ESL Vocabulary – The Legal System: People in the Court (list, definitions, sample sentences, and review worksheet)

(vocab list, definitions, sample sentences, and review worksheet) 

 

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VOCAB LIST: People in the Court

 

SUSpect (n.) – the person who the police think is guilty

susPECT (v.) – to think or have a strong feeling that someone is guilty

    • Jason is the main suspect in the police’s murder investigation.
    • The police suspect Jason is the person who murdered the woman.

 

lawyer (AmE = attorney; BrE = solicitor) – a person who studies the law and argues in court

    • I need to get a good lawyer because I am the main suspect in the police’s criminal investigation. Hopefully, my lawyer can keep me out of jail.

 

prosecutor – the lawyer who works for the government and argues for the people

defense attorney – the lawyer who works for the defendant

defendant (also: accused) – when suspects are in court, they are called “defendants” or “the accused”

    • The defense attorney argued that the defendant was innocent, but the prosecutor argued that the defendant was guilty.

 

judge (BrE = magistrate) – the person in court who makes the decisions

    • The judge ruled that the defendant was guilty and should go to jail.

 

jury – the group of people (usually 12 people) who decide if a defendant is guilty or innocent

    • The jury found that the defendant was “guilty”, and he was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

 

witness – a person who sees a crime happen, or a person who has information that can be used in court

    • The witness said that he saw Jason murder the woman.

 

criminal – a person who has broken the law

    • It is a prosecutor’s job to try to send criminals to jail. It is a defense attorney’s job to represent and defend criminals.

 

victim – a person who is hurt or killed by someone/something else

    • The prosecutor argued that the defendant murdered the victim for money.

 

VOCAB REVIEW: People in the Court

 Fill in the blanks with the correct word from the list on the previous page.

The main __________ in the murder of 21-year-old Jenny Page appeared in court today. His name is Jason Black, and standing next to him was his __________ __________, who argued that Mr. Black was not guilty because he was at work when the __________ was killed. However, according to the __________, there are no __________ who can testify that they saw Mr. Black at work. Therefore, the prosecutor argues that Mr. Black is guilty and he is a dangerous __________ who should be sent to prison. The 12 people on the _______ have listened to the two lawyers’ arguments and considered the evidence, and they have heard the instructions from the __________. Now, they must go deliberate and decide if Jason Black is guilty or innocent.

 

Additional Vocabulary:

 court (n.) – the place where lawyers argue and judges or a jury make decisions

    • My lawyer told me to arrive at court at 9:00 tomorrow morning.

 

guilty (adj.) – responsible for doing something wrong

innocent (adj) – not responsible for doing something wrong

    • The jury must decide whether the defendant is guilty or innocent.

 

testify (v.) – when a witness provides information in a court

    • The witness testified that she saw the defendant at the victim’s house on the night of the murder.

 

prison (n.) – a place for criminals who are found guilty

    • After the jury found him guilty, the criminal went to prison for 5 years.

 

evidence (n.) – proof; information that shows the truth about what happened

    • The jury decided that the defendant was not guilty because there was not enough evidence.

 

deliberate (v.) – when a jury discusses the evidence and tries to reach a decision

    • The jury had to deliberate for three days before they were finally able to agree that the defendant was guilty.