Intermediate — Set 12

Set 12 of Intermediate covers 5 words: trial, evidence, guilty, illegal, innocent. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.

1. trial · adjective/ˈtraɪ(ə)l/

   the court process which decides if someone committed a crime or not

   During the trial, if the judge feels that you're not asking the right information, he might interrupt and begin to question the witness himself.

   Synonyms: case, lawsuit

   Origin: late Middle English (as a noun): from Anglo-Norman French, or from medieval Latin triallum. The verb dates from the 1980s

2. evidence · adjective/ˈɛvəd(ə)ns/

   information used in courts of law by both defendants and prosecutors

   The police have found no evidence of a terrorist connection or security threat linked to the shooting.

   Synonyms: proof

   Origin: Middle English: via Old French from Latin evidentia, from evident- ‘obvious to the eye or mind’ (see evident)

3. guilty · adjective/ˈɡɪlti/

   responsible for a wrong act

   On the other hand, the media is just as guilty because they have a big influence on the people's opinion.

   Synonyms: responsible, culpable, convicted

   Origin: Old English gyltig(see guilt, -y)

4. illegal · adjective/ɪ(l)ˈliɡ(ə)l/

   against the law

   Under the 2004 Hunting Act it is illegal to hunt wild mammals with dogs in England and Wales.

   Synonyms: unlawful, illicit

   Origin: early 17th century: from French illégal or medieval Latin illegalis, from Latin in- ‘not’ + legalis ‘according to the law’

5. innocent · adjective/ˈɪnəs(ə)nt/

   free of guilt or fault

   Nobody believed Tom when he said he did not break the window but he sounded totally innocent to me.

   Synonyms: sinless, pure, faultless

   Origin: Middle English: from Old French, or from Latin innocent- ‘not harming’, from in- ‘not’ + nocere ‘to hurt’