0% found this document useful (0 votes)
78 views24 pages

Suport Limba Engleza - Id - Sem I - 2021 - 211103 - 100933

The document provides information about working as a lawyer in England. It discusses the differences between barristers and solicitors, and their roles. Barristers specialize in advocacy in court, while solicitors usually work in law firms and represent clients both in and out of court. The document also covers starting a claim in civil court, including definitions of terms like claimant, defendant, and small claims procedures.

Uploaded by

levelboy
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
0% found this document useful (0 votes)
78 views24 pages

Suport Limba Engleza - Id - Sem I - 2021 - 211103 - 100933

The document provides information about working as a lawyer in England. It discusses the differences between barristers and solicitors, and their roles. Barristers specialize in advocacy in court, while solicitors usually work in law firms and represent clients both in and out of court. The document also covers starting a claim in civil court, including definitions of terms like claimant, defendant, and small claims procedures.

Uploaded by

levelboy
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 24

SUPORT CURS LIMBA ENGLEZA – UNIVERSITATEA HYPERION –

FACULTATEA DE DREPT – ANUL I –ID – SEMESTRUL I – LECTOR UNIV


DR. SORINA GEORGESCU

Aceste doua unitaţi sunt un extras din manualul The Lawyer’s English Language
Coursebook (Catherine Mason – 2016)

I. THE LEGAL PROFESSION

II. THE LANGUAGE OF BANKING

****************************************************************************

I. THE LEGAL PROFESSION

*WORKING IN LAW

Exercise 1
Read this text about working in law. The most important words are in the key vocabulary below.
Decide if the statements on the next page are true or false.

Key vocabulary

lawyer practise barristers law firm


attorney judge training contract acting for
qualified legal practice partnership represent
litigation advocacy pleading a case specialise
right of audience appear solicitors clients

There are two types of lawyers who practise in England. They are called barristers and
solicitors. In the USA and most other countries, lawyers don’t make this distinction – a lawyer is
simply known as an attorney-at-law, or an attorney.
In both England and the USA, it is not possible to take a special exam to be a judge. If you
decide that you want to be a judge, you must get a lot of experience as a lawyer first, then apply
to be a judge and wait to see if you are chosen.
Most law students in England become solicitors. When they finish their university studies they
do a one-year legal practice course and then a two-year training contract with a law firm. After
that, they are qualified solicitors. Many solicitors work for a legal practice, which is usually a
1
partnership of solicitors who work together. Solicitors practise in many areas of law, although
each solicitor usually chooses to specialise in one particular area. They represent their clients
both in and out of court. We often describe this as acting for a client. The process of making a
claim in the civil court is called litigation.
Barristers are usually self-employed lawyers but can work in partnerships in the way that
solicitors do. They are specialists in advocacy, which is the skill of speaking for someone in
court. We call this pleading a case. They also give opinions on areas of law to solicitors and the
solicitors’ clients. It is not just barristers who have the right of audience in court. Solicitors are
also allowed to represent their clients in court and many solicitors appear in court every day. It
is not true to say that a client always needs a barrister in court.

a. There are two types of lawyers practising in England. True False


b. Last year I finished my training contract and I started working for a large international law
firm. I am now a qualified solicitor. True False
c. Only barristers can speak on behalf of clients in court. True g False
d. Both solicitors and barristers can work together in partnerships. True g False
e. In the USA and England lawyers can take a special exam to be a judge. True g False

*MAKING A CLAIM IN THE CIVIL COURT

In the English and American legal systems we divide the law into two main areas. These are
criminal law and civil law. This means that everything that is not a criminal matter is a civil
matter.

Exercise 1
Look at these situations and decide if the person needs a criminal lawyer or a civil lawyer. In
other words, is it a criminal matter or a civil matter?

a. Mr Bellerby is opening a new factory. He needs to visit a lawyer to get a contract for all of his
employees to sign.
criminal civil

b. Mrs Robson is thinking about what she wants to happen to her house and possessions after her
death. She needs to visit a lawyer to get the correct document, which is called a ‘will’.
criminal civil

c. The police are taking Mr Dean to the police station because they say he stole a car. He needs a
lawyer to come and visit him there to tell him what to do.
criminal civil

2
d. Mr Flynn owns a restaurant. He has a contract with a company to deliver fruit and vegetables
to his restaurant. The company didn’t deliver them on the agreed date, so Mr Flynn lost money
because he could not open his restaurant that day. Mr Flynn needs to see a lawyer about asking
the delivery company to give him the money he lost.
criminal civil

e. Mr Allen is a bank manager. The bank is saying that some money is missing. Mr Allen has a
new car and expensive clothes. The police are coming to ask Mr Allen some questions. He needs
a lawyer immediately.
criminal civil

Help desk
What do these words mean?

criminal law – the law that punishes acts against a person or against property that people
consider to be harmful to the whole community. The state prosecutes criminals.

civil law – the law concerning the rights and duties of private individuals and companies other
than criminal matters.

a matter – a subject or situation, e.g. a criminal matter, a civil matter.

a will – a legal document in which a person gives details of what they want to happen to their
property after their death.

to steal (stole) – to take something that belongs to someone else with the intention of keeping it.

Exercise 2
Read the information below. It is about starting a claim in the civil court. Decide if the
statements that follow are true or false.

Starting a claim in the civil court


When you are in dispute with another person sometimes it is necessary to start a claim in the
civil court. We sometimes call this process ‘filing a claim’ or ‘issuing a claim’. Lawyers also say
‘starting proceedings’. We do not use the verb ‘to prosecute’ in civil law because that verb is
only used in criminal law. In England most civil claims are filed in the County Court. There are
over 200 County Courts in England and Wales. Most cities and large towns have a County Court.

3
The person who starts the claim is called the claimant in the UK. This person was called the
plaintiff until 1999, when there were new court rules in England to make everything easier for
people to understand. However, in the USA the claimant is still called the plaintiff. In both
England and the USA the other party is called the defendant.

A claim form is the document that a claimant uses to start legal action against the defendant.

Why might a claimant start a claim? There are a lot of reasons, for example:

*someone refuses to pay you money that they owe to you


*someone does a job for you, but they do it badly. We call this bad workmanship.
*something that you paid for is not supplied to you
*something that you bought is not working properly

The claimant has to pay a sum of money, called a court fee, for the court to issue proceedings. In
the claim form, the claimant must state the amount of his or her claim and request the defendant
to pay all of the legal costs of the case.

Sometimes people talk about ‘the small claims court’. They really mean the special procedure
that exists at the County Court for small claims. A small claim is a claim for less than £5000.
This amount will probably increase in the future.

a. Starting a claim means the same as starting proceedings. True False


b. You can ‘prosecute’ someone in the civil court. True False
c. There are more than 200 County Courts in England and Wales. True False
d. The word ‘plaintiff’ is not used in England any more but it is used in the USA.
True False
e. It is free to start a claim in the County Court. True False
f. There is a special court in a separate building for making small claims. True False

Help desk
What do these words mean?

to be in dispute – to have a serious disagreement with another person.


a party to a court case – the claimant or the defendant.
to owe money to someone – to have to pay someone for something that they have done for you
or given to you.
legal costs – the court fees and payment for the lawyers who are acting for the parties.
a procedure – a decided way of doing something.
to prosecute – to take legal action against someone in the criminal court.

4
Exercise 3
Here are some important expressions which lawyers use when they talk about starting a claim in
the civil court. Complete the sentences by matching the first half of each sentence with the
correct ending.

To issue a claim means to… …confirm that you have received the claim
and to say what you will do next. (1)
a. To pay a fee means to… …start a claim in the civil court.
b. To serve a claim upon someone means to… …listen to the details of the claim and listen to
what the claimant and the defendant say about
their dispute. (2)
c. To respond to a claim means to… …pay the court an amount of money for
issuing the claim. (3)
d. To hear a case means to… …can legally take a person’s property when
that person does not pay money that he or she
owes. (4)
e. To find in favour of someone means to… …officially announce the result of the case.
The judge may give the reasons for the
decision. (5)
f. To give a judgment means to… …send the claim to the defendant’s address
and make sure that he or she receives it. (6)
g. To make an order means to… …decide that this person has won the case. (7)
h. A bailiff is a person who… …officially state what someone has to do, and
how and when he or she must do it. (8)

*AREAS OF LAW

Exercise 1
In England and the USA there is an area of law called ‘the law of tort’. It is the law of civil
responsibility. It is an area of civil law. Read this text about the law of tort. The most important
words are in the key vocabulary below. Answer the questions that follow using a full sentence.

Key vocabulary

law of tort carelessness tort damages


duty of care committed to sue grounds
allegations negligence no win no fee breach

5
The law of tort says that everyone has a civil duty to be careful and not to hurt or harm another
person. Lawyers call this civil duty ‘the duty of care’. Sometimes people breach this duty of
care. To breach means to break. Very often they breach the duty of care by accident but
sometimes they do it deliberately. If someone hurts or harms another person because of a breach,
we call this harmful action a tort. This means that some things that might be criminal in your
legal system are a tort in England and the USA.

Look at the list of harmful actions below. In England and the USA they are usually torts.

*Leaving the floor of a shop in a dangerous condition so that a customer falls and hurts her leg.
*Saying something that is bad about someone, which isn’t true.
*Writing a negative story in a newspaper about someone, which isn’t true.
*Playing loud music late every night, which disturbs your neighbours.

This area of law is easier to understand by thinking of a tort as being a type of civil wrong. Each
of the torts listed above has a special name. The tort that happens most often is called
negligence.
Negligence is when someone is not careful enough and this person’s carelessness hurts another
person as a result. The person who is hurt is called the injured person.
When someone hurts you as a result of his or her actions, you need to consult a lawyer who
specialises in the right area of tort. The lawyer will try to get you money from the careless
person. This money is called ‘compensation’ or, more correctly, ‘damages’. Sometimes the
lawyers can’t agree on the amount of damages. When this happens, the injured person may
decide to sue the person who has hurt them. Suing someone is a more informal way of saying
starting proceedings against someone in a civil court. The claim form will state the claimant’s
allegations against the defendant. An allegation is like an accusation. The claimant is stating that
something happened, but the defendant has the opportunity to say that this is not true. The
reasons for going to court are called ‘the grounds’. The grounds for an action in tort are that the
defendant committed a tort.
Sometimes a lawyer who specialises in the tort of negligence makes an agreement with a client.
The agreement is that if the client does not win the case then he or she does not have to pay for
the lawyer’s services. This is called a ‘no win no fee’ arrangement. It is allowed in the UK and
the USA.

Example question: What is the duty of care?


Example answer: The duty of care is the obligation to be careful and not to hurt anyone.

a. How do lawyers say to ‘break’ a duty of care?


Answer:
______________________________________________________________________________

6
b. In England and the USA, is the law of tort an area of criminal or civil law?
Answer:
______________________________________________________________________________

c. There are different types of tort. In general, what is a tort?


Answer:
______________________________________________________________________________
d. What is the name of the tort that a person commits because he or she is careless and hurts
someone else as a result of this carelessness?
Answer:
______________________________________________________________________________

e. What does suing mean?


Answer:

f. What is the correct name for the money that an injured person gets from the defendant in a
successful action in tort?
Answer:
________________________________________________________________________________
g. What is the correct name for an arrangement where a client does not have to pay his or her
lawyer if the client loses his or her action in tort?
Answer:
________________________________________________________________________________

Exercise 2
Put a word from the key vocabulary in Exercise 1 into the following sentences.

a. I am ______________ the owner of the shop because there was water on the floor and I fell
and hurt my back.
b. I am a lawyer who specialises in the tort of ______________. People are just not careful
enough! At the moment I am acting for the injured person in more than 20 different cases.
c. The machines in the clothing factory were old and dangerous and one of the employees injured
his hand. The employee sued the factory owners and got £5000 in ______________.
d. In your claim form you accuse us of breaching our duty of care. We do not accept that your
______________ are true and we will defend your claim in court.
e. Do you have a good reason for suing the owner of the hotel? What exactly are your
____________ for starting legal action?

7
Help desk
What do these words mean?

to deal with someone or something – to do a divorce = the legal ending of a marriage


business with someone or to take the correct
action in an area of work
legal = allowed by the law to merge = (in company law) when two
companies join together to form one
valid = legally correct and acceptable to be based somewhere = to be established
somewhere as the main place where you work
or live
to draft a document = to write a document goods = things that are produced so that they
can be sold
to have a right = (in intellectual property law) fund = an amount of money that a person or
to have a legal interest in something; it is yours organization keeps to pay for something in
particular

Exercise 3
Choose a word of phrase from the box to complete the sentences:

drafting criminal law goods the law of tort


the law of equity and trusts valid intellectual property law
family law based in merged

a. A lawyer who deals with clients who are in trouble with the police is a specialist in
………………………………..
b. Last year my bank ……………………….with a big German bank and they are now called
EuropBank. I think they are the biggest bank in Europe now!
c. A lawyer who deals with clients who create new inventions such as medicines, machines or
new artistic works such as books or music, is a specialist in …………………………..
d. I spent three hours this morning ………………………a contract for my new client. I think the
contract is ready for him to read and sign now.
e. I want to put some of my money into a fund for the benefit of my grandchildren, which they
will have when they reach the age of 18. I need to see a lawyer who is a specialist
in…………………………
f. Well, I am from London but I am …………………..Amsterdam at the moment because I am
working for a Dutch company.
g. A lawyer who deals with clients who are divorcing or who have problems over the care of
their children is a specialist in ………………………..
h. The company delivers ……………………..all over the United States by rail and by track.

8
i. A lawyer who deals with people who breach their civil duty of care is a specialist in
……………………………
j. The contract is not ………………………….because your client has not signed it.

Exercise 4
Look at the words and phrases in the box. All of the words are connected with specific areas of
law. Put the words into the correct sentence to complete the definitions:

unfair dismissal landlord capital redundancy


lease of land and buildings maternity leave sick pay partnership
formation of a business discriminate insolvent merger
tenant conveyancing real estate

a. To be ________________________ means not having enough money to pay your debts.


b. A ________________________ is the joining together of two or more things, such as
companies, to form one single thing or company.
c. A ________________________ is a person who pays rent to the owner of a house, a flat or an
office in return for living there, or for using the building for business purposes.
d. ________________________ is the legal process involved in transferring the ownership of a
house or land from the seller to the buyer.
e. To ________________________ against someone means to behave differently towards that
person, usually in the workplace, because of their age, sex or the color of their skin.
f. ________________________ is a situation where someone loses his or her job for a reason
that is not valid.
g. ________________________ is money that an employer must pay to an employee when that
employee is ill and cannot work.
h. A ________________________ is an agreement to allow someone to use land or buildings for
a fixed period of time in return for a payment of rent.
i. The ________________________ is the establishment of a new business in a specific way.
j. A ________________________ is a business which a minimum of two people own and
control.
k. ________________________ is the time period when a woman is not at work before and after
the birth of her baby. Her employer usually pays her for part or all of the time that she is away.
l. ________________________ is the total amount of money, property and other assets that a
business has.
m. ________________________ is a situation where someone loses his or her job because an
employer no longer needs so many employees.
n. A ________________________ is a person who owns a house, a flat or office and receives
rent from someone for allowing them to live there, or use the building for business purposes.

9
o. ________________________ is a more formal way of saying land and business.

Help desk
What do these words mean?

ownership = to have ownership of a property rent = the money that someone pays, usually
means that the property belongs to you. You every month, to use a flat, a house or an office
are the owner of the property. that belongs to someone else
assets = things that a person or company owns fixed = something that is fixed is certain and
cannot be changed
debts = sums of money that you owe

Exercise 5
All the words and phrases in Exercise 4 belong to either employment law, business law or land
law. Put each word or phrase under the correct area of law.
Employment law Business law Land law
………………………………. ………………………………. ……………………………….
………………………………. ………………………………. ……………………………….
………………………………. ………………………………. ……………………………….
………………………………. ………………………………. ……………………………….
………………………………. ………………………………. ……………………………….

Exercise 6
Complete the following sentences by using the words from the employment law section.

a. My baby will arrive at the end of March so I will take six month’
________________________
starting in 1 March.
b. He sued his employer on the grounds of ________________________ because the reason his
employer gave for firing him was not valid.
c. If you are ill and not able to work you should look at your contract to see if you can get
________________________
d. It is against the law in England for an employer to ________________________ against an
employee because of his or her age.
e. Many employees are worried about ________________________ because a lot of businesses
are closing in this area at the moment.

10
Exercise 7
Complete the following sentences by using the words from the business law section.

a. The ________________________ is the formal way of saying the way in which a new
business is created.
b. The total ________________________ of the business is valued at approximately £32 million.
c.The business does not have enough money to pay its debts and is ________________________
d. There will be a ________________________ next year between two major British chemical
companies.
e. My friend and I want to start a cleaning business together and we decided that the best thing to
do is to create a ________________________.

Exercise 8
Complete the following sentences by using the words from the land law section.

a. He is a very good ________________________. He always pays the rent on time!


b. My sister works in the property department of her law firm. She acts for people who are
buying and selling houses. She is a specialist in ________________________.
c. We don’t own our house; we rent it. The ________________________ ends in three months
so we will have to find somewhere else to live.
d. He is the ________________________ of five houses in this area. He makes a lot of money
every month from the rent.
e. The price of ________________________ in this part of the country increased a lot last year.
It is very expensive to buy a house.

VOCABULARY CHECK
act for land law
advocacy landlord
allegation law firm
appear the law of contract
attorney the law of equity and trusts
the law of tort
lawyer
lease
legal
legal costs
legal practice
litigation
bailiff maternity leave

11
barrister matter
to be based somewhere merge
breach
capital negligence
carelessness no win no fee
case
civil law
claimant
client
company law
conveyancing
criminal law
damages obligation
deal with owe
debt to have ownership
defendant
discriminate
dispute
divorce
draft
duty of care
employment law partnership
party
plaintiff
plead a case
practice
procedure
proceedings
family law to be qualified
formation of a business
goods real estate
grounds redundancy
represent
respond
to have a right
right of audience
harm serve
hear sick pay
solicitor
specialize

12
sue
immigration law tenant
insolvent tort
intellectual property law training contract
issue
judgment unfair dismissal
valid
will

II. THE LANGUAGE OF BANKING

*A NEW BANK ACCOUNT

Exercise 1
Look at this advertisement. It is for a bank that would like to find new customers. Look at the
words that are highlighted in the advertisement.

Key features and benefits of our

GOLD ACCOUNT

For all eligible applicants

Free everyday banking on your GOLD current account. Pay no charges in England to issue
cheques, to withdraw cash using the ATM network, to make automated payments or to receive a
monthly statement

Free Telephone Banking

Quick and straightforward system to deposit cash and cheques – no queueing necessary.

13
No arrangement fee on an overdraft up to £5000 (subject to status).

Chip and PIN technology for your safety.

Exercise 1
Here are the definitions of the words in Exercise 1. Put the correct word into each sentence to
complete the definition.

eligible charges withdraw deposit


balance fee current issue
statement transfer bill overdraft

a. Your …………………………is the amount of money that you have got in your bank account.
b. To ……………………………money means to put it into a bank account.
c. A …………………………….account is a bank account that you can use at any time. It is
called a checking account in the USA.
d. If you ………………………..a cheque it means you give a cheque to someone and you
validate it by signing it.
e. An ……………………………. is the amount of money you can take out of the bank even
though your account does not have that much money in it.
f. A ……………………………… is a demand for payment for goods or services you have
received.
g. A …………………………………is a payment that you have to make to a professional person
to do something for you.
h. To …………………………… money means to take money out of a bank account.
i. If you ………………………….cash you move it electronically from one bank account to
another.
j. If you are ………………………..for something it means that you are the right kind of person
to have something, for example, because you are the right age or you have enough money.
k. Bank ……………………….are payments that you have to make to the bank for using your
bank account.
l. A bank …………………… is a document that your bank sends to you. It tells you when you
deposited money, when you withdrew money and how much you have in the account at that
moment.

14
Help desk
What do these words mean?

an applicant – a person who wants to ask for straightforward – simple and easy to
something like a job or a bank account understand
an ATM machine/ the ATM network – the subject to status – depending on your age or
machines that give money to bank customers how much money you have, for example.
(Automated Telling Machines). In the UK an
ATM is called a cashpoint.
an automated payment – a payment that your chip and PIN – the system of security for
bank will make every week or every month using cards which contain a microchip. You
without needing your permission to do it each have to put your card into a machine and then
time enter your secret Personal Identification
Number (PIN).
to validate something – to make something
legally acceptable

Exercise 2
Alison Goldsmith wants to open an account with the bank. Here is part of a conversation she has
on the telephone with one of the bank’s employees. Put the conversation in the correct order.
There is an example which is the start of the conversation

a. I might be interested in that. What benefits does the GOLD account have?
b. Hi. My name is Alison Goldsmith and I’m interested in opening a current account.
c. Well, you can check your balance online 24 hours a day. And it has free telephone banking.
Another good thing is you will pay no charges to issue cheques or withdraw cash.
d. Hello, Royal Chatsworth Bank. Carla speaking, how may I help you?
e. That sounds very good. I’m busy, so it would be very handy to be able to do my banking on
the Internet. I don’t issue many cheques these days but I withdraw cash almost every day so
doing that for free will save me quite a lot in bank charges.
f. Certainly madam. We have a few different types of current account. Shall I give you some
details about our GOLD account? And then we can check to see if you are eligible for it.
g. Ok Ms Goldsmith. I need to ask you some questions. It won’t take long.

15
Exercise 3
Jumbled words. Look at the definitions below. The letters of the words that belong with each
definition are mixed up. Put the letters in the correct order to spell the words. The first letter of
each word is there for you.

Example: An amount of money paid into a bank account. CREDIT (DRICET)

a. An amount of money that goes out of a bank account. D…………………(TEBDI)


b. A word for all the money that you receive from your salary or from other things. It could be
every month of every year. I…………………..(MIENOC)
c. A word for all of the money you spend. O……………………….. (GSONGUIOT)
d. A verb which means that you give something (often money) to someone else for a period of
time. They must give it back to you. L………………………(DELN)
e. A verb which means that you take something (often money) from someone else for a period of
time. You must give it back to them. B …………………….. (ROBWOR)
f. To have to pay some money to someone else. O …………………… (WOE)
g. A general word for money which you owe to someone else. D ………………(BETD)
h. The color we say your bank account is in if you spend more money from your account than
you have in it. R ………………….(EDR)
i. The colour we say your bank account is in if it has some money in it. B ……………(CLKBA)

Exercise 4
Put the correct word from Exercise 4 into these sentences.

a. I have an overdraft facility of £200 on my bank account. It means I can go £200 into the
…………………….
b. My account shows two ………………………….for yesterday. One is for a pair of shoes that I
bought when I was shopping in London and the other one is for paying for a repair to my car. A
total of £445 went out of my account.
c. I need to ………………………..some money because I want to buy a new computer and I
don’t have enough money of my own.
d. I will ask the bank to ………………..me £2000 so I can buy that computer.
e. I have …………………….which add up to £500, because I have to pay back £200 to my
parents and £300 to the bank.
f. I …………………..£500 in total, £200 to my parents and £300 to the bank.
g. I receive a salary of £975 each month, I also teach a French evening class twice a week, for
£20 every class. My total monthly……………….is £1135.
h. There are just two ………………..showing on my bank statements. One is my salary and the
other is some money that my mum paid into my account for my birthday.
i. I did some extra work last month and yesterday they paid me for it. My bank account is finally
in the …………………..I’m very pleased that I don’t have an overdraft any more.
16
j. To own a car is very expensive as you have to pay for petrol, insurance and road tax. I am
trying to reduce my total …………………so I decided to sell my car.

Exercise 5
Alison Goldsmith opened an account yesterday with the Royal Chatsworth Bank. This morning
she received this letter from the bank. Read the letter and decide which is the correct preposition
from the two possibilities. Write your answers in the spaces below.

Dear Ms Goldsmith

Your GOLD ACCOUNT with The Royal Chatsworth Bank

Thank you for opening an account with/in the Royal Chatsworth Bank. Your GOLD account
number is 0008786598. You will receive a debit card and a PIN number (a) at/within the next
three days. You can change this PIN number (b) from/at any ATM machine.

As a GOLD account customer you are eligible (c) for/to a wide range of services. These include:

*Call into your local branch (address above) for free and friendly advice 9am-5pm Monday to
Friday

*Larger branches open Saturday mornings (see website for details)


*Check and print off your balance (d) to/at any of our ATMs
*View and print off your current statement online
*Make bank transfers online
*Order foreign currency (e) from/for any branch.
*Very competitive overdrafts and loans with low interest
We hope you will be very happy (f) for/with your new GOLD account. If you have any
complaints or suggestions about how we can improve our service to you please call into your
branch and telephone us.

Exercise 7
After Alison read the letter she had the following questions. Match each question with the bank’s
answers.

a) It is an amount of money that you owe to the *What is an account number?


bank because you withdraw more from your
current account than you have in it.
b) It is a card that allows you to withdraw cash (1) What is a branch of a bank?
from your current account or pay for goods or

17
services electronically by taking money out of
your current account.
c) It is an amount of money that you borrow (2) What is foreign currency?
from the bank for an agreed period of time.
d) It means to move money electronically from (3) What is an ATM machine?
one bank account into another bank account.
e) It is a personal number that identifies your (4) What is a debit card?
bank account. No one else has the same
number
f) Each country has its own. It is the money in (5) What is an overdraft?
coins and notes that people use in that country
g) It means to look at how much money you (6) What is a loan?
have in your bank account and receive a piece
of paper showing that amount. You can do this
at the bank’s ATM machines.
h) It is a local office or bureau of your bank. (7) What does ‘print off your balance’ mean?
i) It is a machine that is often outside a bank. It (8) What does ‘make bank transfers’ mean?
will give you money from your current account
if you put in your debit card and then enter
your PIN number.
j) It is the amount of money that a bank (9) What is interest?
charges you for a loan or overdraft. We also
pay this to you on any money you save at our
bank.
k) It is your personal identification number. (10) What is a PIN number?
This allows you to use your debit card at any
ATM, or to pay for things with your debit card.
You must never tell anyone else this number.

*WORKING IN A BANK

Read the following text about working in a bank. The most important words are in the key
vocabulary below. Then complete the exercises that follow.

Key Vocabulary

*account manager *interest rates *defaulted on loans


*business account *credit card *identity theft
*savings account *credit history *receipts

18
My name is Michael Rose and I am an account manager for the Royal Chatsworth Bank. This
means that I am not the general manager of the bank but that I have responsibility for looking
after the bank accounts of certain customers.
We like to have new customers at the bank. New customers make money for the bank. When
people have a current account with us we can then offer them other things from our range of
services.
We can offer them other bank accounts, for example. If customers have a business we can open a
business account for them. Or, if they want to save money for the future or for their children, we
can offer them a savings account. We offer good interest rates on all our savings accounts. For
example, the interest rate on our SmartSave account is 4.3%. This means for every £100 that
someone saves we pay interest of £4*30 each year.
The bank also offers a credit card to customers who are eligible. A credit card allows people to
buy things and pay for them later. It doesn’t take their money out of their bank account
immediately in the same way as a debit card. This means that we have to be very careful before
we issue a credit card to someone. People can create big debts quite quickly! One of the things
we do is to check a customer’s credit history. If they have a good history of paying for things on
time we are happy to give them a credit card. If they defaulted on loans or credit agreements or
in the past then we will refuse them a credit card. If someone defaults on a loan it means that
they don’t pay the money back and the bank might have to go to court to try to get its money.
One of the biggest problems we have with credit and debit cards these days is identity theft.
Have you heard about it? If someone has your address and your credit card or debit card details
they can use your money to buy things or even to take money out of your account. We have to
tell all of our new customers to be careful. In fact, we give our new business customers a free
shredder when they open their account. A shredder is a machine that cuts documents into tiny
pieces so that no one can read them. We recommend that all of our customers destroy or shred
old bank statements and credit card receipts rather than throw them away. A credit card receipt
is the piece of paper that proves that you have paid for something with your card. It is very
dangerous to lose it or throw it away because it might fall into the wrong hands.

Exercise 1
Answer the following questions using a full sentence.

Example question: What is Michael Rose’s job?


Example answer: Michael Rose is an account manager for the Royal Chatsworth Bank.

a. Why does the bank like to have new customers?


Answer: ……………………………………………….
b. What can the bank do for customers who have a business?
Answer: ……………………………………………….
c. What interest rate does the bank offer on its SmartSave account?
19
Answer: ……………………………………………….
d. When does a debit card take money out of someone’s account?
Answer: ……………………………………………….
e. What does to default on a loan mean?
Answer: ……………………………………………….
f. If a stranger has your address and your credit card details what can they do?
Answer: ……………………………………………….

Exercise 2
Decide if these statements are true or false.

a. Michael Rose is responsible for the accounts of all the bank’s customers. True False
b. Every customer of the bank is offered a credit card. True False
c. People who have a bad record of paying back their debts won’t be allowed to have a credit
card from this bank. True False
d. The bank offers to shred old bank statements for its customers. True False
e. A receipt is the same thing as a bill. True False

*LOANS

Exercise 1
The application. Alison Goldsmith decides to take out a loan. She has to give the following
information on the application form. Read the information in the box and answer the questions.

Alison Goldsmith is 28 years old. She is single. She is a photographer. She moved to Chatsworth
six months ago. She bought a house. She bought 22 Bluebell Crescent, Chatsworth. She would
like to take out a loan. She would like to borrow £5000 from the Royal Chatsworth Bank. She
wants to apply for the loan by posting her application to the bank because her home computer is
broken at the moment so she can’t do it online. She knows that the loan agreement requires her
to give the bank a guarantee that they will have their money back. The guarantee is her house.
Alison wants to pay the money back in equal monthly parts.

a. What is the name of the borrower? ……………………………………………..


b. What is the name of the lender? ……………………………………………..
c. What security is the borrower giving the lender? ………………………………………………
d. What is the address of the property offered …………………………………………….
as security?
e. What is the marital status of the borrower? …………………………………………….
f. What sum of money does the borrower wish ……………………………………………..

20
to have?
g. Does the borrower wish to email her application …………………………………………….
to the bank?
h. Does the borrower wish to pay the loan back in ………………………………………………
a single payment or does she want to pay by
instalments?

Exercise 2
The decision. The bank must look at Alison’s loan application and decide whether to lend her the
money that she wants. Read the information in the box and answer the questions.

The Royal Chatsworth Bank looked at Alison’s loan application yesterday. They looked at them
information she gave to them and they had to decide if she is a good customer and that it is safe
to lend money to her. To do this they had to check her credit history. Alison gave the bank
permission to look at her credit history when she completed her application form. The
information Alison gave to the bank is confidential. The bank promised not to tell anyone her
personal details, for example, her address or her income.
The bank said ‘yes’ to Alison’s loan application. She received a letter from the bank this
morning to tell her this, together with a loan agreement. The loan is for 36 months. The letter
tells Alison that she must sign and return the loan agreement and then they will put the money
into her current account. She cannot change her mind after the money is in her account.

a. When did the bank process Alison’s loan application? ……………………………………


b. When did Alison authorize the bank to check her ……………………………………
credit history?
c. What did the bank promise not to disclose to anyone? …………………………………
d. Did the bank approve Alison’s loan or refuse it? ………………………………………
e. How did the bank notify Alison about their decision? ……………………………………
f. What did the bank enclose with their letter? ……………………………………....
g. How long does Alison have to repay the loan? ………………………………………
h. Can Alison cancel the loan after the bank credits the ……………………………………
money to her account?

Exercise 3
Complete the following sentences with the correct preposition.

a. I want to buy a new car, but I don’t have enough money, I need to borrow £3000
…………….the bank.
b. I need to apply ………………….a loan of £2000.

21
c. I am very pleased as the bank agreed to lend £1000 …………..me so that I can buy a
computer.
d. It’s the end of the month and I only have £12.36 ………………my account. I’m glad it’s pay
day tomorrow.

Problems in paying back a loan. There are two very important words connected with repayment
problems. These are:

*arrears (noun)

Arrears means money that someone owes to someone and they promised to pay it back by a
certain date but didn’t. For example, in January, Harry took out a loan and agreed to pay it back
in monthly instalments. Each instalment must be paid on the first day of every month. Each
instalment is £100. If Harry doesn’t pay on 1 February he has arrears of £100. If he doesn’t pay
again on 1 March, he has arrears of £200.
How are arrears different from debt?
Debt is not necessarily a bad thing. Most people have debt. Arrears are always a bad thing. It
means you are not paying back your debt on the agreed date.

*to accrue (verb)

Accrue means to grow or accumulate. We use the word accrue to talk about accumulating
interest. In our example, if Harry did not pay his monthly instalments in February or March he
now has arrears of £200. For example, interest is accruing on the arrears at a rate of 15%.

Exercise 4
Put the correct word from the box below into the following sentences. You can use each word
more than once.

*arrears *accrue *accruing *debt

a. I owe money on two credit cards. I have a loan and I have an overdraft. I have a lot of
……………………….. but I always make all of my payments on time.
b. I couldn’t make the repayment on my car purchase agreement last month as I didn’t have
enough money. The car company sent me a letter yesterday to say that my account is £147 in
……………………..
c. If your loan account falls into ……………………..the bank will write a letter to you and ask
you to make the missing payment immediately.
d. If you don’t make a payment immediately, interest will …………………on the arrears at a
rate of 10%.

22
e. English people have a lot of …………………….because everyone borrows a lot to have
holidays or to improve their houses.
f. Interest is ………………….on your debt at the rate of 18%.

VOCABULARY CHECK

account identity theft


account manager income
accrue instalments
applicant interest
apply interest rate
approve a loan internet banking
arrears issue
ATM
authorize
automated payment
balance lend
bank account lender
bank statement loan
bank transfer loan rate
bill
in the black mail
borrow marital status
borrower
branch notify
business account
cancel open an account
charges outgoings
cheque overdraft
chip and PIN owe
competitive
a credit pay
credit card PIN number
credit check process
credit history property (house)
currency
current account queue
debit receipt
debit card in the red
debt repay

23
default
deposit savings
disclose security
statement
subject to
sum
eligible telephone banking
enclose transfer
validate
fee withdraw

24

You might also like