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12 useful verbs relating to crime and punishment to use in your IELTS exam

Master Key Crime & Punishment Verbs for Your IELTS Answers

Boost your IELTS writing and speaking by using these essential verbs confidently.

Verb Meaning
Acquit To free someone from a criminal charge by a verdict of not guilty.
Commit To carry out or perform a crime, mistake, or immoral act.
Convict To declare someone guilty of a criminal offence in court.
Detain To keep someone in custody, usually for questioning about a crime.
Exonerate To officially absolve someone from blame, often after originally being found guilty.
Imprison To put someone in prison or a similar place of confinement.
Investigate To carry out a systematic inquiry into an incident or allegation to establish facts.
Pardon To officially forgive someone for a crime and free them from punishment.
Perpetrate To carry out a harmful, illegal, or immoral action.
Prosecute To institute legal proceedings against someone or an organisation.
Punish To impose a penalty on someone for an offence or crime.
Sentence To declare the punishment for someone after a conviction in court.

Complete the sentences below by typing the correct verb from the list above. Click “Reveal Answer” if you want to check the correct verb.

  1. In recent years, many individuals have found it easier to Reveal Answer cybercrimes due to the anonymity afforded by the internet.
  2. It is challenging for lawyers worldwide to Reveal Answer transnational crimes such as human trafficking effectively.
  3. It is the court’s role to fairly Reveal Answer offenders found guilty of a crime, balancing punishment with rehabilitation.
  4. There is ongoing debate whether capital punishment effectively Reveal Answer the most heinous crimes while also acting as a deterrent.
  5. The UK prison system Reveal Answer juveniles separately from adults to protect their rehabilitation prospects.
  6. Courts must carefully Reveal Answer suspects when evidence fails to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
  7. Forensic science has Reveal Answer innocent individuals wrongly accused of serious crimes.
  8. Occasionally, the President may Reveal Answer an individual convicted of a non-violent offence.
  9. UK Police can Reveal Answer a suspect in a crime for questioning for up to 24 hours before they have to charge or release them.
  10. Law enforcement agencies continually Reveal Answer organised crime networks to dismantle their operations.
  11. It is imperative to Reveal Answer individuals who are guilty of corruption to uphold the rule of law.
  12. Gangs in urban areas often Reveal Answer robberies on a regular basis across the city.

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