Below is a list of commonly confused terms used in Legal English.

accede exceed accept except accord according accounting bookkeeping adherence adhesion (contracts) administrator executor adverse averse advise advice affect effect allege contend allot a lot all ready already all right alright all together altogether allude elude allusion illusion to adhere to an agreement; become party to a contract to go beyond; surpass to receive to exclude to agree; an agreement in accordance with maintaining and auditing financial records and reports recording of transactions compliance with one-sided agreement person distributing assets of an estate appointed by a court person distributing assets of an estate named in a will contrary to disinclined; unwilling verb noun to influence, to change to accomplish (verb); a result (noun) declaring something to be true before proven state of position to give out many entirely ready or finished something has occurred the correct form no such spelling forming a group entirely to suggest indirectly avoid or escape indirect mention a deception

alternately alternatively amend emend amount number quantity ascent assent attain obtain benefactor beneficiary beside besides biannual biennial capital capitol casual causal cede secede censure censor cession session cite sight site collaborate corroborate complement compliment

in turn; one after the other on the other hand; option to add to or modify to make corrections the total referring to number refers to things counted refers to things measured climb agreement accomplish to acquire one providing a gift one who receives a gift next to something in addition to twice a year, semi-annual every two years the seat of government, money invested in a business a building in which a legislative body meets by chance/informal relating to cause to give up withdrawal from criticise forbid public distribution to give up a meeting to summon, to quote, to refer a view; something seen a place co-operate with to confirm to complete to praise

condemn contemn confident confidant connote denotes contemporary contemporaneous continual continuous counsel council device devise discrete discreet disinterested uninterested disqualify unqualified disperse disburse economic economical emerge immerge emigration immigration eminent immanent imminent envelop envelope

pass judgment show contempt to be assured a person in whom one confides suggests means belonging to the present occurring at the same time recurring On-going advisor an organisation noun verb a separate part modest or restrained neutral not interested exclude; to render unfit without qualifications scatter pay out pertaining to money good value for ones money; inexpensive to rise from; to come into view to plunge into; to immerse moving from a country moving into a country famous or respected inherent or intrinsic about to take place (v)to put a covering about; surround (n)a wrapper

evoke invoke explicit implicit forbear forebear forgo forego guarantor surety hypothesise hypothecate immoral amoral imply infer incidence incident ingenious ingenuous instance instants interment internment lay lie libel slander malfeasance misfeasance observation observance ordinance ordnance

call forth cite as an authority or ask for help detailed in the nature of something to refrain ancestor to waive to go before person liable upon the default of the principal person liable on par with the principal forming hypothesis pledge evil without morals to mean or suggest (a speaker implies) to conclude or assume (a hearer infers) rate of occurrence event inventive; clever trusting; frank, nave a case or example of something moments of time burial confinement to set down to recline printed falsehood spoken falsehood wrongful incorrect perception adherence to a law military supplies

overdo overdue partially partly personal personnel persecute prosecute practical practicable precede proceed precedent precedence prescribe proscribe regardless irregardless stationary stationery tantamount paramount unquestionable unquestioned

to do too much past due; late to some degree in part Individual; private the staff of an organization oppress bring criminal charges convenient; sensible, not theoretical capable of being done to go before or in front of to begin guidance priority to order to forbid without regard not a word not moving writing material equivalent to value, meaning, or effect highest in rank undeniable that which has not been questioned

waiver to give up a claim or right waver to hesitat subsequent merely indicates something that follows an event or occurs at a later time. Consequent, however, indicates something which follows as a result of the earlier event. A counterpart is a duplicate or copy of a legal document. If a contract is entered into by two parties, for example, two originals are often signed so that each party has in its possession one original, signed version of the contract: This agreement has been signed in two original, identical counterparts of which each party has received one.

A counterparty, on the other hand, is one of the parties to a contract, transaction, trade, etc. In the above example, therefore, there are two counterparties: Both of the counterparties are required to sign the contract in order for it to be valid. Disburse is used to refer to the distribution of money or other assets, e.g. The Board of Directors resolved to disbursedividends to the shareholders. Disperse is used in reference to the distribution, scattering or spreading of other things, often people, e.g. The police officers attempted to disperse the crowd that had gathered. Immunity relates to protection from punishment, duty, liability or illness. Telecommunications companies have been granted legal immunity for cooperating in warrantless domestic wiretapping because it was ordered by the president. Impunity is narrower and refers only to protection from punishment. For decades, the cartels operated with impunity, unchallenged by corrupt cops. To compare to is to point out or imply resemblances between objects regarded as essentially of a different order; to compare with is mainly to point out differences between objects regarded as essentially of the same order. Thus, life has been compared to a pilgrimage, to a drama, to a battle; Congress may be compared with the British Parliament. Paris has been compared to ancient Athens; it may be compared with modern London. AP Stylebook Use compared to when the intent is to assert, without the need for elaboration, that two or more items are similar: She compared her work for womens rights to Susan B Anthonys campaign for womens suffrage. Use compared with when juxtaposing two or more items to illustrate similarities and/or differences: His time was 2:11:10 compared with 2:14 for his closest competitor. pernicious pertinent vindictive obscure disparity promulgate asperity ardous refrain pedant prissily ominous having a harmful effect relevant or applicable to particular matter having a strong desire for revenge hard to make out a great difference promote or make widely known harshness of tone difficult a regularly occuring melody a person who is excessively concerned about the minor details excessively prim and proper giving the impression that something bad is going to happen

indictments

formal charge or accusition of