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GENERAL ENGLISH · VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

CRIME AND
PUNISHMENT

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1 Classify the crimes

In pairs, discuss which crimes are serious and which are petty:

arson bribery burglary drug dealing drug possession

drunk driving fraud hacking kidnapping manslaughter
murder pickpocketing robbery shoplifting terrorism

Serious crimes:

Petty crimes:

Can you think of any other crimes to add to the lists?

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UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

2 Criminals

Look at the following table. Complete the sentences below with appropriate words from the table in
their correct form.

Crime Criminal What does she/he do?

burglary a burglar burgles houses

pickpocketing a pickpocket pickpockets people

arson an arsonist sets buildings on fire

robbery a robber robs people or places

mugging a mugger mugs people

blackmail a blackmailer blackmails people

kidnapping a kidnapper kidnaps people

perjury a perjurer lies in court

fraud a fraudster deceives people

smuggling a smuggler smuggles illegal goods

1. Dan was caught trying to cocaine into the country. He is currently serving a
5-year prison sentence.
2. This town is getting really dangerous. Yesterday, I was in broad daylight. The
attacker had a knife and took all my money.
3. The police are looking for the person responsible for burning down the church. They are confident
they will catch the .
4. Hold on to your wallet. There are a lot of on the train.
5. Joe was on his way to work. The contacted his wife and demanded
a ransom of $1 million.
6. James was found guilty of . It was obvious that he was lying under oath.
7. A broke into my flat while I was at work and stole my entire music collection.
8. Do not try to hide your true income from the government. Tax is a very serious
crime.
9. Sandra is trying to Tom. She says he has to pay her $1000 or she will tell his wife
about his affair.

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UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

3 Punishments

Look at the list of punishments below. In pairs, put them in order from 1 (most lenient) to 6 (most
severe):

a 5-year prison sentence a caution a $500 fine

community service life imprisonment the death penalty

In pairs, discuss what punishments are normally given in your countries for people who are found
guilty of the crimes on Page 1. For example:

"If you are found guilty of murder, the punishment is usually life imprisonment." / "If you are caught smuggling
illegal drugs, you can get a 10-year prison sentence."

4 In court

What do people do in a court of law? Study the following definitions:

plead guilty/not guilty - to officially state that you are guilty/not guilty of a crime

sentence somebody - to officially give a punishment to a person who is found guilty of a crime

give testimony - to tell the court what you saw/know

reach a verdict - to arrive at a decision about whether a person is guilty or not guilty of a crime

acquit somebody - to officially decide that someone is not guilty of a crime

convict somebody - to officially decide that someone is guilty of a crime

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UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

In pairs, match the following people with their typical functions and activities in a court of law:

1. a defense lawyer a. argues that someone is guilty of committing a crime

2. a defendant b. gives testimony to the court

3. a prosecutor c. listens to arguments, hears evidence, deals with crimes that are
not serious
4. a judge d. listens to arguments, hears evidence, sentences a guilty person

5. a magistrate e. listen to the facts/arguments, reach a verdict, convict/acquit

someone who is charged with a serious crime
6. a witness f. pleads guilty/not guilty, gives testimony

7. the jury g. represents someone accused of a crime, argues that someone is

not guilty of committing a crime

Think about a well-known court case. Who was the defendant? What crime was he/she charged
with? Did he/she plead guilty or not guilty? Who gave testimony? What was the verdict - did the
jury acquit or convict the defendant? What sentence did the judge give?

5 Talking point

Discuss any of the following questions:

1. Have you ever given testimony in a court of law?

2. Is crime a problem in your hometown or country? What are the reasons for this?
3. Do you think sentencing a criminal to prison is always an effective punishment?

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TEACHER MATERIALS · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

Key

1. Classify the crimes

Go through the different terms. The classification of some of the crimes, e.g. bribery, hacking and drug possession,
is open to debate depending on the seriousness of the crime or a particular country’s legal system. Possible
answers:
Serious crimes: murder, manslaughter, fraud, drug dealing, kidnapping, burglary, robbery, arson, drunk driving,
terrorism
Petty crimes: pick pocketing, drug possession, shoplifting, bribery, hacking

2. Criminals

Go through the table and explain the meaning of all the terms. In the sentences on page 2, pre-teach the
expressions ‘in broad daylight’ and ‘under oath’.
1. smuggle
2. mugged
3. arsonist
4. pickpockets
5. kidnapped; kidnapper
6. perjury
7. burglar
8. fraud
9. blackmail

3. Punishments

Go through the punishments and explain any terms the students are unfamiliar with.
1 - a caution, 2 - a $500 fine, 3 - community service, 4 - a 5-year prison sentence, 5 - life imprisonment, 6 - the
death penalty

4. In court

1. g 2. f 3. a 4. d 5. c 6. b 7. e

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