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Lesson planB290 minsNew. New: checked automatically for level, grammar, facts and originality; a teacher's review is still to come. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
B2 First Unit 11: Crime and the Law
Students learn vocabulary for crime and the courts, use reporting verbs with the right patterns, and practise B2 First Reading and Use of English Parts 3, 4 and 7 and a Part 1 essay.
Crime · Law · Reported speech · Reporting verbs
B2 First preparationTopic unit
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Plan at a glance
Aims
- Use reporting verbs with the right patterns (deny doing, refuse to do, warn someone not to do, accuse someone of doing) and report questions with the tense moved back
- Learn and use 31 words and phrases in 4 sets: Crimes and criminals, The police and the courts, Phrasal verbs and expressions, Verbs for reporting what people said
- Practise B2 First Reading and Use of English Parts 3, 4 and 7
- Writing task (Part 1): an essay
Stages · 90 min
- 5 minLead-in: Pairs rank four crimes (shoplifting, vandalism, burglary, pickpocketing) from least to most serious and explain their order.
- 15 minVocabulary: Ex. 1–3
- 5 minLanguage focus: Go through the grammar notes: the five reporting verb patterns, then reported questions.
- 10 minControlled practice: Ex. 4–5
- 20 minExam practice: Use of English: Ex. 6–7
- 15 minReading: Ex. 8
- 20 minWriting: Ex. 9
Printables
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Download all (ZIP, 2 PDFs)Grammar notes
Reporting verbs and their patterns
- verb + -ing: deny, admit, suggest. He denied knowing her. She admitted making a mistake.
- verb + to-infinitive: refuse, threaten, agree, offer, promise. She refused to sign the statement. He threatened to report them.
- verb + object + to-infinitive: warn, tell, persuade, remind, advise. The officer warned us not to leave our bags in the car.
- verb + preposition + -ing: insist on, apologise for, admit to. He insisted on paying for the damage.
- verb + object + preposition + -ing: accuse someone of, blame someone for. They accused him of lying. She blamed me for losing the keys.
- Many of these verbs can also take a that-clause: He denied that he had seen her. She suggested that we report it.
Reported speech: moving back in time
- After a past reporting verb, tenses usually move back: 'I've lost it' → He said he had lost it; 'Where were you?' → She asked where I had been.
- Reported questions use statement word order and no question mark: She asked me where I lived (not where did I live).
- Words for time and place change too: tomorrow → the next day; last night → the night before; here → there.
Talking about crime
- Collocations: commit a crime, break the law, find someone guilty of, charge someone with, give someone a fine or a sentence.
- Crimes and criminals: burglary → burglar; theft → thief; shoplifting → shoplifter; vandalism → vandal.
- Steal or rob? You steal a thing (they stole my phone), but you rob a person or a place (they robbed a bank).
Study tips
- Learn each reporting verb with its pattern and an example: accuse someone of doing, warn someone not to do, refuse to do.
- Learn crime words in families: burglary, burglar, burgle; theft, thief, steal. Word formation tasks often test them.
Glossary
- Crimes and criminals7 items
- The police and the courts10 items
- Phrasal verbs and expressions6 items
- Verbs for reporting what people said8 items
Complete the exercises, then check your answers.
1
Crimes and criminals
Match each word with its meaning. There is one extra meaning.
Tap an item…
…then its match
2
From arrest to sentence
Complete each sentence with a word from the box. There is one extra word.
Word box
Tap a gap, then a word, or type the answer.
- a
Two men were last night after a car was stolen from outside the cinema.
- b
The police found no that she had been in the house: no fingerprints, no photos, nothing.
- c
A saw a man run out of the shop and gave the police a clear description of him.
- d
He had to appear in in March, where a judge listened to both sides.
- e
The twelve members of the listened carefully for a week before they made their decision.
- f
After two days, they decided that he was , and he was sent to prison for a year.
- g
She always said she was , and in the end a video showed that she had been at work when the crime happened.
- h
Instead of sending him to prison, the judge told him to pay a £500 .
- i
The judge will announce his on Friday: he could spend up to two years in prison.
3
Phrasal verbs and expressions
Complete each sentence with a phrase from the box. There is one extra phrase.
Word box
Tap a gap, then a word, or type the answer.
- a
If you , you have to be ready to accept the punishment.
- b
He thought he could copying his friend's homework, but his teacher noticed straight away.
- c
If anyone sees you writing on the school walls, you'll with the head teacher.
- d
The council has promised to the complaints about noise from the new factory.
- e
If you find a bag on the train, please any lost items to a member of staff.
- f
Most shoplifters by security guards or cameras in the end.
4
Reporting verbs: which pattern?
Choose the correct answer.
- a
The boy denied ___ the shop window, but a camera had filmed him.
- b
The witness insisted ___ to the detective in person, not on the phone.
- c
The officer suggested ___ a stronger lock for our bikes.
- d
My dad persuaded my brother ___ the wallet he had found to the police station.
- e
In the end, the thief admitted ___ more than twenty bikes from the station.
- f
The judge reminded the jury ___ only on the evidence they had heard in court.
- g
The security guard apologised ___ the customer's bag twice.
- h
The detective asked me where I ___ at nine o'clock the night before.
5
Find and correct the mistake
Each sentence has one mistake. Find it and write the correction.
- a
The shopkeeper accused Max for stealing sweets from the counter.
- b
The man refused answering any of the detective's questions.
- c
Our neighbour threatened calling the police if we didn't turn the music down.
- d
After a short trial, the court found him guilty for stealing a car.
- e
The judge gave her a fine and told her pay it within a month.
- f
Lena explained me that her bike had been stolen from outside the gym.
6
Exam task: The underpass that changed colour
Use the word in capitals to form a word that fits each gap.
Exam task: Reading and Use of English, Part 3
Tip: Some gaps need a negative word. Read the whole sentence and ask yourself whether the meaning is positive or negative before you write.
For years, the walls of the underpass in Halbridge were covered in graffiti. Painting on walls without permission is 1LEGAL, so anyone caught doing it could be fined, and the council spent thousands every year cleaning them.
Fines and other forms of 2PUNISH made little difference: as soon as a wall was clean, new tags appeared. Then a youth worker, Dara Quinn, came up with an 3EXPECT idea that nobody on the council had considered. She suggested giving the young people who painted the walls the 4RESPONSIBLE for decorating the underpass properly.
Twenty teenagers signed up, and with the help of two professional 5ART, they designed a huge picture of the town's history. The project was so 6SUCCESS that three other towns have already copied it.
The police say there has been a 7DRAMA fall in vandalism in the area since the picture was finished. Local shop owners also feel safer now that the underpass has better lighting and two 8SECURE cameras.
7
Exam task: Key word transformations
Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. Use between two and five words, including the word given.
Exam task: Reading and Use of English, Part 4
Tip: When the key word is a reporting verb, ask yourself what comes after it: an object, to, -ing or a preposition. That pattern is usually one of the two marks.
- a
'It was your fault that the fire alarm went off,' the manager told Jake.
BLAMED
The manager off the fire alarm.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- b
'I'm sorry, I'm the one who scratched your car,' Ollie said to his neighbour.
ADMITTED
Ollie his neighbour's car.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- c
'If I were you, I wouldn't carry your wallet in your back pocket,' the guide told me.
WARNED
The guide my wallet in my back pocket.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- d
'I won't tell you where I was last night,' the suspect said to the detective.
REFUSED
The suspect the detective where he had been the night before.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- e
Mr Platt was officially accused of theft by the police.
CHARGED
Mr Platt is in serious trouble: the police have theft.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- f
So far, nobody has punished the vandals for painting the station walls.
AWAY
So far, the vandals painting the station walls.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
8
Exam task: The law up close
You are going to read about four people's experiences of crime and the law. For questions 1–8, choose from the people (A–D). The people may be chosen more than once.
Exam task: Reading and Use of English, Part 7
Tip: Questions often use different words from the text. Look for the meaning, not the same words: 'was disappointed' may appear in the text as 'I'd hoped for more'.
A Priya Last spring I was called for jury service. I expected it to be like a TV drama, but the trial was surprisingly slow and careful. The case was a burglary, and we spent four days listening to witnesses and looking at evidence, much of it from security cameras. I was impressed by how seriously the other jurors took it: nobody wanted to rush. We argued for a whole day before we agreed that the man was guilty, and I kept thinking about that decision for weeks afterwards. B Tom Our school entered a mock trial competition, where students play the lawyers, witnesses and jury in an invented case. I only joined because my best friend did. I was given the role of a lawyer, and in the first round I was so nervous that I forgot half my questions. My teacher suggested practising in front of my family every evening, and by the final I could question a witness without looking at my notes. We didn't win, but I'd always planned to become an engineer, and now I'm applying to study law. C Callum I run a small second-hand bookshop, and last year books kept disappearing from the shelves near the door. I could have reported it, but I didn't want to get anyone into serious trouble. Instead, I put a sign in the window asking the person responsible to come and talk to me. A week later, a fifteen-year-old boy came in and admitted taking six books. He said he loved reading but couldn't afford them. Now he helps me in the shop on Saturdays, and he has paid for every book. D Elena When my bike was stolen from outside the station, I was sure I'd never see it again. I reported the theft online and tried to forget about it. Two months later, a police officer rang: a woman had seen my bike for sale on a website and recognised it from a photo I had posted. The thief had to go to court, where he was given a fine. Honestly, I thought he deserved a tougher sentence, because he had stolen bikes before. Still, I got my bike back, and I hadn't expected that at all.
Tap an item…
…then its match
9
Exam task: Write an essay
Write your essay in 140–190 words.
Exam task: Writing, Part 1
Tip: Choose a plan that suits your opinion. Plan A: one paragraph for each note, then your conclusion. Plan B: if you strongly agree or disagree, give the other side in one paragraph, then two paragraphs that answer it. Either way, you must write about both notes and add an idea of your own.
In your English class you have been talking about crime and punishment. Now your teacher has asked you to write an essay. Should young people who commit minor crimes be sent to court? Notes Write about: 1. the young person's future 2. the victims of the crime 3. ______ (your own idea) Write your essay. Word box: insist · warn · admit · break the law · commit a crime · fine
Suggested minimum: 140 words
Before you hand it in
- My introduction shows what the question is about and gives my view.
- I write about both notes and add an idea of my own.
- I use linking words such as firstly, on the other hand and in conclusion.
- I use at least two reporting verbs with the right pattern, such as insist that or warn someone not to.
- I use a few words from this unit, such as commit a crime, break the law or fine.
0 words · aim for at least 140
Show a model answer
Should young people who commit minor crimes be sent to court? Every year, many teenagers break the law in small ways, from shoplifting to vandalism. Some people insist that they should go to court like anyone else. In my view, however, a court is not always the best answer. Firstly, a court case can damage a young person's future. If they end up with a criminal record, it may be harder for them to find a job or a place at university, even years later. One silly mistake at fifteen should not follow someone for the rest of their life. On the other hand, the victims of these crimes deserve to be taken seriously. A shop owner who loses money to shoplifters, or a family whose car is damaged, needs to know that nobody has simply got away with it. In my opinion, the best solution is for young people to meet the people they have harmed and repair the damage, for example by cleaning the walls they painted. This makes them own up to what they have done without ruining their future. In conclusion, court should be kept for serious crimes, while minor ones are better dealt with in the community.
Spotted a mistake in this lesson?· tell us the exercise and item
Revise with a game
This lesson's own words and questions. Play on your own, or in teams on the classroom screen.
- Step UpAnswer the lesson's questions to climb to the top.
- Pair UpMatch the lesson's words to their meanings against the clock.
- SnapA word and a meaning: do they go together? Answer fast.
- Fix ItFind the mistake in each sentence, then correct it.
- Quiz BoardTeams choose questions worth 100 to 500 points.
- Retro arcadeWord Invaders, Word Snake, Word Maze and Word Crossing: classic arcade games with the lesson's words.
Glossary
The 31 words and phrases this lesson teaches, in 4 sets.
Crimes and criminals
- burglary
- the crime of breaking into a building to steal things
- burglar
- a person who breaks into a building to steal things
- shoplifting
- the crime of taking things from a shop without paying
- vandalism
- the crime of damaging buildings or other property on purpose
- pickpocket
- a person who steals from people's pockets or bags, often in crowded places
- theft
- the general word for the crime of stealing
- commit a crime
- do something that is against the law
- Most people who commit a crime are caught in the end.
The police and the courts
- arrest
- (verb) when the police take someone away because they think he or she has committed a crime
- charge someone with
- officially say that someone has committed a particular crime, so that there will be a trial
- He was charged with burglary.
- evidence
- facts or things that show something is true
- witness
- a person who sees a crime or an accident happen
- court
- the place where a judge, and sometimes a jury, decides whether someone is guilty
- jury
- a group of ordinary people who decide in a court whether someone is guilty
- guilty
- responsible for a crime or for something wrong
- The jury found her guilty of theft.
- innocent
- not having done anything wrong or against the law
- sentence
- the punishment that a judge gives someone who is guilty
- fine
- an amount of money that you have to pay as a punishment
Phrasal verbs and expressions
- break the law
- do something that is not allowed by law
- get away with
- do something wrong without being caught or punished
- get into trouble
- be punished or criticised for doing something wrong
- look into
- try to find out the facts about a problem or a crime
- hand in
- give something you have found to the police or a person in charge
- get caught
- be found by the police or someone else while or after doing something wrong
Verbs for reporting what people said
- accuse someone of
- say that someone has done something wrong
- She accused him of lying.
- admit
- agree, often unwillingly, that you did something wrong
- deny
- say that something is not true, especially that you didn't do something
- insist on
- say firmly that something must happen or that you will do something
- warn
- tell someone about a possible danger or problem
- refuse
- say that you will not do something
- blame someone for
- say that someone is responsible for something bad
- threaten
- say that you will do something unpleasant if someone does not do what you want
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