
I couldn’t agree more.
I can’t go along with you there.

Partial agreement Partial disagreement


I agree with you up to a point but … I don’t really see it like that myself.
I know what you mean but … Well, that’s one way of looking at things.

126 THAT’S ENGLISH!


Pronunciation Guide
WORD STRESS
• Stressed syllables generally sound louder, longer, clearer and have a higher pitch than the
rest. In contrast, unstressed syllables, or words, tend to be pronounced /ə/ (schwa).
permanent /ˈpɜː(r)mənənt/, comfortable /ˈkʌmftəb(ə)l/

• Knowing where the stress falls is an essential part of learning a word. Word stress is marked
in dictionaries by placing the symbol /ˈ/ in front of the stressed syllable.
infringement /ɪnˈfrɪndʒmənt/, harassment /ˈhærəsmənt/*
*Sometimes a word can have alternative pronunciations and this is also reflected in the dictionary (in this
case, /ˈhærəsmənt/ or /həˈræsmənt/).

• Some long words have two stressed syllables with the main stress marked with /ˈ/, and the
secondary stress marked with /ˌ/.
assassination /əˌsæsɪˈneɪʃn/, intimidation /ɪnˌtɪmɪˈdeɪʃn/, manslaughter /ˈmænˌslɔːtə(r)/

• Compound words also have a main stress and a secondary stress. In noun + noun compounds
the stress usually falls on the first element.
community service /kəˈmjuːnətɪˌsɜː(r)vɪs/, cyber bullying /ˈsaɪbə(r)ˌbʊlɪɪŋ/,
death penalty /ˈdeθˌpen(ə)lti/, but suspended sentence /səˌspendɪdˈsentəns/
Note: For more information on word stress, see Module 10, Pronunciation Guide.

SENTENCE STRESS: EMPHASIS


The words that carry more meaning in a sentence, like nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs,
are always stressed. Grammar words, like affirmative auxiliary verbs, prepositions and articles,
are usually not stressed.
They didn’t know what was going to happen.

• We can emphasise a word by making a sudden jump in pitch when we get to it.
You should never do this again.

• When we put negative adverbials at the beginning of a sentence, we also emphasise them
with a jump in pitch.
Not only are they excellent scientists, but they are also very friendly.

• We can also use a series of jumps to emphasise every word in a sentence. For example, in
strong agreements.
I couldn’t agree more.
That’s perfectly true.

WORD GROUPS
• When we speak, we use intonation to group together words that form a unit of meaning. This
helps the listener make meaning out of what they hear.
The woman walking towards us seems interested in you.

• The way we group words can change the meaning of what we say.
You need a car or a bicycle and a helmet. (You need a helmet in both cases.)
You need a car or a bicycle and a helmet. (You only need a helmet with the bike.)

• A good example of the importance of word groups is the distinction between defining and
non-defining relative clauses:
The bombing which ended the war is considered a crime against humanity. (defining)
The bombing which ended the war is considered a crime against humanity. (non-defining)

THAT’S ENGLISH! 145

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