Regulations and authority ENGLISH COLLOCATIONS IN USE (ADVANCED)

ENGLISH COLLOCATIONS IN USE (ADVANCED)

UNIT 30

Regulations and authority

A	Health and safety regulations Dear colleague, As you are probably aware, the government has recently passed new laws relating to health and safety in the workplace. These new regulations have been introduced1 to standardise procedure in workplaces across the country and ensure that employers adhere to standards. The enclosed guide details the steps you need to take in order to comply with these new laws. All employers have an obligation to carry out a risk assessment2. Failure to do so will leave us in breach of the law3. The purpose of the risk assessment is to minimise danger to employees and also to make it easier for employers to satisfy the requirements of the regulations. All department heads have an obligation to read the information in the guide carefully. Please do so, and if you have any further questions, I will be happy to answer them. Health and Safety Officer 1 also brought in 2 an exercise to identify and assess risks 3 (formal) breaking the law Common mistakes We say: We could not arrive at an agreement or We could not reach an agreement, NOT We could not get to or We could not find an agreement.
B	Planning permission If you wish to build, say, an extension to your house, it is absolutely essential1 to seek permission2 to do so. If your plan is approved, then you will be granted permission3 to build. But it is becoming more difficult to obtain permission4 as the government has introduced new legislation which has tightened controls5. It can take quite some time after putting in an application for permission to be given. This is because the planning officers have to ensure that your plans do not infringe the regulations6 relating to building in your area. Be wary of treating the planning officers as faceless bureaucrats7; they are in a position of considerable authority, though some of them are more vigorous about exercising authority8 than others. Some will be prepared to cut through the red tape9 for you, whereas others might seem to be doing all they can to block your plans, especially if they think you are trying to flout the rules10. 1 NOT very essential 2 (formal) ask for permission 3 (formal) given permission 4 (formal) receive permission 5 made the rules tougher 6 (formal) break the rules 7 used as an insult to officials, suggesting that they lack character 8 (formal) using that authority 9 deal quickly and effectively with bureaucratic procedures 10 (formal) intentionally break the rules
	Tip Language relating to the law and to regulations oft en has its own special, oft en formal, collocations. These are more likely to be used in written English, so avoid using them in informal speech.

EXERCISES

30.1	Complete these collocations from A using a word from the box. adhere bring exercise pass arrive carry have satisfy 1 _______________________ requirements 2 _______________________ an obligation 3 _______________________ at an agreement 4 _______________________ out a risk assessment 5 _______________________ a new law 6 _______________________ in regulations 7 _______________________ to standards 8 _______________________ authority
30.2	Rewrite the underlined part of each sentence to make it more formal. 1 You will be punished if you continue to ignore the rules. 2 All our sister organisations stick to the standards listed in the Code of Practice. 3 We asked for permission to build on a field next to our house and after some time we were given that permission. 4 It is important that all citizens should do what the law says they should do. 5 If your business doesn’t meet the legal requirements, you may find yourself prosecuted for breaking company law.
30.3	Complete this letter of complaint using words from the opposite page. Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to complain about the behaviour of our town council. When its members were elected to (1) _____________ of authority, they promised to (2) _____________ the ridiculous amount of red tape that is choking modern society. Yet all they have done is (3) _____________ still more pointless new legislation, thus (4) _____________ controls over the ordinary family. They have turned out to be no better than their predecessors, (5) _____________ bureaucrats, all of them. Their latest decision – to (6) _____________ a plan to build a multi-million new council off ice block – is an absolute disgrace! Yours faithfully, Edward Williams
30.4	Complete the word puzzle. Across 1 The builders had friends in high places and got away with flouting the _______ for several years. 2 It is hard to find staff who _______ all our requirements. 3 Extreme sports are risky, but we do all we can to minimise the _______ to participants. 4 I chose not to _______ my authority and impose a punishment as it was a special holiday. 5 It is absolutely _______ that we do not put staff at risk. 6 By building a house without permission the builder found himself in _______ of the law. 7 It took time but eventually we _______ permission to demolish our garage. Down 1 Before the shop opens for business you must carry out a _______.
30.5	Find one other possible collocation for each of the verbs in the box in 30.1. Use a dictionary to help you.

ANSWER KEY

30.1 1 satisfy requirements 2 have an obligation 3 arrive at an agreement 4 carry out a risk assessment 5 pass a new law 6 bring in regulations 7 adhere to standards 8 exercise authority Other quite common collocations using these words are: meet requirements satisfy conditions 30.2 1 flout 2 adhere 3 sought; granted 4 comply with the law 5 satisfy; being in breach of 30.3 1 positions 2 cut through 3 introduce 4 tightening 5 faceless 6 approve 30.4   30.5 Possible answers: 1 satisfy someone’s desires 2 have a duty 3 arrive at a decision 4 carry out an experiment 5 pass a comment 6 exercise discretion 7 bring in a law 8 adhere to the rules