HELPFUL VOCABULARY FOR MURDER / CRIME

Vocabulary
part of speech Meaning Example sentence
arrest My partner arrested the man who set fire
take into police control
verb to the building.
assailant
person who assaults or attacks Did you see the assailant run away?
noun
at large
Im afraid that the man who robbed the
(on the loose) not caught, running free
bank is still at large.
armed and
is carrying a weapon and has a violent Do not approach the thief if you see him.
dangerous
background He is considered armed and dangerous.
adjective
back-up police that are called in to support or Were calling for back up now that we
noun help know she has a gun.
bail large amount of money that someone Your husbands bail is posted at 20, 000
noun pays as a promise to appear in court dollars.
baton (night heavy stick that police use for
No, we dont carry guns. We only have
stick) controlling crowds or defending
batons.
noun themselves
burglar a person who breaks into a home or We think the burglar got in through your
noun business and steals items chimney.
cell Well have to keep you in a cell until
individual room in a jail/prison
noun someone comes to pay your bail.
convict a person who is doing (or supposed to Please be aware that there is a convict
noun be doing) jail time on the loose.
criminal record a file that lists all of the crimes a We dont allow anyone with a criminal
noun person has committed record into our country.
crime scene Please stay outside the yellow tape. This
the place where a crime happened
noun is a crime scene.
cruiser (squad Please step out of your vehicle and get
police car
car) noun into the police cruiser.
(in) custody You will be happy to know that we have
under police control
noun taken the kidnapper into custody.
(Driving Under the Influence/Driving
Your record says that you have two
DUI/DWI while Intoxicated). Driving after
previous DUIs.
drinking too much alcohol
detective police officer responsible for solving The detective is going to ask you a few
noun crime questions about the mans appearance.
do time receive punishment for a crime by You wont be required to do any time but
verb + noun spending time in jail you will have to pay a fine.
If you try to escape we will have to
escape
get away from a holding place restrain you with handcuffs.
verb
felony Murder is considered a felony and is
a major crime (e.g. murder)
noun punishable by life in prison.
fine money that a person pays for breaking You can get charged a large fine for
noun a law speeding in a school zone.
fingerprints marks left by fingers that identify a Were going to have to check your
noun person personal belongings for fingerprints.
firearms It is illegal to carry unregistered firearms
weapons that shoot
noun such as rifles and pistols.
gang a group of people often associated Stay away from this area at night as there
noun with crime and drugs is a lot of gang activity.
guilty responsible for a crime, deserving of You will be considered innocent until you
adjective punishment are proven guilty.
We put your boyfriend in handcuffs,
metal rings that attach to wrists to keep
handcuffs because we saw him climbing through
criminals (or the accused)from
noun your window and thought he was an
escaping
intruder.
Well believe you are innocent when you
innocent
not responsible for the crime show us your receipt for the items in the
adjective
bag.
intruder a person who enters a home or Someone called to report an intruder on
noun business illegally the third floor.
Stealing a road sign is considered a
misdemeanour a minor crime (punishment is usually a
misdemeanour, but is punishable by a
noun fine or less than one year in jail)
large fine.
patrol (on
We always patrol the downtown core on
patrol) observe and protect an area
the weekends.
verb
perpetrator
person who committed the crime The perpetrator is still at large.
noun
pickpocket a thief who steals from peoples
Beware of pickpockets on the subway.
noun pockets in transit or in crowds
pursuit We are in pursuit of a man in a green
the act of searching for
noun jacket and orange pants.
radio wave transmission that helps
radar According to our radar you were driving
police track cars and map crime
noun/adjective well above the speed limit.
scenes
robbery theft; taking something that does not We have twenty officers investigating the
noun belong to you, often with force bank robbery.
speeding Your license shows a clean driving record
a fine given to a driver who gets
ticket except for one speeding ticket from five
caught driving beyond the speed limit
noun years ago.
street crime Dont give the beggars any money. You
crime such as drugs and prostitution
noun will only be promoting street crime.
thief We have found the thief who stole your
somebody who steals
noun car.
walkie-talkie My partner told me your license plate
hand held radio each partner carries
noun over his walkie-talkie.
wanted A man from your hotel is wanted for his
being searched for by police
adjective involvement in a murder.
witness Three people witnessed the murder but
to see something happen
verb they are afraid to speak.
young
offender a minor who commits a crime (usually Your punishment will be less severe
(juvenile under age of 18) because you are a young offender.
delinquent)
 Crime Definition
abduction/kidnapping taking a person to a secret location using force
armed robbery using a weapon to steal
arson setting fire to a place on purpose
assault hurting another person physically
attempted murder trying to kill someone (but failing)
child abuse injuring a child on purpose
domestic violence physical assault that occur within the home
drug trafficking trading illegal drugs
drunk driving driving after having too much alcohol
fraud lying or cheating for business or monetary purposes
hijacking holding people in transit hostage (usually on a plane)
murder/homicide taking someones life through violence
shoplifting stealing merchandise from a store
smuggling bringing products into a country secretly and illegally
speeding driving beyond the speed limit
terrorism acts of crime against a group (political/religious) or another country
theft stealing
torture extremely cruel and unfair treatment (often towards prisoners)
white collar crime breaking the law in business

Punishment
(example offence) Definition
traffic ticket
leaves marks on driving record/involves paying a fine
(speeding, parking)
license suspension driving rights are removed for a certain period of time
fine pay money as punishment for minor/petty crime
house arrest
(a young offender who is remain in ones home for a certain period of time
waiting to go to court)
community service
do volunteer work such as teaching children about crime or
(a youth that steals a car
cleaning up garbage
for the first time)
life in prison spend the rest of ones life in prison with no chance of going back
into society

Helpful Vocabulary for a Ghost Story

Words That Set the Mood

A truly horrifying story establishes an eerie atmosphere right from the beginning. An effective writer will
send signals to the reader that the story will be scary and depressing using such vocabulary as gloomy,
somber, dreary, forbidding and creepy.

Words That Show Fear

A scary story needs a protagonist frightened out of her wits. Words like horrified, horror-struck,
petrified, panic-stricken, appalled, witless and aghast will do; however, representing the signs of a
protagonist fears are even better. Perhaps she has droplets of sweat on her forehead, her knees are
knocking or she is trembling, quivering, shuddering, quailing or quaking. You can describe her as
transfixed or paralyzed in place.