Dialogue 1. Possible Punishment

Task: read the dialogue, reproduce it a) abridged, b) in the form of a monologue.

Ian:	You see I cannot shut out from my mind what is going on in the court. What might the probable punishment be?
Lawyer:	For the offences like this a wrong-doer can receive from 3 to 5 years of imprisonment if he has no defence.
Ian:	Defence? What do you mean?
Lawyer:	A defence is a reason for the court to excuse his act. But here we have neither duress which can be applied to a secondary party nor self-defence.
Ian:	But you know he was cheated into it. It wouldn’t be fair if he suffered a penalty like this. It’s far too harsh. I hoped it might be community service or even a fine.
Lawyer:	If I prove he was involved by deception it might mitigate the verdict. I mean I have to show the specific circumstances at the time of the wrong. Of course it will lessen the sentence.
Ian:	You know he’s never been in trouble before. And I’m sure he’ll never be again. He is not the person to be sent to prison.
Lawyer:	The fact that he’s always been law-abiding might prove helpful as I’m going to insist on a suspended sentence.
Ian:	Imprisonment in his case will only do harm and not help re-educate and reform him.
Lawyer:	Indeed I have all evidence to get the sentence mitigated.

Ex. 1. How is the following expressed in the dialogue?

1. work done for the public

2. to make (bad behaviour) seem less bad or harmless

3. a stopped or put off court decision for a period of time

4. a person of unlawful behaviour

5. punishment for breaking a law, rule

6. unlawful or unfair threats

7. an order given by a judge which fixes a punishment for a criminal found guilty in court

8. an amount of money paid as punishment

9. to act dishonestly

10. cruel, with lack of kindness

11. to lessen the seriousness of a wrong action

12. obeying the law

13. the official decision made by a Jury

14. free from dishonesty or injustice

15. the act or state of deceiving or being deceived

Ex. 2. Study the dialogue and make a list of all possible punishments for the accused person.

Ex. 3. Give Russian equivalents to the following:

to shut out from one’s mind; a wrong-doer; a self-defence to excuse smb. duress; a secondary party; to cheat into;

fair; harsh; community service; a fine; law-abiding; a suspended sentence.

Ex. 4. Present the information from the dialogue making use of the following verbs:

to excuse smb, to apply, to be cheated into, to suffer a penalty, to hope, to prove, to involve, to lessen, to be sure, to insist, to do harm, to reform.