CRIME (34) ENGLISH VOCABULARY FOR ELEMENTARY

ENGLISH VOCABULARY FOR ELEMENTARY

CRIME (34)

A	Crimes and criminals crime robbery murder /ˈmɜːdə/ burglary /ˈbɜːgləri/ mugging [attacking a person in a public place and stealing their money] person a robber a murderer a burglar a mugger verb to rob somebody or a place (e.g. a bank) to murder somebody to break into a house/ flat (break/broke/broken) to mug somebody crime car theft drug dealing terrorism shoplifting person a car thief /θiːf/ a drug dealer a terrorist a shoplifter verb to steal a car (steal /stole / stolen) to sell drugs (sell / sold / sold) to attack somebody or a place to steal things from a shop There was a burglary at the school last night. John West murdered his wife. There are a lot of muggings in the city centre. The bank was robbed yesterday. My sister was robbed last week. Common mistakes A thief steals something (steal/stole/stolen). Somebody stole my bicycle. (NOT Somebody robbed my bicycle.) I was robbed last night. (NOT I was stolen)
B	The law /lɔː/ A student was arrested for shoplifting this morning. The police came to the school and spoke to his teacher. The student has to go to court next week. If he is guilty he will have to pay a fine. /ˈgɪlti/ If he is innocent he can go home. /ˈɪnəsənt/ I don’t think he will go to prison.
C	Other crime problems Some vandals broke the windows in the telephone box. [A vandal breaks and smashes things.] We have a lot of vandalism in my town. A lot of people take drugs nowadays. Is football hooliganism a problem in your country? /ˈhuːlɪgənɪzm/ [A football hooligan is a person who goes to a football match and makes trouble.]

  

Exercises

34.1	What do we call someone ……….. 1 who steals cars? a car thief 2 who kills someone? ____________________________ 3 who steals things from shops? ____________________________ 4 who robs people’s houses and flats? ____________________________ 5 who attacks someone in the street and steals their money? ____________________________ 6 who sells illegal drugs? ____________________________
34.2	Fill the gaps in these sentences. 1 There were a lot of football h ____ooligans______ near the stadium. 2 The police officer arr______ her for shoplifting. 3 Some van______  destroyed all the flowers in the park. 4 He had to pay a fi______   of £50 for parking his car in the wrong place. 5 There are a lot of bur______  in this part of the city, so always close the windows. 6 The police made a mistake; she was inn______ . She did not steal the money. 7 A group of terr______ have attacked the airport. 8 He murdered his wife. He was in pr______ for 20 years.
34.3	True or False 1 A burglar goes into someone’s house and steals things. True 2 Vandals take people’s money. ____________________________ 3 A murderer kills someone. ____________________________ 4 A car thief is someone who drives very badly or dangerously. ____________________________ 5 If you are guilty it means you are the person who did the crime. ____________________________
34.4	Choose the right word to complete each sentence. 1 My brother was robbed / stolen yesterday. 2 Someone robbed / stole my bike last night. 3 My local bank has been robbed / stolen. 4 Who has robbed / stolen my pen? 5 Someone robbed / stole our TV when we were on holiday. 6 Where were you when your keys were robbed / stolen?
	OVER TO YOU Give your opinion. What do you think should happen to these people? 1.        A man murdered his wife and three children. He should go to prison for 30 years. 2.        A student with no money stole a book from a bookshop. 3.        A woman sold some drugs to a teenager. 4.       Some terrorists attacked a bus and killed five people. 5.        A woman parked her car and blocked the traffic. 6.        A teenager damaged some trees in the park.

ANSWER KEY

34.1	2	a murderer	5	a mugger
	3	a shoplifter/ robber	6	a drug dealer
	4	a burglar

34.2	2	arrested	6	innocent
	3	vandals	7	terrorists
	4	fine	8	prison
	5	burglaries/ burglars

34.3	2. false – vandals destroy things    3 True       4 False - a car thief steals cars             5 True

34.4	2 stole          3 robbed             4 stolen             5 stole              6 stolen

	OVER TO YOU Possible answers
	2	The student should pay a fine and return the book.
	3	The woman should go to prison.
	4	The terrorists should go to prison for a long time.
	5	The woman should pay a fine and the police should take her car away.
	6	The teenager should work in the park and plant new trees or pay a fine.