Part 3. General English.

Exam Notes.

Dear students! We have finally finished the course. I hope it was enlightening and not very tiresome. Now, while taking an exam, you will have an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of Legal English and English Language skills in general.

Before giving some details concerning each part of the exam I just remind you that your first task is to demonstrate your ability to discuss legal issues in English at a decent level.

Part 1. (oral) summary of the Text.

Let me remind you that summarizing involves expressing the ideas of another in your own words in a shorter form, including only the key ideas and the main points that are worth mentioning.

How to summarise:

- Read the Text

- If possible, identify the style of the Text (academic, legal document, etc.) and give your grounds to prove your point of view using the Text.

- If possible, identify the main sentence of every paragraph.

- Look for key points or any important distinctions which form the framework of the ideas.

- Express those key points or distinctions in your own words using text connectors (we have discussed them while speaking about academic writing. You may also consult “Successful writing” textbook).

Bear in mind that your summary must be structured, logical, and feasible. Pay attention to your grammar. You are expected to use as many grammar structures, you have studied during the course, as possible (conditionals, subjunctives, cleft sentences, pseudo-cleft sentences, time clauses, etc.)

Part 2. Discuss with the examiner one of the legal issues.

All resources necessary to get prepared for this part of the exam are available on andoroshenko@yandex.ru email-box. During the seminars we used “American Legal English” textbook, International Legal English, Lectures by Fisher and some chapters from Collier’s textbook. Your answer must be structured and logical. Don’t forget to use linkers and expressions of cohesion. I suppose you do understand that your grammar and vocabulary are to be comprehensive and decent. What matters really much is your ability to connect different issues and to explain what connections they might have (for example, choice of law rules and jurisdiction, etc).

Part 3. General English.

You might think that this part is the easiest, but in fact this task does not mean that you give an answer in two, or at least, five sentences. You should give as many approaches to the problem in question as possible. Expressing your own opinion is of primary importance in this part. Again, your answer must be structured and logical. Do not forget to give your proposals to solve the problem.

Below I give you some sentences and useful expressions. The sentences will help you to understand what abilities concerning grammar and vocabulary are expected.

1. A legal citation refers to the full text of a statute, a case or some other source of legal information. The important thing to remember is that the citations are always unambiguous.
2. In order to read cases and decipher case histories, it is necessary to understand the general framework of the British court system.
3. The first step in researching the legal authority in jurisdiction is a general search using descriptors.
4. However, trial judges may almost immediately dismiss cases they deem to be frivolous, or the matter may be settled out of court prior to or even during the actual trial of the case itself.
5. One of the reasons for this is to enable smb to do smth
6. Unless it is market practice, silence doesn’t normally constitute acceptance
7. If the Court affirms a judgment, the petitioner or appellant shall pay costs unless the court otherwise orders.
8. Unlike other remedies, specific performance is a remedy, that does not rely on monetary damages for compensation. Instead, the breaching party is required by the court to fulfill his or her part of the bargain to avoid irremediable damages.
9. Depending on the specific deal struck between the debtor and the secured party, counsel may use a categorical description of a collateral.
10. Would you mind helping me with these forms?
11. One other way of getting the signatories … … … would be to send the document by courier and have it signed.
12. That is to say, … … … …
13. As a result, .. … …
14. Notably, … … … …
15. The facts of the case are as follows: … … … …
16. It is important to realize that … … … …
17. Smb should be aware that … … …
18. Since specific performance has its roots in equity, ………
19. Consideration is most often monetary in nature, but it does not have to be.
20. There are two traditional exceptions to this rule… … …
21. The law is still unclear about whether … … ….
22. The key issue here seems to be whether … … …
23. Now I’d like to turn to the topic of … … … …
24. I’d like to begin by giving you a general outline of … … … …
25. Allow me to explain: … .. … …

Should you have any questions, feel free to ask immediately.

Date: 2015-12-17; view: 581