LL.B. (Three Years) English Syllabus - SPPU 2026

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Syllabus for English

Semester 1 · First Year · Only for students writing in Marathi · 4 credits

Objectives of the Course

The purpose of the course is to acquaint the students with the nature of English language and its grammatical concepts. This course focuses on strengthening the students’ linguistic competence so as to bring quality and correct grammatical constructions in their writing and it is also meant to train them in translation skills to understand legal texts.

Module 01: Language and Meaning

a. Defining Language
b. Nature of Language
c. Law and Language
d. Bilingual Competence
e. Concept of meaning
f. Lexical Relations (Synonymy, Antonymy, Hyponymy, Homophones and Homographs, Polysemy)

Module 02: Grammar and Usage

a. Tenses
b. Articles and Prepositions
c. Simple, Complex, and Compound Sentences
d. Active and Passive Voice
e. Making Questions
f. Reported Speech
g. Syntactic Ambiguity

Module 03: Vocabulary Skills

a. Idioms and phrases
b. Legal Terms
c. Foreign Terminology in Law
d. Legal Maxims

Module 04: Legal Translation

a. Meaning of Legal Translation
b. Nature and Scope of Legal Translation
c. Indian Legal System and Use of English and Regional Language (Marathi)
d. Use of Bilingual Vocabulary
e. Translation of Different Legal Texts (English and Marathi)

Module 05: Writing Skills

a. Paragraph Writing
b. Precis Writing
c. Formal Correspondence
d. Essay Writing
e. Notices of general nature

List of Legal Terms (100) (Unit 3)

1. Abduction
2. Abetment
3. Abscond
4. Accomplice
5. Accused
6. Acquittal
7. Act of God
8. Adoption
9. Admission
10. Adverse Witness
11. Affidavit
12. Aggrieved
13. Alibi
14. Alimony
15. Amendment
16. Appeal
17. Approver
18. Bail
19. Bankrupt
20. Cause of action
21. Charge sheet
22. Claimant
23. Coercion
24. Cognizable
25. Confession
26. Conviction
27. Copyright
28. Culpable
29. Damages
30. Decree
31. Deed
32. Defamation
33. Defendant
34. Deponent
35. Detention
36. Discharge
37. Encumbrance
38. Endowment
39. Eviction
40. Evidence
41. Exonerate
42. Extortion
43. Extradition
44. Felony
45. Fraud
46. Heir
47. Homicide
48. Injunction
49. Intellectual Property
50. Intestate
51. Investigation
52. Judgment
53. Jurisdiction
54. Justice
55. Juvenile
56. Legacy
57. Liability
58. Libel
59. Lien
60. Misappropriation
61. Mortgage
62. Naturalization
63. Negligence
64. Oath
65. Overrule
66. Ownership
67. Parole
68. Partition
69. Perjury
70. Perpetrator
71. Petition
72. Plaintiff
73. Pleadings
74. Precedent
75. Promissory Note
76. Prosecute
77. Probation
78. Proviso
79. Public Interest
80. Quash
81. Rebuttal
82. Recidivism
83. Redemption
84. Remission
85. Restitution
86. Remand
87. Revocation
88. Sabotage
89. Sedition
90. Slander
91. Succession
92. Summons
93. Testator
94. Testimony
95. Trial
96. Trespass
97. Usurpation
98. Verdict
99. Voluntarily
100. Will

List of Foreign Words (50) (Unit 3)

1. a fortiori- With strong reason
2. ab initio - From the beginning.
3. actus reus- Wrongful act
4. ad hoc- Established for a particular purpose.
5. ad valorem - According to value.
6. amicus curiae - An impartial Advisor.
7. bona fide- Genuine
8. bona vacantia - Ownerless property.
9. caveat emptor- Let the buyer beware
10. caveat venditor- Let the seller beware
11. compos mentis - of sound mind.
12. de facto - In actual fact.
13. de jure - In law, By legal right.
14. ex gratia- As a matter of favour or grace
15. ex- officio- By virtue of an office
16. ex parte - One side only.
17. fait accompli- Something already done and irreversible
18. fauxpas - Blunder.
19. in limine - At the outset.
20. in memorium - In memory of.
21. in pari delicto- When both parties are equally at fault
22. in personam - Personally.
23. in situ- In its own place
24. inter alia - Among other things.
25. inter se - Among themselves.
26. lis pendens - During the pendency in any court.
27. locus standi- Right to speak or intervene in a matter.
28. mala fide - In bad faith.
29. mens rea- Criminal intention or guilty mind.
30. mesne profit- Intermediate profits
31. modus operandi - Mode or Method of working.
32. non compos mentis- Not of sound mind
33. nudum pactum - A bare promise.
34. null and void- Of no legal effect
35. onus probandi - The burden of proof.
36. par excellence - Without comparison.
37. prima facie - At first sight.
38. pro rata- In proportion
39. pro tempore- For the time being
40. ratio decidendi - The reasons for decisions.
41. res integra- A matter not yet decided
42. sine die - To a date not at the moment fixed.
43. status quo- The former state or decision
44. sub judice - Under judicial consideration.
45. sub rosa-Secretly, Confidentially
46. suo moto - By itself.
47. ultra vires - Beyond powers.
48. vice versa- with the order changed
49. vis-à-vis-In relation to
50. vox populi - The voice of people.

List of Legal Maxims (20) (Unit 3)

1. A spoliatus debet ante omnia restitui
2. Actus dei nemini facit injuriam
3. Actus non facit reum nisi mens sit rea
4. Audi alteram partem
5. Benignius leges interpretande sunt quo voluntas earum conservatur
6. Boni judicis est judicium sine dilatione mandare executioni
7. Causa proxima non remota spectator
8. Culpae poena par esto
9. Delegatus non potest delegare
10. Ex nudo pacto non oritur actio
11. Falsus in uno falsus in omnibus
12. Ignorantia facti excusat; ignorantia juris non excusat
13. Nemodat quod non habet
14. Omna praesumuntur contra spoitorem
15. Qui facit per aliumfacit per se
16. Respondeat superior
17. Res ipsa loquitur
18. Salus populi est suprema lex
19. Ubi jus ibi remedium
20. Volenti non-fit injuria

References

1. Garner, Bryan A. ed. Black’s Law Dictionary. 10th Edition.
2. Green, David. Contemporary English Grammar Structures and Composition. Chennai: Macmillan, 1999.
3. Gupta, Shweta. General English & Legal Language, Allahabad: CLP, 2016.
4. Leech, Geoffrey. Semantics- The Study of Meaning. Great Britain: Penguin Books, 1981.
5. Lexpedia, The Law Students’ Companion Guide (Legal Words, Phrases & Maxims) Gurgaon, LexisNexis, 2014.
6. Narayanswami, V. R. Strengthen Your Writing. Hyderabad: Orient Longman, 2000.
7. P. Ramanatha Aiyer’s Law Lexicon. Lexis Nexis, 2012.
8. Swan, Michael. Practical English Usage. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2017.
9. Sankaran, Kamala and Ujjwalkumar Singh. Towards Legal Literacy: An Introduction to Law in India. OUP, 2008.
10. Sarcevic, Susan. Legal Translation and Translation Theory: A Receiver-oriented Approach. Geneva, 2000: Actes (online). Available at www.tradulex.org
11. Yadugiri, M. A. and Geeta Bhaskar. English for Law. New Delhi: Foundation Books,2005.

Reproduced from the Savitribai Phule Pune University Revised CBCS Rule and Syllabus for LL.B., the 2023 pattern as amended on 18 July 2024. Wording is as printed in that syllabus. Module numbering is as printed there too.

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Every subject above is cut from the revised syllabus. Open the document here if you want the whole thing rather than a single subject.

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