Review. Language and grammar focus

Ex. 1 Answer the following questions and check your knowledge of English Family Law, compare it with Ukrainian Family Code.

THE FAMILY: RELATIONSHIPS

1. A contract between a man and a woman to become husband and wife is called a / an:

(a) wedding (b) engagement (c) marriage (d) affair (e) relationship

2. Rearrange the letters in bold to make a word meaning husband or wife: pusoes

3. True or false: If you have a partner, you are assumed to be married.

4. Are same-sex marriages legal in Britain?

5. What is the difference between a separation and a divorce?

6. Complete this sentence with the appropriate word in bold:

The judge decided that the marriage had never been legal and so he annexed / antedated / annulled it (in other words, he declared that it had no legal effect).

7. What is the name we give to the notifiable offence of going through a ceremony of marriage to someone when you are still married to someone else?

Is it: (a) monogamy (b) bigamy (c) polygamy (d) monotony

8. In England and Wales, what kind of court deals with divorces?

Is it: (a) a magistrates' court (b) a Crown Court (c) a High Court (d) a County Court (e) a court of appeal

9. In England and Wales, a divorce can only be granted on one condition (known as grounds for divorce): that the marriage has broken down irretrievably (in other words, it cannot be made right again). Here are two of the conditions necessary for an irretrievable breakdown:

(1) The couple have lived apart for two years and both consent to divorce.

(2) The couple have lived apart for five years and no consent from the other spouse is needed.

Rearrange the letters in bold to make words for the other conditions:

(3) tdyulera by one spouse,

(4) runbesaleona brvioeuha of a spouse,

(5) soedernti by one spouse.

10. Here is a simplified version of the main divorce procedure. Complete the gaps with words from the box.

A request (a __________) is made by the __________ (= the person applying for the divorce) to the court for a divorce, in which the facts about the people involved and the reasons for the divorce are explained.

The court sends the divorce __________ to the __________ (= the other spouse), together with a form called an Acknowledgement of Service form, which he / she completes. In it, he / she indicates whether or not he / she wishes to __________ the divorce.

He / She returns this to the court within 7 days. (If he / she wants to __________ the divorce and / or its terms, he / she is sent another form to complete).

Assuming that the _____ does not want to _____ the divorce or the terms, a copy of the Acknowledgement of Service form is sent to the _____, who confirms the facts sent in their original petition by swearing an ______.

The court pronounces the ______, an order ending the marriage subject to a full ______, which comes later and ends the marriage completely.

11. If a divorced couple have children, one of them may be required to make regular payments to their ex-husband / ex-wife to help pay for the upbringing of the children. What are these payments called?

Are they: (a) child support (b) child maintenance (c) child benefit (d) child pensions

12. Look at this situation:

An unmarried couple with two children separate. The father moves away to another town. Is he legally obliged to make payments to his ex-partner for the upbringing of the children?

13. In England and Wales, the agency responsible for the assessment, review, collection and enforcement of payments is called the CSA. What do you think these letters stand for?

14. If a parent refuses to pay money for the upbringing of his / her ex-partner's children, the CSA can ask a court to make an Attachment of Earnings Order. What do you think this is?

15. How old should children be before a CSA ruling no longer applies?

Is it: (a) 15 (b) 16 (c) 17 (d) 18

16. What is alimony? Is it:

(a) money that a court orders a husband to pay regularly to his separated or divorced wife

(b) money that a court orders a father to pay regularly to his children until they are old enough to leave home

(c) money that the state pays a married couple to help them pay for a divorce

(d) money that a married couple must save to pay for their children's education

17. If a couple are unmarried, and one of them dies, who gets their estate (land, money and possessions) if the deceased (the dead person) has not made a will? Is it:

(a) the deceased's partner (b) the deceased's immediate family (c) the state

18. Who is your next of kin?

The family 2: Children

Exercise 1:

Complete this definition and explanation (which has been adapted from the A and C Black

Dictionary of Law) with words and expressions from the box.

adult binding business convicted guardians Juvenile juveniles land legal status majority malice marry minor minority parents responsible vote will written permission young offender young person Youth

A child can be defined as 'a person under the age of 18'. We can also use the word '__________'. The state of being less than 18 years old is called '__________'. When a child becomes 18, he / she reaches the age of __________ and so is legally regarded as an __________. In other words, he/ she becomes __________ for his / her own actions, can sue, be sued or undertake __________ transactions.

In Great Britain a child does not have full __________ until the age of 18. A contract is not __________ on a child, and a child cannot own __________, cannot make a __________, cannot __________ and cannot drive a car (under the age of seventeen). A child cannot __________ before the age of 16, and can only do so between the ages of 16 and 18 with the __________ of his / her __________ or legal __________. A child who is less than 10 years old is not considered capable of committing a crime; a child between 10 and 14 years of age may be considered capable of doing so if there is evidence of __________ or knowledge, and so children of these ages can in certain circumstances be __________. In criminal law the term 'child' is used for children between the ages of 10 and 14; for children between 14 and 17, the term '__________' is used; all children are termed '__________'. If someone between these ages commits a crime, he / she is known as a _______, and may be sentenced in a _______ Court (previously known as a _______ Court).

Exercise 2:

1. Choose the correct word in bold to complete this sentence:

The money paid by the state to a person who is responsible for a child under 16 years of age is called child support / maintenance / benefit / pension.

2. When two people divorce or get separated and one of them has care of their children, the other has the right to see the child regularly. True or false: this is called excess.

3. True or false: in Britain, the responsibility for the assessment, review, collection and enforcement of maintenance for children is supervised by the courts.

4. What does the Latin expression ' in loco parentis ' mean?

5. Rearrange the letters in bold to make a word: A child or young person who acts in an antisocial way or breaks the law is known as a queendltin.

6. Choose the best meaning of the word adoption. Is it:

(a) the act of looking after and bringing up a child who is not your own

(b) the act of becoming the legal parent of a child which is not your own

(c) the act of having your children supervised while they are at home to make sure they are being well cared for

7. Which of the following are allowed to be foster parents?:

(a) married couples (b) unmarried couples (c) single women (d) single men (e) same-sex couples

8. Complete the words in bold: If a parent or guardian fails to provide a child with adequate shelter, food, clothing, medical attention and supervision, this is known as n _ _ _ _ _ _. If a parent intentionally harms a child physically or mentally, this is known as a _ _ _ _.

9. Choose the correct word in bold to complete this sentence:

Sometimes, if a woman is physically unable to conceive and have a baby, the couple may ask another woman to have the baby for them and then give the baby to them: this woman is known as a surrogate / surreal / surety / surrender mother.

10. What is a Guardian ad Litem? Is it:

(a) a parent who does not live with his / her child.

(b) a child who does not have a parent or legal guardian.

(c) a person appointed by a court to represent a child in a legal action.

11. True or false: a parent can be held legally responsible for the actions of their children if the children do something wrong or illegal.

12. True or false: if one parent in a couple is found guilty of the offences in number 8 above, a court can apply to have the parent taken out of the family home rather than the child.

13. Truancy is becoming a major problem in Britain. What do you think this word means?

14. In Britain there are various orders that can be applied for children in different situations. Match the order 1 – 8 with what it does (a) – (h):

1. Care Order 2. Supervision Order 3. Search and Find Order 4. Disclosure Order 5. Prohibited Steps Order 6. Specific Issue Order 7. Contact Order 8. Residence Order

(a) If the parents cannot decide what to do about major issues related to their children, they can let a court decide for them.

(b) In cases of separation and divorce, this decides who the child will live with (in other words, who gets custody of the child)

(c) The court can prevent one parent from taking a child away from the other parent (often used if there is a danger the parent will take the child out of the country).

(d) A court can order the police or other legally-appointed body to enter a house where they think a child might be held against his / her will, in bad conditions, or illegally by a person not entitled to look after the child.

(e) A separated or divorced parent wants to see his / her children (who are living with the other parent) for short periods on a regular basis.

(f) The local social services regularly visit the home to check that children are being well cared for.

(g) If a person knows where a child is being illegally held, they must give this information to the police or the court, or face prosecution.

(h) Children are taken away from their home and parents / guardians by the local social services.

Complete the sentences using the words the box.

1. My cousin Sam always gets whatever he wants, even if it is really expensive. He is so ……...

2. Tom was ……… at the age of seven, but his parents treat him just like their other children.

3. Julie, who lives next door, is an ………. She has no brothers or sisters.

4. My best friend Margaret has just discovered that her father had a baby boy with another woman before he married her mother, so that means she has a ……… somewhere.

5. When John’s wife died he thought he would never fail in love again, but now he has met a wonderful woman and he is going to get ……….

6. The couple who live in the apartment above us are always fighting. I think they are probably going to get ……….

7. Even though my grandparents have been married for 50 years, they still have a very ……… relationship.

8. When my father remarried, his new wife already had a daughter. I didn't get on well with my ……… at first, but it’s okay now.