Business law 1: Key adjectives CHECK YOUR ENGLISH VOCABULARY FOR LAW

CHECK YOUR ENGLISH VOCABULARY FOR LAW

Business law 1: Key adjectives

Exercise 1: Look at these sentences and decide if the word in bold is being used correctly in the context of the sentence (there is an explanation of the word that should be used in brackets at the end of the sentence). If you think the word is wrong, look for the correct word. You will find this in one of the other sentences. 1 When pieces of broken glass were found in some of its food products, the company was held eligible. (responsible for what had happened) When he was asked to explain his actions, he had no valid explanations. (being acceptable because it is true or relevant) The sacked workers claimed unfair dismissal, and demanded a fair and intangible hearing. (not biased or prejudiced) Goodwill is one of a company's admissible assets, and as such it cannot be declared as part of the company's capital. (difficult to value as it does not exist physically) He was accused of trying to obtain a fiduciary advantage by getting involved in insider dealing. (financial) 2 3 4 5 6 At the trial, the judge took the unprecedented step of asking the claimant to remove his shirt. (not having happened before) The company solicitor examined the contract very carefully, and eventually declared it irreconcilable. (not having any legal effect) The documents produced were not considered relevant to the case and were therefore not unanimous. (referring to evidence which a court will allow to be used) The magazine was acquitted of libel when the jury returned a gross verdict of 'not guilty'. (where everyone votes in the same way) All shareholders are accountable to vote at the Annual General Meeting. (able or allowed to do something) 7 8 9 10 11 The judge accepted that Mr Johnson could not go back to work in the same company because of void differences of opinion between him and the Directors. (very strong, so that it is not possible for two sides to reach an agreement) The rail company was accused of impartial negligence by failing to ensure passengers' safety. (serious) Interest charges are tax deductible so we haven't made as much as we had hoped. (able to be removed) After a terrible year, during which it lost almost £8 million, the company was declared insolvent. (not able to pay debts) A company director has a pecuniary duty to the company he works for and the people who work there. (acting as trustee for someone else, or being in a position of trust) 12 13 14 15 Exercise 2: In this exercise, the first part of each word is already in the sentence. Complete it with the second part, which you will find in the box. -atim -ditional -dulent -empt -ended erial -gious -inal -itual -ndant -orate -pational -sible -tiable -tory -vent 1 Because of the recent phenomenon of the 'compensation culture', claims for occu____ accidents have almost doubled in the last ten years. (referring to jobs and work) 2 So many complaints about the company's behaviour were reported that a manda____ injunction was imposed ordering them to cease trading. (obligatory or necessary according to the law or rules) 3 Some special savings accounts are popular with small businesses because the interest paid is ex____ from tax. (not required to pay, or not covered by law) 4 The terms of the contract are nego____ up to the moment it is signed. (able to be changed by discussion) 5 The claimant produced a verb____ transcript of the conversation he had had with the defendant. (in the exact words) 6 On the claimant's application for summary judgement, the defendant was given uncon____ leave to defend himself. (with no conditions attached) 7 The company was accused of making a frau____ insurance claim by exaggerating the value of the goods it had lost. (not honest, aiming to deceive people for financial gain) 8 Technically we can sue the company for breach of contract, although this is not really a fea____ option. (possible or practical) 9 New legislation has made Clause 6b of the contract redu____. (no longer needed or valid) 10 Hab____ breaches of safety regulations are being investigated by the Health and Safety Officer. (doing something repeatedly) 11 When he bought the company, it was barely sol____ but he turned it into one of the most successful organisations in the country. (having enough money to pay debts) 12 The lawsuit against the organisation was dropped because there was not enough mat____ evidence. (important or relevant) 13 We were expecting to receive a big fine, but in the event we were ordered to pay only nom____ damages. (a very small amount) 14 The issues of corp____ responsibility at local, national and international levels have been receiving a lot of coverage in the press. (referring to a company) 15 The contract is open-____ although there is an initial probationary period. (with no fixed period, or with some items not specified) 16 Be careful what you say: some companies are extremely liti____. (very willing to bring a lawsuit against someone to settle a disagreement)

 

ANSWER KEY

Business law 1: Key adjectives (pages 2 – 3) Exercise 1: 1. accountable 2. 9 3. impartial 4. intangible 5. pecuniary 6. 9 7. void (if a contract is void, or null and void, it becomes legally unenforceable) 8. admissible 9. unanimous 10. eligible 11. irreconcilable 12. gross (gross can also mean before tax and other deductions: for example, gross earnings, gross salary, etc) 13. 9 14. 9 (note that a company or organisation becomes insolvent, a person becomes bankrupt) 15. fiduciary Exercise 2: 1. occupational 2. mandatory 3. exempt 4. negotiable 5. verbatim 6. unconditional 7. fraudulent 8. feasible 9. redundant 10. Habitual 11. solvent 12. material 13. nominal 14. corporate 15. open-ended 16. litigious (the verb is to litigate, the noun is litigation. A person who litigates is a litigant. A lawyer who specialises in litigation is known as a litigation practitioner)