LANGUAGE EXERCISES

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 Some of the exercises have been adapted from the following handbooks, published by ERA:

(1) Legal English for Judicial Cooperation in Civil Matters. Regulation 2201/2003 on Matrimonial
Matters and Parental Responsibility (Brussels IIa). 2016. ISBN: 9783981823516
(2) Legal English for Judicial Cooperation in Civil Matters. Regulation 1215/2012 on jurisdiction and the
recognition and enforcement of judgments (Brussels Ia). 2016. ISBN: 9783981823509

Some of the exercises have been adapted from the following handbooks, published by EJTN:

(1) English for Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters. Handbook. 2012/2015. ISBN:
9789081999045
(2) Handbook. English for Judicial Cooperation in Civil Matters. 2012/2015. ISBN: 9789081999069

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 A. Prepositions in sentences

1. The parties must abide _________ the terms of the agreement.

2. Third parties are not eligible _________ that kind of compensation.
3. The costs of litigation have been accounted ________ when calculating the final
amount.
4. I think we can rule __________ any compensation at this stage of the proceedings.
5. Counsel is subject _________ the requirements of the Civil Procedural Code.
6. The witness was served __________ the summons.
7. Pursuant __________ the contract, the amount will be transferred next month.
8. The company must set ________ very clear guidelines to deal ________
complaints.
9. The defendant submitted an application _____________ the Court.
10. I think his company will benefit ____________ the contract.
11. The lawyer’s argument rested ______ an incorrect assumption.
12 No rights are assigned __________ a third party under this contract.
13. The company agreed _______ the terms subject ________ certain conditions.
14. The claimant filed an application ________ an injunction.
15. The defendant was charged ____________ murder.
16. Should there be a breach, we can always enforce the contract ___________ the
seller.
17. The legal team consists _________ three civil and two criminal lawyers.
18. No rights are conferred __________ third parties under this contract.
19. The parties finally entered __________ the agreement after a long negotiation.
20. There is no third-party beneficiary ___________ this contract.
21. Both parties are entitled _________ damages should there be breach of contract
by either one.
22. The contract provides ___________ compensation under special circumstances.
23. We objected ________ further amendments being made to the draft contract.

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 B. Prepositions within a text
Complete the text below using the correct preposition.
Decision _______ the Court
Article 6 §§ 1 and 3 (c) (right _______ a fair hearing and right ______ be assisted by
counsel)
As the Court had stated ______ many occasions, the purpose of the Convention was
_______ protect rights that were not theoretical or illusory but practical and effective, and
the appointment of counsel did not ________ itself ensure the effectiveness ______
defence rights. The State sometimes had to act where problems of representation before
the courts were drawn _______ its attention. However, Article 6 § 3 (c) obliged authorities
_______ intervene only where the default _______ an assigned lawyer was manifest.
_______ such cases, when put ________ notice, the competent authorities had to replace
the defaulting lawyer or oblige him to perform his mission, _____ which the notion of free
legal assistance would be meaningless.
Where a lawyer, especially one who had been officially assigned, decided not to act _______
a case or was prevented ______ appearing at a hearing, he or she had a duty _______
inform the assigning authority ______ the situation and to do all that was necessary as a
matter of urgency to preserve his or her client’s rights and interests. Mr Vamvakas’ lawyer,
appointed _______ 2 January 2010 ________ the hearing of 5 February 2010, did not seem
______ any time to have explained that he was unable to pursue his mission. It was unlikely
that, as he had said, he had contacted the registry ______ the Court of Cassation to request
the adjournment _____ the hearing, because he would certainly have been informed that a
telephone call was not a proper means ________ notification _______ that purpose
______ domestic law – it was necessary ______ a written request to be sent or _______ a
fellow lawyer to appear ______ the day of the hearing to ask ________ an adjournment.
Since it was impossible _______ Greek law to reverse a decision to find an appeal
_________ points of law inadmissible, it had been _______ the Court of Cassation to
enquire _______ the reasons ________ the nonappearance of Mr Vamvakas’ lawyer. The
Court of Cassation had indeed been confronted ______ a situation of “manifest default”
– the unexplained absence of the lawyer Mr F.K. ______ the hearing held one month and
three days ________ his appointment, ________ any request for adjournment having been
received _______ him – requiring the court to adjourn its proceedings in order _______
clarify the situation rather than dismiss the appeal ______ points of law as not maintained.
Consequently, as the Court of Cassation had failed to ensure practical and effective respect
____ Mr Vamvakas’ defence rights, the Court found that there had been a violation of
Article 6 §§ 1 and 3 (c).

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 C. Prefixes
Add the prefixes dis-, im-, in-, ir-, il-, ab- or un- to each of these words to form their
opposites (antonyms).

1. Agree 2. Licit
3. Dependent 4. Valid
5. Respective 6. Practicable
7. Legal 8. Fair
9. Normal 10. Written
11. Limited 12. Justice
13. Restricted 14. Direct
15. Formal 16. Comparable
17. Lawful 18. Constitutional
19. Likely 20. Reconcilable
21. Competent 22. Sufficiently
23. Reliability 24. Authorised

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 D. The passive voice (Level I)

Turn the following sentences into passive structures.

(Source: Council Regulation (EC) No 1206/2001 of 28 May 2001 on cooperation between the
courts of the Member States in the taking of evidence in civil or commercial matters)

1. We should improve cooperation between courts in the taking of evidence.

2. Member States cannot sufficiently achieve the objectives of the proposed action.

3. The Community may adopt measures in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity.

4. We should execute a request for the performance of the taking of evidence

expeditiously.

5. The requested court should execute the request in accordance with the law of its
Member State.

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 E. The passive voice (Level II)

Turn the following sentences into passive structures.

1. In order to obtain a fair trial, the defendant needs to have access to the court.

2. The ECHR has upheld many claims of immunity on the basis that there is a public
interest consideration.

3. Nobody can sue an MP for defamation.

4. Would the judge have imposed the right sentence in that case?

5. Juries believe that some offenders are more dangerous than others.

6. In certain circumstances it is possible to try a criminal defendant in his absence.

7. Did the defendant tell her solicitor before the hearing?

8. The parties must fill in the appropriate forms.

9. The prosecutor had not noticed me in the courtroom.

10. Counsel found the case to be hopeless.

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 F. Word combinations (collocations). Criminal matters

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate adjective in the following word combinations:
[Source: adapted from “Language training on the vocabulary of judicial cooperation in criminal matters”. EJTN,
2015]

1. An order to freeze something is a _______________________ order.

2. An order to confiscate something is a ____________________ order.

3. The reasons on the basis of which a country may refuse to recognise a judgment are
called the ____________________________ for refusal.

4. When assistance is denied by a country, it ____________________ assistance.

5. When documents are delivered to someone, it is called the _________ of

documents.

6. Crime that goes across country borders is called ___________________ crime.

7. When someone’s body is examined, it is called a ____________________

examination.

8. A criminal investigation which is underway is a(n) ____________ criminal

investigation.

9. A sentence to be spent in custody is a _______________________ sentence.

10. The approximate place where a person is thought to be is called the _____________
of a person.

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 G. Compound adverbial-prepositional phrases
Use compound adverbial-prepositional phrases to fill in the gaps, using the explanation given in
brackets.

whereat, hereafter, hereinafter, thereupon, whereof, thereafter, heretofore, thereof, whereabouts, hereinabove, therein,
herewith, hereunder, wherefore, thereby, herein, hereto, whereby, thereto, hereby, whereupon

1. The questions raised in point 27 _________________ have to be taken into consideration.

(PREVIOUSLY IN THIS DOCUMENT)
2. All procedural documents, as well as any other correspondence sent to the Board, must be lodged
at the Registry of the Board (__________________ "the Registry").
(LATER REFERRED TO IN THIS DOCUMENT)
3. Accordingly, by the present Communication the Commission formally informs the Council of its
intention to adopt the measures presented in the Annex ______________________.
(TO THIS DOCUMENT, OR MATTER, OR PLACE)
4. The practice of holding national seminars open to all actors has _______________________ been
seen only as part of the process of putting together national plans.
(BEFORE NOW, SO FAR, UP TO NOW)
5. Where a national accreditation body does not meet the requirements of this Regulation or fails to
fulfil its obligations ___________________, the Member State concerned shall take appropriate
corrective action.
(LATER REFERRED TO IN THIS DOCUMENT)
6. The six remaining approved evaluation reports are presented ______________.
(WITH THIS DOCUMENT; ATTACHED)
7. The seller tried to charge extra interest, _______________ the buyer objected.
(AT WHICH)
8. This article also contains the process _________________ inspections supervised by the
Commission are put in place to check the effectiveness of these measures.
(BY WHICH)
9. The current tobacco premium system will no longer exist as from 1 January 2006,
_______________________ it is necessary to establish, as a transitional measure, a new basis for
calculating the future quota buy-back price.
(AS A RESULT OF WHICH)

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10. In witness __________________ the undersigned, being duly authorised thereto, have signed this
Protocol.
(OF WHAT/OF WHICH)
11. Private citizens may hand in unlicensed firearms to police authorities, _________________
possible charges for illegal possession may be dropped.
(IMMEDIATELY AFTER WHICH)
12. The number of district courts is ___________________ reduced from 82 small local courts to 24
larger district courts.
(FROM NOW ON)
13. The parties ________________ agree that, in the event of dispute, jurisdiction shall remain with
the courts of Portugal.
(BY THIS MEANS, BY THIS DOCUMENT)
14. All other products mentioned ___________________ may be trademarks of their respective
companies.
(IN THIS DOCUMENT, MENTIONED HERE)
15. This lease will be valid from one year from this date and will be renewed yearly
______________________.
(AFTER THAT TIME, IN THE FUTURE)
16. Corruption was found to scare away investment, ___________________ lowering economic
growth.
(AS A RESULT OF THAT)
17. Copies or reproductions to be discarded shall be destroyed to avoid access to the information
contained _______________________ or its later recovery.
(IN THAT PLACE OR DOCUMENT)
18. Please provide statistical data on the number of complaints received and investigated in this respect
during the reporting period, as well as the number of prosecutions and convictions
________________________.
(OF WHAT HAS BEEN MENTIONED JUST NOW)
19. Legislative guides for the implementation of the United Nations Convention against transnational
organized crime and the protocol _________________ must be followed.
(ATTACHED TO IT/TO THAT DOCUMENT)
20. (…) it is ____________________ ordered and adjudged that payment be made to the claimant.
(DIRECTLY FOLLOWING THAT; CONCERNING THAT MATTER)
21. There is information about the _________________ of those fugitives, but there is still little
progress in arresting them.
(PLACE WHERE SOMEONE OR SOMETHING IS)

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 H. Subjunctive
Put in the appropriate subjunctive in the gaps. After that, build the sentence again
using a more colloquial structure without a subjunctive.

1. The judge instructed that ____________________________________

(EXHIBITS TWO & THREE, MAKE AVAILABLE) to the jury.

2. His Honour Judge Smith recommended that

____________________________________ (ANSWERS, KEEP) short and simple
when giving evidence.

3. It was requested that __________________________________ (THE

DEFENDANT, BE) present in the hearing.

4. The Court of Justice of the European Union ordered that ___________________

(ALL THE PROCEEDINGS, JOIN).

5. It is essential that witnesses _____________________________ (BE) available in

the premises of the court at all times.

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 I. Word building (within excerpts)
Fill in the blanks using the right form of the prompt given.
[Source: adapted from “Language training on the vocabulary of judicial cooperation in criminal matters”. EJTN,
2015]

1) There is room for further ……… (act) on the part of the European Union to ensure
full ……… (implement) and respect of the Convention standards.
2) The ……… (procedure) rights of suspected or accused persons are particularly important
in order to safeguard the right to a fair ……… (try).
3) Whilst various measures have been taken at European Union level to guarantee a high
level of ……… (safe) for citizens, there is an equal need to address specific problems
that can arise when a person is suspected or accused in criminal proceedings. This calls
for specific action on procedural rights, in order to ensure the ……… (fair) of the
criminal proceedings.
4) The 2004 Hague Programme states that further realization of mutual ……… (recognize)
as the cornerstone of judicial cooperation implies the ……… (develop) of equivalent
standards of procedural rights in criminal proceedings.
5) A lot of progress has been made in the area of judicial and police cooperation on
measures that facilitate ……… (prosecute). It is now time to take action to improve the
balance between these measures and the ……… (protect) of procedural rights of the
individual.
6) Any new EU ……… (legislate) acts in this field should be consistent with the minimum
standards set out by the Convention, as interpreted by the European Court of Human
Rights.
7) A suspected or accused person should receive ……… (inform) about the nature and
cause of the ……… (accuse) against him or her. A person who has been charged should
be entitled, at the appropriate time, to the information necessary for the ……… (prepare)
of his or her ……… (defend).
8) A suspected or accused person who is deprived of his or her liberty shall be promptly
informed of the right to have at least one person, such as a relative or employer,
informed of the ……… (deprive) of liberty.
9) The Member States of the EU are all ……… (sign) of the principal treaty setting these
standards, the European Convention on Human Rights.
10) The Green Paper on procedural rights is the outcome of a lengthy consultation process,
both with interested parties and with government ……… (represent).

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 J. Inversion
Do the correct inversion, using the sentences given.
[Source: adapted from “Language training on the vocabulary of judicial cooperation in criminal matters”. EJTN,
2015]

1. He is hardly aware of his constitutional rights.

Hardly ……………………………………………………………………………………………

2. The arresting officer must on no account violate the suspect’s rights.

On no account ……………………………………………………………………………………..

3. The State has rarely provided legal aid in these circumstances.

Rarely …………………………………………………………………………………………….

4. There has seldom been so much protest against a Commission proposal.

Seldom ……………………………………………………………………………………………

5. Some Member States will never support the creation of a European Public Prosecutor.
Never ……………………………………………….……………………………………………

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 K. Conditionals
Rewrite the following sentences so that they no longer contain the word “if”.

1. If you should file for divorce, do it in England.

2. If you were to choose the court, where would you choose to have your case heard?

3. If she had filed in England, her conduct would have been irrelevant.

4. The English media would not be against the Rome III plan if it were to work.

5. Mrs. Vaughan wouldn’t have claimed the £215,000 if her husband’s maintenance
payments had not been cancelled.

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