Speakout Advanced p 53. Keys and Vocabulary

Ex 6A
Vocabulary
tear apart: to make people argue and damage their relationship. E.g. This issue is tearing their marriage apart.

a will a legal document that says who you want your money and property to be given to after you die.
 
assets the things that a company owns, that can be sold to pay debts. E.g. Her assets include shares in the company and a house in France.

solely: /ˈsəʊlli/ only; not involving somebody/something else. E.g. She was motivated solely by self-interest. Selection is based solely on merit. He became solely responsible for the firm.

proceeding (against somebody) (for something) the process of using a court to settle a disagreement or to deal with a complaint. E.g. bankruptcy/ divorce/ extradition, etc. proceedings. To bring legal proceedings against somebody.

contest something to formally oppose a decision or statement because you think it is wrong. E.g. to contest a will (= try to show that it was not correctly made in law). The divorce was not contested. 


ailing ill and not likely to get better. E.g. She looked after her ailing father.

pressurise: (also pressurize) to persuade somebody to do something, especially by making them feel that they have to or should do it. E.g. Stop trying to pressurize me! She was pressurized into accepting the job. He felt that he was being pressurized to resign.

associate: /əˈsəʊʃiət/ a person that you work with, do business with or spend a lot of time with. E.g. business associates. A close political associate of. The company is called Landor Associates. He was known to be one of the convicted man's associates.

Ex 6B
KEY
The woman cites Nicholas Holdicott’s lack of evidence about (1) the father being pressurised to change his will and (2) about the father not being ‘of sound mind’.

sound: sensible; that you can rely on and that will probably give good results. Reliable. E.g. a person of sound judgement. He gave me some very sound advice. This gives the design team a sound basis for their work. The proposal makes sound commercial sense. Their policies are environmentally sound.

Ex 6C
KEY
All the phrases are used except it’s been claimed and an expert witness testifies that … 

claim: to say that something is true although it has not been proved and other people may not believe it. Sp. asegurar. E.g. claim (that)… He claims (that) he was not given a fair hearing. It is claimed that… It was claimed that some doctors were working 80 hours a week.
Vocabulary
tear apart: to make people argue and damage their relationship. E.g. This issue is tearing their marriage apart. Families are always being torn apart by money.

overturn something to officially decide that a legal decision, etc. is not correct, and to make it no longer valid. E.g. to overturn a decision/ conviction/ verdict. His sentence was overturned by the appeal court. 

solid: that you can rely on; having a strong basis. E.g. As yet, they have no solid evidence. His advice was always solid and practical. This provided a solid foundation for their marriage. The Irish team were solid as a rock in defence. 

evidence:  the information that is used in court to try to prove something. E.g. I was asked to give evidence (= to say what I knew, describe what I had seen, etc.) at the trial. He was released when the judge ruled there was no evidence against him. There’s no evidence to suggest he’d lost his mental capabilities.

proof: information, documents, etc. that show that something is true. E.g. There is no proof that the knife belonged to her. Conclusive proof. Without proof you have no case.

sound: sensible; that you can rely on and that will probably give good results. Reliable. E.g. a person of sound judgement. He gave me some very sound advice. This gives the design team a sound basis for their work. The proposal makes sound commercial sense. Their policies are environmentally sound.
 
think straight: to think in a clear or logical way. E.g.  'I just can't think straight,' she said, trying not to cry. He was taking a lot of medication so maybe he wasn’t thinking straight.

in retrospect: /ˈretrəspekt/ thinking about a past event or situation, often with a different opinion of it from the one you had at the time. E.g. In retrospect, I think that I was wrong. The decision seems extremely odd, in retrospect.

Ex 7A
p 159
uphold something (especially of a court of law) to agree that a previous decision was correct or that a request is reasonable. E.g. to uphold a conviction/ an appeal/ a complaint. The Home Secretary's decision was upheld by the House of Lords. The court upheld his claim for damages.

p 162
capability: /ˌkeɪpəˈbɪləti/ 

draft: /drɑːft/ a rough written version of something that is not yet in its final form. E.g. I've made a rough draft of the letter. This is only the first draft of my speech. The final draft(= the final version). The legislation is still in draft form. A draft constitution/ treaty/ agreement. 

uphold something (especially of a court of law) to agree that a previous decision was correct or that a request is reasonable. E.g. to uphold a conviction/ an appeal/ a complaint. The Home Secretary's decision was upheld by the House of Lords. The court upheld his claim for damages.

Ex 8A
overjoyed: /ˌəʊvəˈdʒɔɪd/  extremely happy or pleased. Delighted. E.g.  He was overjoyed at my success. We were overjoyed to hear their good news. She was overjoyed that her article had been published.

fine: of high quality; good. E.g. ine clothes/wines. The finest collection of paintings in Europe.

turn out:  to happen in a particular way; to develop or end in a particular way. E.g. Despite our worries everything turned out well. You never know how your children will turn out. + adjective If the day turns out wet, we may have to change our plans.  

sue (somebody) (for something) to make a claim against somebody in court about something that they have said or done to harm you. E.g. to sue somebody for breach of contract. To sue somebody for $10 million (= in order to get money from somebody). To sue somebody for damages. They threatened to sue if the work was not completed. 

revenue: /ˈrevənjuː/ (also revenues)  income from business activities or taxes. E.g. The magazine had been losing advertising revenue for months.  A shortfall in tax revenues. Advertising revenue finances the commercial television channels. The company's annual revenues rose by 30%.

hearing: an official meeting at which the facts about a crime, complaint, etc. are presented to the person or group of people who will have to decide what action to take. E.g. a court/ disciplinary hearing.

justice has been done/served: used to say that someone has been treated fairly or has been given a punishment they deserve.

send a message to do something that is likely to influence someone's attitudes or behavior. Send a signal. E.g. The arrests of several well-known people in the area sends a message that no one is immune from the law, not even the famous. The fact that nothing is done to help the homeless sends a message that we don't care.

promise: E.g. to make/keep/break a promise.

stick to: to continue doing something despite difficulties. E.g. She finds it impossible to stick to a diet. 

Ex 8 B
Write a summary of a famous case in the news.