M2-2.1 Learn vocabulary
Instructions
1.Learn the vocabulary using Quizlet.
2. Please note: If you click on “Choose a study mode” (bottom right) and select “Flashcards” from the dropdown, you will access an audio file with the correct pronunciation of each term.
3. Mark this as complete when you are finished.
Review vocabulary:
| Vocabulary | Definition | Example sentence |
| Act of Parliament / Statute (Noun) | A written law passed by a legislative body. In the U.K. this is Parliament. An Act of Parliament is a synonym and they can be used interchangeably. | The provisions dealing with this matter are contained in a statute on data protection. |
| Amend (Verb) | To change, in legal English especially change the wording or effect of a law, legal document or provision. | The Criminal Finances Act 2017 amends the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. |
| Bill (Noun) | A Bill can mean a proposed Act of Parliament before it has come into force. In the U.K. a Bill must be debated and approved by each House of Parliament – the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and then receive royal assent which means the King must agree to it. The Bill then becomes law and is known as an Act. | The Data Protection Bill was introduced to the House of Commons for debate. |
| Body corporate (Noun) | A formal way of saying a corporation. For example in the Companies Act 2006 a corporation and body corporate have the same meaning. It may have more specific meanings under specific Acts of Parliament. | The Criminal Finances Act 2017 creates corporate offences when people associated with the body corporate assist with the commission of an offence. |
| Chapter (Noun) | A part of a document. The chapter of an Act of Parliament given at the beginning refers to the Act being the x number Act passed in that year. For example if the Act says ‘Criminal Finances Act 2017 Chapter 22, it means it was the 22ndAct to be passed in that year. Chapters are also used to divide sections in an Act. | The Criminal Finances Act 2017 has the chapter number 22. |
| Commencement (Noun) | The starting. In legal English, especially the point when an Act, part of an Act, law, or contract comes into force and starts to have legal effect. | The commencement provisions explain when the Act starts working. |
| Convention (Noun) | Has several meanings in law. 1) A treaty between states. 2) An agreed way of doing something. 3) A constitutional convention is an unwritten rule of the constitution which has developed over time as an agreed way to do things. These are recognised but not enforced by the court. They include that the Monarch will always give royal assent to a law which has passed through Parliament. | Customs and conventions allow for rules to develop and for law to evolve outside of Parliament. |
| Corporate offence (Noun) | Corporate offences are specific crimes that corporations can commit. In this case of the Criminal Finances Act 2017, it creates a corporate offence for people associated with a body corporate, a formal word for corporation, or partnership who facilitates tax evasion being carried out. | Measures should be put in place to prevent the company being held liable for committing a corporate offence. |
| Domestic legislation (Noun) | Legislation made within a particular country, as opposed to international or foreign law. | This course looks at domestic legislation, case law, E.U. and international law. |
| Enact (Verb) | To make a Bill into law. | Parliament enacts legislation after the Bill has passed through the required stages and received royal assent. |
| Enacting formula (Noun) | The standard introductory statement made before the sections in a statute which shows that the legislature enacts the proposed law which means the proposed law is made into a law. It usually declares the source from which the law claims to derive its authority, for example Parliament or the people of the state. | The enacting formula introduces the provisions of a statute. |
| Explanatory notes (Noun) | Explanatory Notes give further details. Used in UK legislation to explain to lay persons, or people without specific knowledge in the area, what the Act is for and the provisions it has. | My client read the explanatory notes of the Act to better understand the provisions. |
| Grounds (Noun) | Grounds are the legal basis for a claim so that the court will order relief. For example, if a builder does not follow building regulations when building a house, and there is a problem with the house afterwards, the claimant may sue the builder for negligence on the grounds that he used defective materials. Note, however that reasons and grounds are slightly different. In this case, the reason for suing may be that the claimant is unhappy and wants the house to be safe. | The grounds for the claim are that the builder used defective materials and breached building regulations. |
| House of Commons (Noun) | The House of Commons is the lower chamber of the U.K. Parliament which meets in the Palace of Westminster. It consists of elected Members of Parliament. It is a bit like the U.S. House of Representatives. | The House of Commons must debate new laws. |
| House of Lords (Noun) | The House of Lords is the upper chamber of the U.K. Parliament which meets in the Palace of Westminster. It consists mainly of unelected members, including appointed life peers and Lords Spiritual. Members of the House of Lords are appointed by the King on the advice of the Prime Minister. In 2026, the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Act 2026 received Royal Assent; its provisions to end the right of excepted hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords are due to come into force at the end of the current parliamentary session. | After passing through the House of Commons, a Bill must pass through the stages in the House of Lords. |
| Lay clients / Lay persons (Noun) | Lay client or layperson refers to a person who does not have a specialised knowledge in a particular area. | Taking advantage of a layperson’s lack of knowledge is against the Code of Conduct for solicitors. |
| Legislation (Noun) | Written laws, especially Acts of Parliament and other laws made under parliamentary authority. | You can find U.K. legislation at legislation.gov.uk. |
| Long title (Noun) | The long title of an Act of Parliament explains what the Act is about. It is normally a few sentences long but can be quite lengthy. | We can understand details about the Act from the long title. |
| Monarch (Noun) | The king or queen. In the U.K. in 2026, the Monarch is King Charles III. | The Monarch must give royal assent in order for the Bill to be enacted. |
| Official citation (Noun) | The code or words used to officially identify something. The official citation of an Act refers to the chapter number and date. This can be used to officially cite the Act, however it is more common to use the short title. | The official citation of the Criminal Finances Act 2017 is ‘2017 c.22’. |
| Parliament (Noun) | The law-making body of the U.K., made up of the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the Monarch. | A Bill must pass through Parliament before it can become an Act. |
| Primary legislation (Noun) | Primary legislation refers to written law made by a parliament of a country. | An Act of Parliament is a good example of primary legislation. |
| Provision (Noun) | A section, rule, clause or legal statement contained in an Act or other legal document. | The explanatory notes help readers understand the provisions of the Act. |
| Respondent (Noun) | This term has a few different meanings: 1) In employment law, the respondent refers to a person, company or organisation against which a claimant brings a claim in an employment tribunal. For example if an employee was suing the employer, the employee would be the claimant and the employer would be the respondent. This is also the case in arbitration. 2) In family law, respondent refers to the party who is responding to the application or petition. For example if a husband wants to divorce his wife, he will file a Matrimonial Order Application (a divorce petition) with the court, this will then be served on the wife, who will be the respondent, and must respond to the application. 3) In the context of appeals, the parties are referred to as the appellant (the party who appeals the case) and the respondent, (the part who responds to the appeal). | The respondent must file documents with the court in order for the case to proceed. |
| Royal assent (Noun) | The agreeing to a Bill by the Monarch, which has passed through the stages in Parliament. Royal assent is the final stage in the legislative process in the U.K. and after this a Bill becomes an Act of Parliament. It is a constitutional convention in the U.K. that the Monarch gives royal assent. In 2026, this means the King formally agrees to make the Bill into an Act of Parliament. | The Act of Parliament received royal assent and came into force. |
| Royal Coat of Arms (Noun) | The symbol which represents the Monarch and which appears on all things related to the Royal family, for example at the beginning of an Act of Parliament. | The Royal Coat of Arms is a grand symbol associated with the monarch. |
| Schedule (Noun) | A supplementary document attached to a document such as a law or contract. Schedules at the end of an Act give further details about principles, definitions, and other information. | Further information can be found in the Act’s schedules. |
| Section (Noun) | A section refers to a part of something such as a contract or an Act. For example, s362B(4)(b)(i) Criminal Finances Act 2017, we would read out loud as section 362B, subsection (4), paragraph (b), sub-paragraph (i), of the Criminal Finances Act 2017. | S3 Human Rights Act 1998 deals with the interpretation of legislation in order to be compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights. |
| Short title (Noun) | The short title of an Act of Parliament such as the ‘Criminal Finances Act 2017’ is the name which is most commonly used to refer to an Act. | We can understand quickly what the Act is about from the short title. |
| Sub-paragraph (Noun) | A smaller numbered part of a paragraph. In UK law this is often shown in Roman numerals such as (i), (ii) and (iii). | Section 362B(4)(b)(i) refers to sub-paragraph (i). |
| Subsection (Noun) | A numbered part of a section of a document such as a contract or an Act, usually shown as (1), (2), (3) and so on. | Section 362B(4) refers to subsection (4). |
| Tax evasion (Noun) | Tax evasion is the illegal practice of not paying taxes, for example by not reporting the correct income. This should be contrasted with tax avoidance, which is the legal use of tax laws to reduce the tax you must pay, for example by setting up trust funds and giving money to charity. | The company had committed tax evasion by under-reporting its income. |