‘It was too easy’: families ask how Kenneth Law enabled so many suicides
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EN: The past participle phrase 'linked to...' functions as an adjectival modifier (reduced relative clause) providing additional information about the subject. It is equivalent to 'who is/was linked to'.
The evidence linked to the crime was discovered in the basement.
EN: The verb 'plead' is used in legal contexts with the pattern 'plead guilty/not guilty to [charge]'. It indicates a formal statement in court.
The defendant decided to plead guilty to the charges of fraud.
EN: Appositives (e.g., 'a sixty-year-old Canadian man...') are used to rename or describe a noun immediately preceding them, often set off by commas to provide non-essential but descriptive detail.
Mr. Smith, a veteran teacher at our school, is retiring next month.
EN: In common law systems like those in Canada and the UK, 'pleading guilty' is a formal step that often leads directly to sentencing, bypassing a full trial. The mention of 'fourteen fatal poisonings' highlights the gravity of the case within the legal system.
EN: The Past Perfect tense ('had operated') is used to describe an action that was completed before another point in time or another action in the past. In this context, it establishes the background of Law's criminal activities prior to the legal proceedings mentioned in the text.
By the time the police arrived, the suspect had already deleted all the digital evidence.
EN: The relative pronoun 'which' preceded by the preposition 'through' creates a formal relative clause. 'Through which' indicates the medium or means (the network of storefronts) by which the main action (selling substances) was performed.
The company established a platform through which users could share their experiences.
EN: The phrase 'more than' is used as a quantifier to indicate a number exceeding a specific amount. In formal news reporting, it is often preferred over 'over' to maintain a precise and objective tone.
More than fifty witnesses were interviewed during the investigation.
EN: The term 'vulnerable individuals' in a legal and social context often refers to people who are at a higher risk of harm due to their mental health, age, or personal circumstances. In this case, it specifically points to those struggling with suicidal ideation who were targeted by Law's business.
EN: The use of 'that' as a conjunction to introduce a noun clause acting as the direct object of the verb 'revealed'. This is common in reporting findings or speech.
The report revealed that the company had ignored safety warnings.
EN: The 'with + noun + participle/adjective' structure (absolute construction) is used here to provide additional circumstantial information or detail about the preceding clause.
The meeting ended, with many questions still left unanswered.
EN: The past participle 'destined' functions as an adjective here, meaning 'intended for a specific destination'. It is often followed by the preposition 'for'.
The cargo was destined for a remote island in the Pacific.
EN: The mention of 'Ontario' and the 'United Kingdom/United States' highlights the international scope of modern cybercrime. In legal contexts, 'revealed' is often used by authorities to present evidence found during an investigation.
EN: This sentence uses an inverted structure where the prepositional phrase 'Among Law's victims' is placed at the beginning for emphasis, followed by the verb 'was' and then the subject 'Aimee Walton'. This is common in formal writing to create a smooth transition from the previous context.
Among the guests was a famous actor from Hollywood.
EN: The phrase 'a young woman from Southampton' acts as an appositive, providing additional information about the proper noun 'Aimee Walton'.
Mr. Smith, a teacher at our school, won the marathon.
EN: The relative clause 'who loved music and art' uses the relative pronoun 'who' to modify the noun 'woman', providing descriptive detail about her character.
I have a friend who speaks five languages fluently.
EN: Southampton is a major port city on the south coast of England. Mentioning a victim's specific hometown and personal interests (music and art) is a common journalistic technique to 'humanize' the story, moving it from abstract statistics to a personal tragedy.
EN: The Past Perfect Passive ('had been' + past participle) is used to describe an action that was completed before another action in the past, emphasizing that the subject was the recipient of the action.
The documents had been shredded before the investigators arrived.
EN: The relative clause starting with 'that glorified suicide' uses the relative pronoun 'that' to provide essential information about the preceding noun 'online forum'.
He visited a website that promoted healthy living.
EN: The prepositional phrase 'before purchasing' uses the gerund (-ing form) after the preposition 'before' to indicate the sequence of events without repeating the subject.
Always read the instructions before operating the machinery.
EN: The term 'groomed' in this context refers to a predatory process where someone builds a relationship and trust with a vulnerable person to manipulate or exploit them, often leading to harmful outcomes. This case highlights the growing concern over digital safety and the role of online communities in radicalizing or endangering individuals.
EN: Inversion in conditional sentences (Third Conditional) is used to express hypothetical past situations. By omitting 'if' and placing the auxiliary verb 'had' before the subject, the tone becomes more formal and literary.
Had I known about the meeting, I would have attended.
EN: Mixed Conditionals (Type 3 + Type 2) are used when a past action or condition has a continuing result in the present. Here, 'had intervened' (past) is paired with 'might still be alive' (present state).
If he had taken the medicine yesterday, he would feel better now.
EN: Parenthetical insertion (interrupter) involves placing a phrase like 'her family argued' in the middle of a sentence to provide attribution or context without changing the core grammatical structure.
The results, the researchers claimed, were statistically significant.
EN: The use of 'argued' in a legal or news context often implies a formal statement or a position taken by a party in a dispute, rather than a simple disagreement. It highlights the family's active pursuit of accountability against institutions.
EN: The modal construction 'would have + past participle' is used here to express a hypothetical situation in the past—something that was expected or intended to happen but did not occur because of a tragic intervention.
If the flight hadn't been cancelled, he would have arrived by now.
EN: The word 'that' introduces a relative clause providing additional information about the 'milestone'. The use of 'now serves as' indicates a shift in the function or perception of an event over time.
The old factory now serves as a contemporary art gallery.
EN: The mention of a 'twenty-fifth birthday' as a 'milestone' reflects the cultural significance of quarter-century birthdays in many Western societies, often seen as a transition into full adulthood. The term 'institutional failure' in this context refers to the perceived negligence of police and government bodies in protecting vulnerable citizens from online harm.
EN: The present perfect tense ('have long maintained') is used here to describe an action that started in the past and continues to the present, emphasizing a persistent stance or belief. The adverb 'long' is placed between the auxiliary verb and the past participle.
Environmentalists have long maintained that urgent action is needed to combat climate change.
EN: The passive voice in the past tense ('were dismissed') shifts the focus from the actors (police and government) to the warnings themselves. This is common in formal reporting to emphasize the impact on the subject.
The concerns raised by the local community were dismissed by the developers.
EN: The correlative conjunction 'both... and...' is used to link two equivalent elements (police and government officials), emphasizing that the action applies to both parties equally.
The new policy was supported by both the ruling party and the opposition.
EN: In the context of British and international legal discourse, 'bereaved families' often refers to those who have lost loved ones and are seeking justice or systemic change. The term 'dismissed' here carries a heavy connotation of institutional neglect, suggesting that the authorities did not take the warnings seriously enough to act.
EN: The present perfect tense ('has solidified') is used here to describe a past action or change that has a direct result or relevance to the current situation. The verb 'solidify' metaphorically describes an abstract feeling (frustration) becoming a concrete action (a demand).
The initial rumors have now solidified into a major political scandal.
EN: The preposition 'into' is used after verbs of change or transformation (like 'solidify', 'turn', 'transform') to indicate the resulting state or form.
The protest evolved into a nationwide movement for reform.
EN: The noun 'inquiry' is frequently followed by the preposition 'into' to specify the subject being investigated. This is a common collocation in formal and legal English.
The government launched an inquiry into the cause of the plane crash.
EN: In the UK and other Commonwealth systems, a 'public inquiry' is a major official investigation ordered by the government into matters of intense public concern. It has more weight than a standard police report and often leads to significant changes in law or policy.
EN: The use of a non-defining relative clause (starting with 'where') provides additional descriptive information about 'pro-suicide forums' without changing its core identity. It is set off by commas.
The local community center, where many elderly people gather daily, is facing budget cuts.
EN: The passive voice 'have been permitted' combined with the present perfect tense emphasizes a continuous state of neglect or allowance from the past up to the present moment.
Illegal street racing has been permitted to continue despite numerous complaints.
EN: The adverb 'unchecked' functions as a complement to the verb 'operate', describing the manner in which the action occurs (without restraint or supervision).
The virus spread unchecked throughout the population for weeks.
EN: The term 'groomed' in this context refers to the psychological manipulation of vulnerable individuals, often online, to lead them toward self-harm or exploitation. This reflects a growing legal and social concern in the UK and other Western countries regarding 'digital harm' and the responsibility of platform moderators.
EN: Subject-Complement Inversion: In formal English, when an adjective phrase (like 'Equally pressing') acts as a subject complement, it can be moved to the beginning of the sentence for emphasis, causing the subject and verb to swap places.
Included in the report are several recommendations for safety.
EN: Noun Clauses with 'How': The word 'how' introduces a subordinate noun clause that functions as the complement of the noun 'question'. It explains the content of the question in detail.
The mystery of how the thief entered the building remains unsolved.
EN: Compound Adjectives with Adverbs: 'Loosely regulated' is a compound adjective formed by an adverb ending in '-ly' and a past participle. Note that adverbs ending in '-ly' do not take a hyphen when forming compound adjectives.
The highly developed city attracts many tourists.
EN: The phrase 'loosely regulated market' often appears in political and economic discourse to criticize a lack of government oversight. In the context of the internet, it refers to the 'Dark Web' or niche forums where illegal activities occur due to the difficulty of international policing.
EN: The present perfect tense ('have emphasised') is used here to indicate a past action that has strong relevance or continuing impact on the current situation, often used in news reporting to introduce recent developments.
Experts have warned that the new policy could lead to unforeseen consequences.
EN: The verb 'expose' is used figuratively to mean revealing something hidden or secret, particularly a weakness, flaw, or crime. In a C1 context, it often collocates with 'gaps', 'flaws', or 'vulnerabilities'.
The audit exposed several security flaws in the company's internal system.
EN: The noun clause starting with 'that' serves as the direct object of the verb 'emphasised', allowing the speaker to present a complex statement or fact as the focus of the sentence.
The report concluded that immediate action is required to prevent further damage.
EN: In the context of digital safety, 'oversight' refers to the regulatory supervision by government or independent bodies. The term 'advocates' highlights the role of non-governmental organizations and activist groups in shaping public policy and demanding accountability in Western legal and social systems.
EN: Inverted Conditional (Second Conditional): The sentence uses 'Were + subject + to-infinitive' to express a hypothetical situation in the present or future. This is a formal alternative to 'If governments were to implement...'. It emphasizes the remote possibility or formal tone.
Were the company to face bankruptcy, the employees would lose their jobs.
EN: Passive Voice with Modal Verbs: 'Could potentially be averted' uses the structure 'modal + be + past participle'. It indicates that the action (averting tragedies) is possible but depends on the condition mentioned in the first clause.
The project could be completed ahead of schedule if we work together.
EN: The sentence reflects a common theme in international law and safety debates: the tension between free trade/privacy and the need for government intervention to prevent crime. In the context of the UK and Canada, this highlights the challenges of regulating digital-age crimes that cross traditional borders.
EN: The use of 'which' introduces a non-restrictive relative clause, providing supplementary information about 'the sheer scale of Law's operation'. It is separated by commas and can be removed without changing the core meaning of the sentence.
The new policy, which was implemented last month, has already shown positive results.
EN: The word 'sheer' is an emphatic adjective used to emphasize the size, amount, or degree of something, often suggesting that the quality alone is enough to cause a particular effect.
The sheer volume of data made it impossible to analyze manually.
EN: The verb 'underscore' is a formal synonym for 'emphasize' or 'stress'. It literally means to draw a line under something, figuratively highlighting its importance.
The recent accidents underscore the need for better safety regulations.
EN: The term 'institutional accountability' in a British context often refers to the responsibility of public bodies (like the NHS, police, or government) to answer for failures. This case highlights a growing debate in the UK and globally about the legal responsibility of digital platforms and state authorities in preventing online-mediated crimes.
EN: Negative Inversion: When a sentence begins with a negative expression like 'Not only', the auxiliary verb (must, do, have, etc.) is placed before the subject. This structure is used for emphasis and is common in formal writing or high-level journalism.
Not only did he complete the project on time, but he also exceeded all expectations.
EN: Passive Voice with Modals: The structure 'must be held' and 'should face' (though 'face' is active here, 'be held responsible' is passive) indicates necessity or obligation. 'Be held responsible' is a common collocation meaning to be made to answer for one's actions.
The company should be held accountable for the environmental damage.
EN: Gerund after Prepositions: The word 'failing' is a gerund (verb+ing) acting as a noun after the preposition 'for'. It explains the reason for the 'scrutiny'.
He was criticized for failing to provide adequate evidence.
EN: The sentence reflects a growing global debate on the legal responsibility of digital platforms and logistics services. In many Western legal systems, 'common carriers' (like postal services) traditionally had limited liability for the contents of packages, but cases like 肯尼斯·勞's are pushing for stricter 'scrutiny' and accountability in the digital age.
Key vocabulary words with IPA pronunciation, definitions, example sentences, and interactive quizzes.
Phrases with type tags, bilingual definitions, usage notes, and example sentences.
To formally admit in a court of law that one has committed a crime.
An official investigation ordered by a government body into a matter of public concern.
To continue functioning without any control, restraint, or supervision.
The obligation of an organization or government body to explain its actions and be held responsible for its failures.