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UNIT 1.
WHAT IS LAW AND THE NEED FOR LAW. HISTORY OF LAW

Reading 1: The Need for Law. Functions of Law. Kinds of Law

Lead-in
A): Read the words. Mind the stress.
΄purpose de΄vote regu΄lation
΄conduct i΄mmoral discrimi΄nation
΄murder so΄ciety super΄vision
΄recognize con΄tribute situ΄ation
΄influence fa΄cilitate main΄tain
΄prison re΄gardless juris΄prudence

B) Complete the word building table.

Noun Adjective Verb Noun
murder to devote
society to define
negligence to exist
justice to regulate
tradition to inhibit
variety to condemn
culture to recognize
peace to confuse
difference to injure
law to suffer
influence to punish
C) Add negative prefixes:
moral advantage
legal perfect
order written

WHAT IS LAW
The question 'What is law?' has troubled people for many years. Scientists devote an entire field of
study known as jurisprudence to answering this question. Many definitions of law exist, but for our
purposes, we can define law as the set of rules and regulations by which a government regulates, the
conduct of people within a society. Law is a body of official rules and regulations, generally found in
constitutions, legislation, judicial opinions, and the like, that is used to govern a society and to control
the behavior of the members. The nature and functions of law have varied throughout history. In modern
societies, some authorized body such as a legislature or a court makes the law. It is backed by the
coercive power of the state, which enforces the law by means of appropriate penalties or remedies. Even
with this explanation, many questions arise. Where do laws come from? Do we need laws? Are all laws
written? Can laws change? If so, how? What is the difference between laws and morals?
Formal legal rules and actions are usually distinguished from other means of social control and guides
for behavior such as mores, morality, public opinion, and custom or tradition. Of course, a lawmaker
may respond to public opinion or other pressures, and a formal law may prohibit what is morally
unacceptable.
To understand the law, we must consider the relationship of law to morals. Traditional ideas of right and
wrong influence our legal system. Thus, most people condemn murder, regardless of what the law says.
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However, everything that they consider immoral is not necessarily illegal. For example, lying to a friend
may be immoral but not really illegal.
One thing is certain: every society has recognized the need for law. These laws may have been written,
but even primitive people had rules to regulate the conduct of the group. For a very long time now,
members of every community have made laws for themselves in self-protection. Without laws, there
would be confusion, fear, and disorder. This does not mean that all laws are fair or even good, but
imagine how people might take advantage of one another without some set of rules. We are far better off
with the imperfect laws which we have, than if we had none at all.
Most people think of the law as prohibitive or punitive - the police officer arresting a suspect or a judge
imposing sentence on a defendant. That can be true of criminal law, at least up to a point, but it
overlooks the role of law in regulating disputes and providing for a rational and civilized way of
ordering society.
Law serves a variety of functions. It helps
1) to maintain a peaceful, orderly, relatively stable society,
2) to contribute to social stability by resolving disputes in civilized fashion,
3) to facilitate business activities and private planning;
4) to provide some degree of freedom that would not otherwise be possible,
5) to inhibit social discrimination and
6) to improve the quality of individual life in matters of health, education and welfare.
In many ways, law is the cornerstone of our culture. The rule of law provides society with the rules by
which all of us live. Conversely, citizens have the right to rely on the law and be confident of the
protection provided by the courts.
Laws fall into two major groups: criminal and civil. Criminal laws regulate public conduct and set our
duties owed to society. A criminal case is a legal action by the government against a person charged
with committing a crime. Criminal laws have penalties requiring that offenders should be imprisoned,
fined, placed under supervision, or punished in some other way.
Civil laws regulate relations between individuals or group of individuals. A person can bring a civil
action (lawsuit) when this person feels wronged or injured by another person. Civil laws regulate many
everyday situations such as marriage, divorce, contracts, real estate, insurance, consumer protection and
negligence.
1. Give each paragraph a heading of your own. Compare your headings with other members of the
group. Are all the headings possible?
2. Give the Ukrainian equivalents to the following words and expressions.
For our purposes; relationship of law and moral; confusion, fear, disorder; to take advantage of one
another; to regulate public conduct; to maintain a peaceful, orderly, relatively stable society; to resolve
disputes; to facilitate business activities; to provide society with the rules; to imprison offenders; to
punish in some other way; to bring a case against somebody; be imprisoned, fined, placed under
supervision; to commit a crime; to feel wronged or injured; consumer protection; real estate;
negligence; to inhibit social discrimination; within the framework of an ordered society; to enjoy
rights; to live their lives accordingly.
3. Find the English equivalents to the following words and expressions in the text.
Ціла галузь знань; набір правил та розпоряджень; присвятити відповіді на це питання; поведінка
людей; у межах суспільства (2); створювати закони; піддавати осуду вбивство; не обов'язково
незаконний; незалежно від того, що каже закон; брехати другові; підтримувати відносно
стабільне суспільство; робити внесок у соціальну стабільність; вирішувати суперечки у
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цивілізований спосіб; користуватися правами; сприяти господарській діяльності; забезпечити

певну ступінь свободи; стримувати соціальну дискримінацію; покращувати якість приватного
життя; верховенство закону; скоїти злочин; обвинувачувати в скоєнні злочину; порушувати
цивільну справу проти особи; нерухомість; халатність; захист прав споживача; у справах
здоров’я, освіти та добробуту ; наріжний камінь нашої культури.
4. Find in the text a word or a phrase that means:
1) procedures taken in court synonymous to lawsuit; 2) rule made by authority for the proper regulation
of a society or correct conduct in life; 3) make less difficult or more easily to achieve;
4) legal ending of a marriage by law; 5) safeguard against loss, provision against sickness, death, etc. in
return for regular payment; 6) to put or keep in prison; 7) sum of money paid as a penalty for breaking a
law or rule; 8) happiness and prosperity; 9) to prevent an action or progress; 10) carelessness; failure to
take proper care or precautions

5. A: Fill in the appropriate word from the list below.

injured; insurance; penalty; conduct; fear; takes advantage; offences; purpose; condemn; enable;
set; charged with; offenders
1. The main tendency is to refer to crimes as ________. 2. The police are sure that this person
committed the crime, so they _______ him ___ it. 3. He always _______ of the mistakes made by his
rivals. 4. We all _______ cruelty to children. 5. They condemned him for his bad _______. 6. The
_______ company will pay for the damage to my car. 7. The _______ of punishment is to correct
anti-social behaviour of _______. 8. The _______ for non-performance of contract is heavy. 9. We need
a set of rules of conduct to _______ us to live in any kind of satisfactory state. 10. If it were not for the
law, you could not go out without the _______ of being kidnapped, robbed or murdered. 11. When our
rules are once _______, no Governor should offer to alter them. 12. Two persons have been severely
_______ in a car accident.

B: Fill in the appropriate preposition or adverb.

1. Lawyers devote the entire field ____of to answering the question ‘What is law?’. 2. It was
study ____
for
done ____ a good purpose. 3. She brought legal action against of
____ her employer regardless ____ danger to
for
lose the case. 4. Has every member of the family been equally provided ____? 5. Every society provides
with the rules according ____
people ____ to which they live. 6. The prisoner is charged ____with criminal
negligence. 7. Ukrainian lawyers have made a considerable contribution ____ to of
development ____
from
jurisprudence. 8. He was released ____ prison and placed ____ supervision. 9. The driver was fined
under
for
____ to
exceeding speed limits. 10. We provide insurance ____ for
every employee ____ our company. 11. If a
to to
person commits a crime, he goes ____ prison. 12. We owe our rights ____ our society. 13. Psychologist
from committing suicide. 14. He is always taking advantage ____
inhibited her ____ of my good nature.

6. Choose a word or phrase (a, b, or c) which best completes the unfinished sentence:
1. Law regulates …… a) traditional ideas of what is right or wrong; b) the conduct of people within a
society; c) everything that is moral or immoral.
2. Jurisprudence answers the question ……
a) ‘Are all laws written?’ b) ‘What is good and fair?’ c) ‘What is law?’
3. There are two main groups of laws: ……
a) criminal and civil: b) international and constitutional; c) family and public.
4. Everything that they consider immoral is not necessarily …. a) legal; b) illegal; c) unjust;
5.Law …… to social stability by resolving disputes in civilized fashion.
a) inhibits; b) contributes; c) improves;
6. Criminal laws require ……
a) imprisonment; b) recovery of damages; c) payment of medical bills.
7. A civil action is brought against a person …
a) who suffered damages; b) who committed a crime; c) committed a wrong.
8. Laws …… business activities and private planning. a) inhibit; b) contribute; c) facilitate;
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9. An example of a civil case is ….. a) a robbery; b) a murder; c) a divorce.

7. Look through the text again and decide whether the following sentences are true or false.
1. Traditional ideas of right and wrong don’t influence our legal system. 2. Immoral actions are always
illegal. 3. Every society needs laws. 4. All laws are fair and good. 5. Members of every community keep
guns in their houses for self-defence. 6. Penalties for crimes under civil law are imprisonment, fines,
placing under supervision. 7. The law is an enabler, something that inhibits us to have rights. 8. Law
helps to provide some degree of freedom that is impossible to achieve in another way. 9. Law is the
cornerstone of jurisprudence. 10. A person can bring a civil action when another person commits a
crime.11. Primitive people didn’t have any rules that regulated people’s conduct.

8. Speaking Look through the text once more and say:

1) what law is; 2) why we need law; 3) what functions of the law are; 4) what criminal laws are; 5)
what civil laws are.

9. Translate into English.

А: 1. Я хочу присвятити своє життя науково-дослідницькій роботі в галузі конституційного права.
2. Ви можете дати визначення «права»? 3. Закони завжди існували в нашому світі. 4. Ми
влаштовуємо зустріч з тією метою, щоб розказати про наші наміри. 5. Ми повинні регулювати
нашу поведінку відповідно до вимог суспільства. 6. Якщо з’явиться потреба, зателефонуй мені. 7.
Люди піддають осуду таку аморальну поведінку незалежно від того, що закон не вважає її
протизаконною. 8. Я не маю відношення до цього безладу. 9. Ми визнаємо, що скоїли
правопорушення. 10. Поліція арештувала людину, яку вона обвинувачує у вчиненні убивства. 11.
Я вчинив цю несправедливість зі страху. 12. Він намагався уникнути покарання, але його
засудили до ув’язнення. 13. Поліція здійснює нагляд за тими, хто був звільнений з в’язниці. 14.
Він був сильно поранений в автомобільній аварії (car accident). 15. Керівництво оштрафувало
своїх працівників за недбальство. 16. Ми подали позов проти компанії за порушення умов
контракту та сподіваємося виграти судовий процес. 17. Наша фірма застрахувала співробітників
від нещасних випадків. 18. Люди повинні стримувати хибні бажання та наміри. 19. Закони
сприяють стабільному життю та добробуту та забезпечують певну ступінь свободи.
В: Home assignment.
1. Право – це набір правил, які регулюють поведінку людей у суспільстві. 2. Закони необхідні для
того щоб люди жили в цілковитій безпеці (safety). 3. Без законів люди можуть користуватися один
одним, в незалежності від того, чи вважають вони це справедливим, чи ні. 4. Не завжди
незаконним є те, що ми вважаємо аморальним. 5. Традиційні ідеї дуже впливають на нашу
правому систему. 6. Примітивні люди також мали певній набір правил, який регулював поведінку
у межах їх групи. 7. В сучасному суспільстві певний законодавчий (legislative) орган створює
закони. 8. Ми поділяємо закони на цивільні та кримінальні. 9. Кримінальні закони вимагають таке
покарання, як тюремне ув’язнення, штраф тощо. 10. Особа порушує цивільну справу проти іншої
особи, якщо вона почуває себе несправедливо ображеною. 11. Поліція обвинувачує його у
скоєнні злочину. 12. Закони обмежують (to limit) владу уряду, таким чином вони забезпечують
певну ступінь свободи громадянам. 13. Цивільні закони регулюють питання, пов’язані зі
шлюбом, розлученням, страхуванням, нерухомим майном, контрактами, халатністю, захистом
прав споживача тощо.

Reading 2: The History of Law

Lead-in
Read the words. Mind the stress. A):
΄ancestor de΄scend ,compen΄sation
΄pillar e΄ffect ,corres΄pond
΄victim in΄heritance ,Mesopo΄tamian