Unit 34: Crime

English Vocabulary in Use Elementary » Unit 34: Crime

Word List

Exercises

34.1 ‣ What do we call someone ...

who steals cars?
who kills someone? _____
who steals things from shops? _____
who robs people’s houses and flats? _____
who attacks someone in the street and steals their money? _____
who sells illegal drugs? _____

34.2 ‣ Fill the gaps in these sentences.

There were a lot of football near the stadium.
The police officer her for shoplifting.
Some destroyed all the flowers in the park.
He had to pay a of £50 for parking his car in the wrong place.
There are a lot of in this part of the city, so always close the windows.
The police made a mistake; she was . She did not steal the money.
A group of have attacked the airport.
He murdered his wife. He was in for 20 years.

34.3 ‣ True or false?

A burglar goes into someone’s house and steals things.
- True
- False
Vandals take people’s money.
- True
- False
A murderer kills someone.
- True
- False
A car thief is someone who drives very badly or dangerously.
- True
- False
If you are guilty it means you are the person who did the crime.
- True
- False

34.4 ‣ Choose the right word to complete each sentence.

My brother was _____ yesterday.
- robbed
- stolen
Someone _____ my bike last night.
- robbed
- stole
My local bank has been _____.
- robbed
- stolen
Who has _____ my pen?
- robbed
- stolen
Someone _____ our TV when we were on holiday.
- robbed
- stole
Where were you when your keys were _____?
- robbed
- stolen

Over to you

Give your opinion. What do you think should happen to these people?

A man murdered his wife and three children.
He should go to prison for 30 years.
A student with no money stole a book from a bookshop.
_____
A woman sold some drugs to a teenager.
_____
Some terrorists attacked a bus and killed five people.
_____
A woman parked her car and blocked the traffic.
_____
A teenager damaged some trees in the park.
_____

Answer Key

A ‣ Crimes and criminals

A ‣ Crimes and criminals


crime	robbery	murder /ˈmɜːdə/	burglary /ˈbɜːɡləri/	mugging [attacking a person in a public place and stealing their money]
person	a robber	a murderer	a burglar	a mugger
verb	to rob somebody or a place (e.g. a bank)	to murder somebody	to break into a house / flat (break / broke / broken)	to mug somebody


crime	car theft	drug dealing	terrorism	shoplifting
person	a car thief /θiːf/	a drug dealer	a terrorist	a shoplifter
verb	to steal a car (steal / stole / stolen)	to sell drugs (sell / sold / sold)	to attack somebody or a place	to steal things from a shop

There was a burglary at the school last night.

John West murdered his wife.

There are a lot of muggings in the city centre.

The bank was robbed yesterday. My sister was robbed last week.

Common mistakes

A thief steals something (steal / stole / stolen). Somebody stole my bicycle. [NOT Somebody ~~robbed~~ my bicycle.]

I was robbed last night. [NOT I was ~~stolen~~.]

B ‣ The law /lɔː/ B ‣ Arm and leg

B ‣ Arm and leg

A student was arrested for shoplift ing this morning.

The police came to the school and spoke to his teacher.

The student has to go to court next week.

If he is guilty he will have to pay a fine. /ˈɡɪlti/

If he is innocent he can go home. /ˈɪnəsənt/

I don’t think he will go to prison.

C ‣ Other crime problems

C ‣ Other crime problems

Some vandals broke the windows in the telephone box. [A vandal breaks and smashes things.]

We have a lot of vandalism in my town.

A lot of people take drugs nowadays.

Is football hooliganism a problem in your country? /ˈhuːlɪɡənɪzm/ [A football hooligan is a person who goes to a football match and makes trouble.]

Favorite Books

English Vocabulary in Use Pre-intermediate and Intermediate

The words you need to communicate with confidence. Vocabulary explanations and practice for pre-intermediate and intermediate level (B1) learners of English. Perfect for both self-study and classroom activities. Quickly expand your vocabulary with 100 units of easy to understand explanations and practice exercises.

English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate

The words you need to communicate with confidence. Vocabulary explanations and practice for Upper-intermediate level (B2) learners of English. Perfect for both self-study and classroom activities. Quickly expand your vocabulary with over 100 units of easy to understand explanations and practice exercises.

English Vocabulary in Use Advanced

The words you need to communicate with confidence. Vocabulary explanations and practice for advanced level (C1 to C2) learners of English. Perfect for both self-study and classroom activities. Quickly expand your vocabulary with over 100 units of easy to understand explanations and practice exercises.

Table of Contents