Vocabulary. a serious / minor offence

Appalling adj.

Offence n.

a serious / minor offence

a criminal / drink-driving offence

to commit an offence: He committed several serious offences.

to be convicted of an offence: It’s the third time he’s been convicted of a drug offence.

Offender n.

first-time offenders

sex offenders

young offenders

conviction n.: As it was her first conviction for stealing, she was given a less severe sentence.

convict v.: He has twice been convicted of robbery.

sentence / term n.

a 13-year jail sentence

a heavy / light sentence: He got a light sentence.

Sentence v.

to sentence smb. to: He was sentenced to 5 years in jail.

to pronounce sentence: The judge will pronounce sentence on the defendant this afternoon.

Prison n.

in prison: He spent a lot of time in prison. (=in jail)

to go to / be sent to prison: She was sent to prison for six months.

to put smb. in prison: They should put him in prison and throw away the key.

to be out of prison

Prisoner n.

to hold / keep / take smb. prisoner: The pilot and several passengers were held prisoner by the gunmen for 52 hours.

imprison v.: He was imprisoned in 1975 for attempted murder.

Jail n.

to be jailed = to be sent to prison

to be released from jail: The financier was released from jail last week.

in jail = in prison: They spent ten years in jail for fraud.

Charge n.

criminal charge: The 19-year-old will be appearing in court on Thursday where she will face criminal charges.

on a charge of: He has been arrested on a charge of murder.

to bring a charge of smth. against smb.: The police brought a charge of theft against him.

Charge v.

to be charged with: He’s been charged with drink-driving.

Claim n.

to make claims about: He made claims about being able to cure cancer.

to make no claims to be smth.: I make no claims to be a brilliant pianist, but I can play a few tunes.

Claim v.

to claim that: The company claims that it is not responsible for the pollution of the river.

to claim responsibility for: An unknown terrorist group has claimed responsibility for this morning bomb attack.

Insurance n.

Insure v.

to be insured against: Our house is insured against accidental damage.

to be insured to do smth.: I’m not insured to drive his car.

Traumatic adj.

trauma n.: He had psychotherapy to help him deal with his childhood trauma.

Crash n.

a car crash: She had a crash on the way to work. / They were only slightly injured in the car crash.

crash v.: We skidded on the ice and crashed into another car.

devastated adj.: She was utterly devastated when her husband died.

Devastating adj.

devastating news

Devastate v.