Miss Mactaggart won`t Lie Down (110

3. “The pain of the penalty should outweigh only slightly the pleasure of success in crime”. (J. Bentham)

While taking part in the discussion use the following expressions:

As I see it...

I'd like to point out that...

I sometimes think that… Would you agree that…

Do you think it’s right to say that…?

I don't quite follow what you mean, I'm afraid. I don't quite see what you mean, I'm afraid.

I don't quite see what you are getting at. If you ask me…

Wouldn’t you say that… Don’t you agree that…

Episode 4. In the Court Pre-watching tasks

Task 1. Warming-up Activity

Discuss the following questions with your groupmates. Express your own point of view and be ready to react to your groupmate’s opinion.

1.Why do people usually call upon the court?

2.Why do people appear before the court?

3.Have you ever been to a court?

4.What is your understanding of the words and expressions listed below.

• Acquittal / Sentencing

• Apprehension

• Bringing charges

• Bringing in a verdict

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•Imprisonment

•Jury trial

•Police custody

•Questioning

Arrange the legal actions listed above into a logical chain. 5. What types of court do you know?

While speaking, use the expressions from Task 1, Episode3 and the following word combinations:

Agreeing

I quite agree here.

Naturally. Certainly. Sure. Exactly. Definitely. Quite. Most likely. Absolutely.

I couldn’t agree more. Beyond all doubt. That’s a good point.

Disagreeing

I’m afraid I don’t agree. I’m not so sure.

I really couldn’t agree with … I personally think…

I doubt it.

There’s something in this, but … Just the other way round.

Task 2. Match the following words and word combinations with their definitions:

1)predicament (n)

2)welfare (n)

3)trespass (n)

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4)research (n)

5)a nuclear submarine

6)to insist on (v)

7)to convict (v)

8)devious (adj)

9)to appeal (v)

10)to hinder (v)

11)to dismiss (a case, v)

12)authorities (n)

Definitions:

a) to stop a court case before a result is reached;

b) not going in the straightest way; not direct and not completely honest;

c) serious and detailed study of a subject, that is aimed at learning new facts, scientific laws, testing ideas etc.;

d) formally to ask a higher law court to change the decision of a lower court; e) to prove or declare that someone is guilty of a crime after a trial in a court; f) a difficult or unpleasant situation in which one does not know what to do or must make a difficult choice;

g) a ship which can stay under water and which is driven by power from a nuclear reactor;

h) to declare firmly, especially in the face of doubt or opposition;

i) a person or group with this power or right, especially in public affairs; j) health, comfort, happiness; well-being;

k) an act of entering privately owned property or land without permission;

l) to stop or delay the advance or development of (a person or activity); prevent or get in the way of; obstruct.

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Viewing tasks

Task 3. Watch the fourth part of the film and answer the following questions:

1.Where does the action take place?

2.What are the main characters of this episode?

3.Why has Miss MacTaggart gone before the court?

4.Whom has Miss MacTaggart decided to visit at the end of the episode?

Task 4. Watch the fourth episode of the film once again and fill in the missing phrases in the following dialogues:

In the Court.

(Miss MacTaggart, Judge)

J: Miss McTaggart, I want you to know that the benches have a certain degree of sympathy with you and your ________ , on the other hand your behavior is not helping in your case at all. Now, just, listen to the juries: willfully breaking a window in the local Police station, trotting in the woods round the Lawn Bray House, riding a bicycle on a wrong side of the road without ________ , disturbing the peace by playing the big pipes, if that’s the right word, in the public

________ in small hours of the morning, stealing a car and driving without a license.

MMct: It is not at all than, more than that. J: Yes go on.

MMct: Well, that was _______ in the grounds of the Atomic research establishment and the smoke bomb in the American ________ ________ and of course there was a tiara. It is a very long list.

J: Indeed you are becoming a small crime wave on your own?Now. When is it going to stop?

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MMct: Well it cannot stop until the law is changed. It is such a silly law. An old French law 300 years old.

J: Yes, I know about this. I must _______ you are going about things in quite the wrong way.

MMct: There is no other. You cannot convict a dead woman. You and I are both

_______ of violence of papers and treaties.

J: That is so. Please I suggest you about this in a less _______ way in putting your case. Why don’t you appeal to ________ ________ ?

MMct: I’m not very hopeful. I’ll try.

J: Meantime I can do nothing to either help or hinder you. Case dismissed.

In her room at home

MMct: That’s the Law Travesty in Edinburg, pretty he is a very understanding man, and of course the Minister for Scottish Affairs, the _______ _______ and the Prime Minister and failing these I just have to go and see the Queen.

Voice: I am sorry Miss McTaggart but nothing can be done!!! (3 times)

After Viewing Tasks

Task 5. Match the word or the word combination to its synonym.

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Task 6. Think of antonyms to the following words.

a)straightforward (adj)

b)to acquit (v)

c)to help (v)

d)unsympathetic (adj)

e)private (adj)

f)to bring an action against smb.

Task 7. Word check: word formation. Noun or verb? These words from the 4th episode can be verbs or nouns. Decide how they were used in the film.

Appeal, trespass, research, convict, change

Task 8. Fill in the gaps with the suitable verbs from the list below and you are to put them in the correct form. Some verbs can be used more than once and as nouns.

To steal, to disturb, to trespass, to insist, to convict, to suggest, to appeal, to hinder, to dismiss, to change, to break

1)People were rather ________ by the way the government tried to cover up the truth.

2)The Court of Appeal has ruled that Lambeth council, south London, was

________ of discrimination when it advertised for Afro-Caribbean or Asian people to fill two senior housing posts.

Delivering judgment yesterday, Lord Justice Balcombe said Lambeth had recognized the posts required knowledge of the special problems of ethnic minorities, but the council’s Guardian advertisements, in 1987 and 1988, clearly ________

the law.

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3)In June Lady Isabel Barnett, a well-known TV personality was ________ of

________ a tin of tuna fish and a carton of cream, total value 87p, from a small shop.

4)Defenders of the death penalty ________ that because none of the laws of capital punishment causes sexist, racist, or class bias in its use, these kinds of discrimination are not sufficient reason for abolishing the death penalty.

Opponents have replied that the death penalty can be the result of a mistake in practice, and this ________ the fair administration of justice to a large extent.

5)Depending upon the type of case and the amount of money involved, if a defendant feels the court decision was unjust, he or she can ________ the judgment of the court.

6)Simply entering land without the owner’s permission is not a crime in English law. It is, however, the tort of ________ . In order to prevent ________ or to get compensation for any inconvenience caused, the occupier will have to start a civil action in tort.

7)Many people ________ that a contract is a written agreement between people stating the exact details of promises they have made to each other.

8)In Britain some people argue that the government has too much freedom and that it is easy to ________ the constitution since all that is needed is a new statute or even a ________ in traditional procedure.

10)The judge ________ all the charges against Smith, saying “Case ________ !”

Task 9. Fill in the gaps in the following text with the job titles listed below. Some of them can be used more than once.

Courtroom Personnel

In addition to the lawyers and ________ , three other people will play an important role in the trial. ________, who sits close to the witnesses and

________, puts down every word that is spoken during the trial and also may record the proceedings on tape. ________, who sits right below the judge, keeps

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track of all documents and exhibits and notes down important events in the trial.

________ helps to keep the trial running smoothly. ________ is in the custody of ________, who sees to the jurors comfort and convenience and helps them if they are having any problems related to ________ service.

Job titles: the court reporter, the judge, the clerk, the jury, the bailiff

Task 10. Fill in the gaps with the prepositions. Some of these can be used more than once.

before, in, to, of, with, from

1.He is being kept ________ custody.

2.He was sentenced ________ five years.

3.She got a sentence ________ six months.

4.He was accused ________ murder.

5.She has been charged ________ theft.

6.He appeared ________ court ________ handcuffs.

7.They were brought ________ the judge.

8.What is your attitude ________ the problem of crime prevention?

9.All the sympathies of the jury were ________ the defendant.

10.Finally the criminal was convicted ________ a violent assault.

11.The detective took pains to extract information ________ the eye-witness.

12.After a long questioning the suspect had to confess ________ committing a robbery.

Task 11. Match the words on the left to the words on the right to form collo-

cations. Then choose any three and make sentences of your own.

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Task 12. Discuss the following questions with your groupmates.

1)What offences was Miss Mactaggart convicted of?

2)Why did she commit those crimes?

3)What was the judge’s verdict? Was justice done?

4)If you were the judge, would you give a different sentence?

5)How would you feel if you were Miss MacTaggart? What would you do?

6)Describe the order of events during the trial.

Task 13. Think of 5-7 questions on the episode “In the Court”, using new words and expressions in each question. Ask your fellow students to reply them.

Task 14. What do these people do in the court:

A judge, a prosecutor, a witness, a defendant, a juror

Task 15. How did Miss MacTaggart behave during the trial? Did she try to justify herself? Did she achieve her aim? Why did the judge decide to dismiss the case?

Task 16. Role-play the Miss MacTaggart trial using new words and expressions.

Step 1. Write down the speeches for the opening and closing statements.

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Step 2. Act out a conversation between Miss Mactaggart and the judge.

Use expressions from Task 14 Episode 3 and the following expressions:

Task 17. Summarize the main events of this episode tell your groupmates about them.

While speaking, use the expressions from Task 12 Episode 1 and the following expressions:

I would like to start with… First of all…

In my opinion / view… In addition…

On top of that…

Something else I’d like to say is… Talking of …

Besides…

Not to mention the fact that… All things considered …

In conclusion…

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