PERFECTING THE LANGUAGE OF THE LAW: ARTICLES (2)
Study Unit PERFECTING THE LANGUAGE OF THE LAW: ARTICLES (2)
The definite article (the) is used when both the speaker and the listener know precisely which person or precisely which thing is being discussed. Therefore, in the example, ‘my client is in prison in London for the crime of money laundering’, there is no article before the noun ‘prison’, which tells us that the speaker knows that the listener doesn’t know which prison is being referred to. However, in the example, ‘my client is in the prison on Caledonian Road’, the speaker has told the listener which prison it is and so uses ‘the’ before the noun.
(A) SPECIFIC RULES: THE DEFINITE ARTICLE There are some rules related to the use of definite articles in the table below.
The definite article (the) Example: Explanation: The judge who heard our case seemed to be very irritable until we presented him with the evidence needed to support our claim.
Use when talking about something specific (something definite): the equipment you supplied to my client was defective. Music artists lose income because of the unauthorised distribution of their music on the internet.
Use when talking about things that are unique: my client bought the painting by Andrew Wyeth as an investment. This is only the third prosecution for corporate manslaughter that has been brought in the British courts and the first time a company has been fined for it.
Use when talking about something that happens for the first, the second time, etc: she was the second in her family go to university and the first to become a lawyer. The so-called ‘McLibel’ case was the longest in British legal history.
Use with a superlative adjective: the earliest date I have free is Monday 25 July. The new law will benefit the immigrant community and it will also benefit the low paid and maybe even the unemployed. The government has done a good job.
Use with adjectives describing a specific group of people in a specific situation and not just in general: the Spanish lawyers at the conference outnumbered the Swiss by two to one. Could you please give these documents to the client who is waiting in reception? Also, ask her to check the terms are acceptable to her and return the copy marked with a yellow sticker to me.
Use when it is clear to the listener precisely who or what is being referred to: I’ve left my briefcase in the car so please ask them to delay the meeting for 5 minutes while I go to the car park and get it. I’m travelling around the USA to promote my new business and then I’m off to the Sultanate of Oman, where I’m going to discuss a joint venture.
Use with countries which include the words Republic, Kingdom, States, Emirates, or Sultanate: The Republic of Ireland joined the EU in 1973.
Read the information above and correct the following sentences by deciding where a definite article is needed in each of them.
1. There must be something wrong with our emails because this client is fourth today to complain that no-one is responding to her messages. 2. The client in the medical negligence case I am working on has worst injuries I have ever seen in my 25 years as a lawyer. 3. I talked to my client while I was on 8.30am train between London and Oxford, so it was a little bit noisy. 4. We believe that service you supplied to our client did not meet the standards set out in the agreement.
5. The client is a bank which sponsors a football club, so all of the directors are in Germany this week to watch European Championship Final. 6. The breach of contract case that I mentioned to you this morning has just been transferred to court building on Molten Street because the Central County Court is full. 7. We have found evidence of possible fraud in our accounting department and we need to report it to police. 8. This is first time I have failed an exam and I’m very disappointed about it.
Read the information opposite and decide whether the underlined sections of the following sentences are accurate or inaccurate.
1. There is the very good restaurant near our office if you would like me to draw you a map of how to find it. 2. The restaurant I went to for dinner with my family when I was made a partner in my law firm is on Regent Street. 3. My colleague in Frankfurt told me that the German judges have to pass a very difficult exam. 4. The German judges who presided over the case stated in their judgment that financial crime is increasing and it is up to the courts to administer the appropriate punishments. 5. My client’s company has plans to develop fastest car on the planet. 6. Environmental lawyers are volunteering their time to try and help Atlantic Ocean to become less polluted by plastics and other substances dangerous to marine life. 7. I have advised my client that I feel the judge made a mistake with the law and that he has grounds for the appeal. 8. We are confident that the appeal we launched immediately after the judgment of the court of first instance was handed down will be successful. 9. My client fell over and injured herself because there was the liquid on the floor of your supermarket. 10. We want to rent some office furniture from you on the condition that all of the furniture supplied is ergonomic.
In the following paragraph a trainee solicitor describes what she has done during part of her day. Complete the information with one of the fixed expressions, all of which use articles, in the box below.
(a) once a month (c) on the way (e) one of the (g) a good opportunity (b) the next steps (d) the end of the day (f) the purpose of (h) the first 7:30am: I usually arrive at the office just after 6:30am but today I am going to a meeting at a client’s premises with my supervisor, so she picked me up (1) ________. During the journey, she explained (2) ________ the meeting to me and we discussed the client’s concerns about new employment legislation. 8:30am: At the meeting my supervisor explained the legal position to the client and informed him of (3) ________ he would be required to take in order to comply with the law, while I took a detailed attendance note. 10:20am: I returned to the office and everyone was pretty stressed so (4) _________ other solicitors, who had too much to do, asked me to prepare a schedule of costs for a litigation matter by (5) ________, which for us is officially 6pm, but to be honest, it’s unusual for any of us to have left by then. 12:00pm: (6) ___________ we have a departmental meeting. As the trainee, it’s going to be my job to take the minutes from now on. As I’ve recently joined the department, it’s (7) _______ team meeting I’ve been to and it’s (8) ________ to find out what the big fee earners in the firm are working on.
Speaking & Writing for this topic
Two short tasks scored against TOEFL rubrics. The prompt is generated for this topic — use the vocabulary you have just studied.