Watch the video, Against the Law? Do the ex-es 1, 2, 4, slide 75

ex. 1 / Work with a partner. Match words from box A to words from box B to make collocations.

  • Common sense
  • Legal statute
  • Major crime
  • Minor misdemeanour
  • Prison sentence

ex. 2 / Work with a partner. All the actions in the list below are crimes somewhere in the world. Do you think they should be crimes? If so, are they major crimes or minor misdemeanours? What punishment should they receive (if any) — a caution, a fine, a prison sentence?

  • driving while sleeping — yes, it’s a crime, punishment — a caution
  • selling cabbage on a Sunday — no, it’s not a crime and shouldn’t be punished
  • building sandcastles on the beach — no, it’s not a crime and shouldn’t be punished (but ruining them is a crime)
  • forgetting your wife’s birthday — yes, it’s crime, punishment — a prison sentence
  • making funny faces at police dogs — yes, it’s a crime, punishment — a fine
  • feeding the homeless — no, it’s not a crime and shouldn’t be punished

ex. 4 / Watch the video again. Decide if the following statements are true (T) or false (F).

  1. British Members of Parliament can wear armour to work if they wish. — F
  2. The Italian police felt that flip-flops weren’t smart enough to be worn in public. — F
  3. Different states in the USA have different laws. — T
  4. The law about police dogs wasn’t intended to include funny faces. — T
  5. In 1644, the English government banned Christmas. — T
  6. Eating mince pies is still illegal in England. — F