Crime vocabulary

Have your ever been the victim of a crime?

Have you ever witnessed a crime?

Have you ever committed a crime?

The world of crime has much specialised vocabulary. In this lesson you will
learn the meaning of the verbs, nouns and adjectives which we associate
with crime. This should help you to understand newspaper and TV news
reports on crime.

Crime (noun) is any illegal action or activity. For example, killing your boss
is a crime (even if he is a terrible person)!

Crime is never used as a verb. We say 'commit a crime'. Commit is

the verb that collocates with 'crime': It basically means 'do'.

'He was sent to prison for a crime that he didn't commit.'

A person who commits a crime is a criminal:

'A dangerous criminal escaped from prison.'

Criminal is also used as an adjective:

'There is a lot of criminal activity in this area.'

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What’s the difference between rob and steal?
Rob (verb) means take something from a place or person.
'Rob a bank.' Money is taken from the bank, not the whole thing.
'Rob and old man.' Valuable items are taken from him, we do not take him.

Steal (verb) means to take something.

'I stole candy when I was a child.'

'My bag was stolen at the party.'

Steal = present tense / stole = past simple / stolen = past participle

Theft is the noun form for the verb steal.

A thief is the general name we give to someone who steals something.

Types of crime and types of criminal

Arson - the crime of starting a fire in order to damage or destroy
something, especially a building.
Arsonist – a person who starts fires to damage or destroy something

Bank robbery (noun) – the crime of stealing money from a bank.

Bank robber – the person who steals from a bank.
Rob – verb

Burglary (noun) – the crime of stealing from a building.

Burglar – a person who steals from a building.
Burgle -verb

Manslaughter (noun) - the crime of killing a person by someone who did

not intend to do it or who cannot be responsible for their actions.

Murder (noun) – the crime of killing someone.

Murderer – a person who kills.
Murder – verb

Mugging (noun) – an act of attacking someone and stealing their money.

Mugger – the person who attacks someone to steal their money.
Mug – verb

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 Shoplifting (noun) – taking something from a shop without paying for it.
Shoplifter – a person who steals from shops.
Shoplift - verb

Smuggling (noun) - the act of taking things or people to or from a place

secretly and illegally.
Smuggler – the person who takes things or people to or from a place
secretly and illegally.
Smuggle - verb

Pickpocketing (noun) – the act of stealing things out of pockets or bags

secretly.
Pickpocket - a person who steals things out of pockets or bags secretly.
Pickpocket  - verb

Other people associated with crime

Victim – a person who a crime happens to.
'The criminal stole the victim's car.'

Witness – a person who saw a crime happen.

'Many witnesses saw the bank robber leaving the bank.'

Exercise 1: Choose the correct word

 The ___ was arrested by police who caught him hiding in his garden.

victim

witness

criminal

crime

 It looks like he is trying to ___ that umbrella.

criminal

crime

rob

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steal

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 The man was ___ as he walked home late at night.

stolen

robbed

steal

rob

 My watch has been ___.

stealed

stolen

stole

steal

 She tried to ___ drugs in her suitcase from Toronto to Seattle.

pickpocket

smuggle

burgle

mug

 The ___ was caught with the CDs in his bag while he was still in the shop.

pickpocket

smuggler

mugger

shoplifter

 I caught a ___ trying to steal my purse on the crowded bus.

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 murderer

shoplifter

pickpocket

smuggler

 The ___ was shot 5 times by the murderer.

thief

criminal

victim

crime

 Police are trying to catch the ___ who set fire to the school.

arson

arsonman

arsonist

arsoner

 I have never comitted a ___.

crime

criminal

thief

steal

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Exercise 2: Fill in the table (for the second column:
choose from the descriptions under the table)

CRIME DEFINITION CRIMINAL

abduction
arson
assassination
assault
bigamy
blackmail
bombing
bribery
burglary
child abuse
corruption
crime
cybercrime
domestic violence
drunk driving
embezzlement
espionage
forgery
fraud
genocide
hijacking
hit and run
homicide
hooliganism
identity theft
kidnapping
libel
looting
lynching
manslaughter
mugging
murder
perjury
pickpocketing
pilfering
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 poaching
rape
riot
robbery
shoplifting
slander
smuggling
speeding
terrorism
theft
trafficking
treason
trespassing
vandalism
voyeurism

1 attacking someone physically

2 attacking someone with a plan to rob them
3 behaving illegally and dishonestly; especially those in power
4 behaving violently inside the home
5 being violent or aggressive on purpose; often used to describe youth
6 betraying one’s country by helping its enemies
7 breaking into a house in order to steal something
8 causing a noisy, violent public disturbance
9 damaging someone’s reputation by speaking lies about them
10 damaging someone’s reputation by writing lies about them
11 destroying private or public property purposely
12 detonating an explosive device with the plan of harming people or property
13 doing something illegal over the Internet or a computer system
14 doing something illegal that can be punished by law
15 driving above the speed limit
16 driving with too much alcohol in your blood
17 entering another person’s area; hurting people/damaging property through force
18 forcing someone to have sex
19 getting money from people by cheating them
20 giving money or granting favors to influence another person’s decisions or behavior
21 hunting illegally
22 illegally copying documents, money, etc. to cheat people
23 killing a famous person or public figure
24 killing another person on purpose
25 killing on purpose a large number of people, especially from a particular group or area
26 killing someone by accident
27 killing someone on purpose
28 killing someone without legal process, often by hanging, often by an angry mob
29 lying in court, while under oath
30 marrying someone when you are already married to another person

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31 not stopping to help a person hurt in an accident caused by you
32 secretly watching naked people or sexual acts & getting sexually excited
33 setting fire to a building, cars or property on purpose
34 spying, to obtain political or military information
35 stealing large amounts of money that you are responsible for, often over a period of time
36 stealing large amounts of money with force or violence from a bank, store, etc.
37 stealing small quantities of goods over time
38 stealing something from a store
39 stealing wallets, money, etc. from people’s pockets in crowded places
40 stealing, in general
41 taking control of a plane, train etc by force, often to meet political demands
42 taking someone away by force, demanding money for their safe return
43 taking someone away by force, often demanding money for their safe return
44 taking things illegally and by force, during a riot, war, etc.
45 taking things secretly in or out of a place, country, jail, etc.
46 threatening to reveal someone’s secrets if a lot of money is not paid
47 trading something illegal like drugs, people, etc.
48 treating a child badly in a physical, emotional, or sexual way
49 using someone else’s personal information for one’s own gain
50 using violence, threats, or fear, usually for political purposes

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 Game: witnessing a crime

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoWYZriq05s (to 0.20)

Role A: You are the witness of a crime. Watch the crime scene carefully as
you will be asked to give a statement to the police.

Notes:
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Role B: You are a police detective. You have been asked to go to a crime
scene and interview the witness. Ask the witness all the questions that will
help you to find the author of the crime.

Prepare your questions here:

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Can you recognize the witness? Role A: based on what you saw – Role B:
based on the testimony you received

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Useful vocabulary for describing people:

Physical description

Tall
Slim
Short
Stocky
Well-built
Big guy
Overweight
Plump
Fat
Enormous
Skinny
Good-looking
Stout
Corpulent
Portly
Unkempt
Untidy
Scruffy
Dapper
Neatly dressed
Scar
Birthmark
Tattoo
Mole
Wrinkles
Freckles
Laughter lines
Black
Blond/fair
Red/ginger
Brown/dark
Long
Short
Shoulder-length
Shaved/cropped
Straight

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Wavy
Curly
Pony tail
Plait
Parting
Fringe
Sideburns
Goatee
Stubble
Moustache
Beard
Bald
In his/her early/mid/late forties
Fairly elderly
Middle-aged
A forty-year old
Brown, green, small, big, piercing
eyes
Dark-skinned
Fair-skinned

Clothes

t-shirt
Jeans
Sweatshirt
Blouse
Skirt
Shirt
Tie
Waistcoat
Fleece
Jumper
Crewneck, poloneck, V-neck
Cardigan
Dress
Suit
Jacket
Tuxedo/dinner jacket
Trousers
Hat
Cap

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Gloves
Scarf
Boots
Trainers
Dress
Fashionable
Smart
Scruffy
Casual
Worn-out

Character

Hard-working
Outgoing
Easy-going
Shy
Tense
Miserable
Lazy
Cheerful
Moody
Arrogant
Amusing
Selfish
Stubborn
Difficult/easy to get on with
A pain in the neck
Great sense of humour
Modest
Loyal
Sensible
Proud
Bossy
Fussy
Nosey
Ambitious
Patient
Decisive
Tolerant
Friendly
Reliable

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Cheeky
Brave
Clever
Clumsy
Rude
Tactful
Wise
Fussy
Pushy
Intolerant
Pessimistic
Careless
Sweet
Nasty
Sexy
Haughty
Conceited
Gullible
Conscientious
Obstinate
Unscrupulous
Impetuous
Impulsive
Excitable
Garrulous
Taciturn
A snob/gossip/extravert
Sociable
Introvert
coward

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Task: fill in this missing person’s report based on the picture of a celebrity
you brought to class

Physical description:

Last seen wearing:

Personality:

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Watching: The problem with Mass Incarceration in
the US

Source link: https://youtu.be/NaPBcUUqbew

Watch the documentary and reply to the following questions:

1) What are the three reasons why we send people to prison?

2) What does the presenter mean when he says ‘Today’s prisoners are
tomorrow’s neighbours’?

3) America is about 4% of the world population. What percentage of

incarcerated people do they have?

4) What percentage of young adults and teenagers have been arrested

before they turn 23?

5) What sentence have some 13-year-old children received?

6) How is solitary confinement considered by international law?

7) Who regulates solitary confinement?

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 8) What problems do prisoners face when they get out of prison?

9) What is the result of those punishments?

10) How expensive is that system?

11)Is the video neutral or politically engaged?

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Watching: The case of BastØy, a Minimum-Security
Prison in Norway

Source link: https://youtu.be/MauMiCL7G9Y

1) Describe Dardan’s cell

2) What is Dardan’s sentence? For what crime?

3) What’s Dardan’s view on American prisons?

4) What is the recidivism rate in Norway?

5) What classes and facilities are there in Bastoy?

6) How is it a prison?

7) What is not the purpose of a prison, and what is, according to Leann
Bertsch?

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 8) How does Sam Mitchum (North Dakota former corrections officer)
disagree?

9) What do you think about this principle: “We punish them by taking
away their freedom, but we don’t take away their life”?

Speaking: Debate: For or against maximum-security prisons?

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 Some other crime games

1. Paranoia

The game takes place during a week.

1. Everyone draws a ‘weapon’ (candlestick, knife, rope, revolver,
spanners, dagger, poison, axe, chainsaw, bomb, …)
2. Everyone receives a secret ‘target’
3. To eliminate your target, you must be alone with them, show them
your weapon, and tell them ‘you’re out’. Texts do not work, you have
to say it out loud.
4. Once you have killed your target, you receive their target.
5. If you witness a murder taking place, you eliminate both the killer and
the victim.
6. If you witness a murder but you are already dead, you come back to
life as a killer ghost and kill both the assassin and their victim too.
7. The last person alive wins.

2. Alibi

A teacher in the school has been killed. He was found dead in the corridor on
the first floor of the L1 building, yesterday at 13.30. We must investigate and
find who has done it!

1. You have 10 minutes to speak with your alibi and settle on what you
were doing yesterday during lunch time. Prepare for all possible
questions.
2. You will then be interrogated separately and asked the very same
questions.
3. If your testimonies match, you will be acquitted. If your testimonies
are inconsistent, you will go on a trial, call a further witness and call for
more questions.

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4. Those who are acquitted will then become the jury. They will decide
who looks the guiltiest and vote.

Reading: Truman Capote – In Cold Blood

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Words related to execution:

To condemn
To capture
Conviction
Execution
Scaffold
Noose
Mischievous
To manacle
Death row
Capital punishment/death sentence
Chiseller

Find out more about Truman Capote

1. When and where was he born?

2. Who was his childhood’s friend?

3. What was his friend’s profession?

4. What was the name of his first novel?

5. Which book was turned into a famous film, starring Audrey Hepburn?

6. When and where did he die?

7. What did he die of?

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Watching – Listening

1. Who is Gerald Clarke?

2. Was Truman a tall man? Justify your answer.

3. What about his personality?

4. What influence did the book In Cold Blood have on him?

5. How did people feel about him when he first arrived in Kansas?

6. Who did he become very attached to? Why?

7. Why was their relationship ‘interesting’?

8. Describe Truman’s last encounter with Perry before he gets executed.

a. Do you think Perry is speaking the truth?

b. Is Truman speaking the truth?

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