LEARN 23 LEGAL WORDS & EXPRESSIONS!
LEARN 23 LEGAL WORDS & EXPRESSIONS! Knowing about the basics of law is important for any job. But do you know how to talk about legal matters in English? These words and expressions will help you do just that. First, read over the definitions and examples. Then, see if you can do the exercises on the following page.
1
A contract
A legal agreement between two (or more) people or companies: “We’ll need a few days to read over the contract.”
5
To sign a contract
If you “sign” a contract, you put your name on it to show that you agree with it: “They signed the contract last week.”
9
2
The terms
6
A clause
To take someone to court
10 To
A party
4
A person (or company) who is mentioned in a contract, or who is part of it: “Both parties agreed to the terms of the contract.”
7
A special section in a contract (with lines of text) that is often numbered (clause 1, 2, 3…) so you can find it easily: “Please refer to clause 16 for information on that point.”
If you “take someone to court”, you start a legal process against them in order to receive compensation: “We’ll take you to court if you don’t pay back the money by next week.” Literally, a “court” is a building where legal matters are decided.
22
3
The “terms” of a contract are the conditions in the contract: how much you have to pay, what you have to do, when you have to do it, etc.: “Under the terms of the contract, you have to complete the work by next Friday.”
A penalty clause
8
A clause in a contract that refers to a punishment or amount of money that someone has to pay if the terms of the contract are broken: “We need to include a penalty clause in the contract to cover us if the work isn’t finished in time.”
abide by
If you “abide by” a law, agreement or contract, you do what it says in the contract: “They have to abide by the terms of the contract.”
11
To draw up a contract
If you “draw up” a contract, you write it or create it: “We need to draw up a contract that covers all these points.”
A right
If you have a “right” to do something, you can do it legally: “We have every right to be here and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
To comply with
If you “comply with” the terms of the contract, you do what it says in the contract; if someone fails to “comply”, they don’t do what the contract says: “If you fail to comply with the terms of the contract, we’ll take legal action against you.”
/ www.learnhotenglishcorp.com/en / Contact us for fantastic online classes for your company, wherever you are: classes@learnhotenglish.com
